Happy 200th, Franz!

October 23, 2011 2:55 PM

Yesterday was Franz Liszt's 200th birthday. Celebrate by watching performances of his most famous piece, the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, by Tom & Jerry, Woody Woodpecker or perhaps Bugs Bunny. Or maybe you prefer something less cartoonish?
posted by falameufilho (26 comments total)

No mention of Lisztomania?
posted by lumensimus at 3:05 PM on October 23, 2011 [4 favorites]

But of the cartoons, only Tom knows how to play the correct notes.
posted by Obscure Reference at 3:19 PM on October 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

The indefatigable Leslie Howard has recorded the complete works for solo keyboard on 99 compact discs.
posted by Trurl at 3:24 PM on October 23, 2011

You know, he was reincarnated as a cat once.
posted by web-goddess at 3:43 PM on October 23, 2011

Here's Victor Borge as Franz Liszt: Part 1, Part 2.
posted by sciurus at 3:47 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ah, he was just like Brahms only less storage and a proprietary interface.
posted by spitbull at 3:49 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Great post. For another aspect of Liszt, try the Transcendental Etude No. 11, as played by the great Beresofsky!
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 4:02 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

The legendary Victor Borge duet performance (this is different from the great sciurus link)
posted by beisny at 4:18 PM on October 23, 2011 [5 favorites]

I will always love Looney Tunes for inspiring my love of classical music. No lie.

Great links, everyone!
posted by Salieri at 5:32 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

This Evgeny Kissin performance of Liszt's La Campanella is outrageous.
posted by beisny at 5:52 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

There's so much more to Liszt than cartoon music.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:55 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Blazecock Pileon: "There's so much more to Liszt than cartoon music."

WHY YES OF COURSE
posted by falameufilho at 6:34 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

The winner of the Rhapsody No. 2 contest, by my count, is Marc-Andre Hamelin.

The man is a beast. A sexy beast.
posted by TheRedArmy at 6:38 PM on October 23, 2011

Oops. Made italics when I meant to make a link.
posted by TheRedArmy at 6:39 PM on October 23, 2011

The 'Friska' starts at 4:30 in that link if you are impatient with the slow stuff.
posted by TheRedArmy at 6:43 PM on October 23, 2011

Except the link doesn't work.
posted by That's Numberwang! at 6:50 PM on October 23, 2011

Ick, avoid the Lang Lang link that shows up in the sidebar there. How does he so consistently miss the point of the music he plays?
posted by TheRedArmy at 6:50 PM on October 23, 2011

Sorry, trying to fail the most times possible in one thread.

For reals.
posted by TheRedArmy at 6:51 PM on October 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2! FINALLY, after all these years, I've been able to find out the composer (and title) of that piece. The Woody Woodpecker "Convict Concerto version is the one that has always stuck with me, though I think there might have been a different Bugs Bunny one other than the one featured above with a similar plot as the Woody Woodpecker one, too.
posted by KingEdRa at 6:52 PM on October 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

That Transcendental Etude No. 11 link was fucking beautiful.
posted by the bricabrac man at 7:40 PM on October 23, 2011

Thanks bricabrac.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 7:43 PM on October 23, 2011

My favorite has always been the Tiny Toons version.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:04 PM on October 23, 2011

So many cool links. In the Hamelin Rhapsodie at some point you get the feeling a Conlon Nancarrow roll has taken over.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 9:23 PM on October 23, 2011

What, nobody's yet mentioned the Who Framed Roger Rabbit edition?
posted by DataPacRat at 2:25 AM on October 24, 2011

Or from way back in 1937, A Car-Tune Portrait?
posted by DataPacRat at 2:51 AM on October 24, 2011

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2! FINALLY, after all these years, I've been able to find out the composer (and title) of that piece.

Ditto! I'd spent hours of unproductive Googling in a vain search for it over the last few years.
posted by kersplunk at 5:04 AM on October 24, 2011 [2 favorites]