Berlioz, H :: Marche Hongroise [Hungarian March]

Marche Hongroise [Hungarian March]
Berlioz, H

Hector Berlioz' Marche hongroise, also known as the Rakoczy March after Hungary's like-named national hero, formed part of his dramatic legend The Damnation of Faust of 1846. It is an orchestral arrangement of an anonymous military march and originated during a highly successful concert tour that took the composer to Austria, Hungary and Bohemia. The enthusiastic reception given to the piece by audiences in Pest prompted Berlioz to transport Part 1 of The Damnation of Faust into reality - in this case the reality of present-day Hungary - whereas in Goethe's original the passage takes place entirely in Faust's imagination.

Berlioz had formed an acquaintance with Goethe's play as a twenty-three-year-old student of medicine. Even then he resolved to use it as the basis for a piece of music. In Part 1, Scene 3 of this four-part work, Faust hears an army approaching in the distance. The call to arms is unmistakable, and all are stirred by the hymn of victory - except for Faust, whose heart remains unmoved. The soldiers pass by to the strains of the Rakoczy March.

This arrangement for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon restores Berlioz's version to its original wind band setting, with the woodwinds giving the work a completely new color. Parts only.