Hungarian Dances

At the age of just 19 years old, Brahms traveled Germany to follow Hungarian cellist Ede Reményi, who taught him the folk music of his own country. The result of this apprenticeship can be found in the pages of his Hungarian Dances! This suite of 21 pieces, inspired by popular Hungarian arias and influenced by gypsy themes, is characterized by abrupt tempo changes, jumping from a slow pace to a suddenly faster tempo. The Hungarian Dances have been a tremendous success since their initial release, producing many transcriptions and inspiring others composers including Dvořák. But the most famous among them all is without a doubt the Hungarian Dance No. 5, having earned a place of honor in an early cinematic masterpiece: Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. Such is the timeless charm of the Hungarian Dances!