Liszt: Complete Hungarian Rhapsodies
Whatever happened to these highly enjoyable works? They seem to have dropped off the face of the pianistic earth. Everyone in the universe knows the Second Hungarian Rhapsody, if only from the famous Bugs Bunny cartoon (remember, the one with the mouse in the piano?), and several of these pieces exist in orchestral versions as well. But very few pianists seem to be playing them anymore, and recordings are even more rare. It's a pity, because they remain among the most entertaining and successful pieces that Liszt wrote. This complete set is easily the finest available, and its reissue at two discs for the price of one makes it even more desirable.--David Hurwitz