Yundi and Zuohuang Chen perform Liszt

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S 244 2

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S 244 2, is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set. Composed in 1847 and dedicated to Count László Teleki, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 was first published as a piano solo in 1851 by Senff and Ricordi. Few other piano solos have achieved such widespread popularity, offering the pianist the opportunity to reveal exceptional skill as a virtuoso, while providing the listener with an immediate and irresistible musical appeal. It is considered one of the most technically demanding works in the solo piano repertoire.

Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, S 124

Franz Liszt composed his Piano Concerto No. 1 over a 26-year period; the main themes date from 1830, while the final version dates 1849. The concerto consists of four movements, which are performed without breaks in between. It premiered in Weimar on February 17, 1855, with Liszt at the piano and Hector Berlioz conducting. Béla Bartók wrote of the work as being "the first perfect realization of cyclic sonata form, with common themes being treated on the variation principle."

Part of the NCPA's celebration of the 200th anniversary of Liszt's birth