This past Saturday, Franz Liszt would have celebrated his 200th birthday.
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is now, and will probably always be, my favorite piece of classical music. Liszt draws from Hungarian gypsy rhythms to create the most divine ivory alchemy.
So, to celebrate, I bring you my favorite performance of this piece, "Cat Concerto", which won an Acadamey Award for Best Short back in 1946. (You still can't match Tom and Jerry for sheer bloody-mindedness...)
The technical achievement of this particular short is on par with Liszt's own genius. For the first couple of minutes, even the correct keys are played in the animation.
Let William Hanna and Joseph Barbera bring joy to your Monday!
