Monday 4 July 2011
Tune of the Day: Hungarian March
from “The Damnation of Faust” by Hector Berlioz
French composer Hector Berlioz called his opera La damnation de Faust a “légende dramatique” (dramatic legend). This work was inspired by a translation of Goethe's dramatic poem Faust and, like the masterpiece it's based on, it defies easy categorization. It was first performed in Paris in 1846.
The celebrated Marche hongroise, or Hungarian March, concludes the first of the four parts of the opera. Berlioz relates in his Memoirs the circumstances of the composition, based on a Hungarian national theme (Rákóczy-indulo). The electrifying effect of the first performance in Budapest incited Berlioz to include it in La damnation de Faust, which he was composing at the time.
Thanks to Holly for suggesting this piece!