Hungarian Dances
   No. 10 in F major
   No. 6 in D major
   No. 4 in F-sharp minor
   No. 21 in E minor

Composed 1869/1880; Duration: 15 minutes

First BPO Performance: November 14 & 16, 1965 (Lukas Foss, conductor)

Last BPO Performance: March 2-3, 2013 (JoAnn Falletta, conductor)

One of Brahms’ first gigs was in 1850 when he toured as accompanist for Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi, playing, among other things, Hungarian Romani music. Familiar with Hungarian melodies and having witnessed the success of Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, he published two books of Hungarian Dances in 1869. Originally for piano four hands, the popularity and financial success of the dances led to two more volumes in 1880, 21 dances in total, and many subsequent orchestrations and arrangements. 

No. 10 (Presto): The dance flies with levity and unpredictable accents, but is grounded by the heavy middle dance.

No. 6 (Vivace): The deceptively hesitant opening is swept away by spontaneous accents, unsuspecting tempo swings, and chaotic dynamic changes. The bombastic Vivace is countered by a proud, folksy middle section.

No. 4 (Poco sostenuto – Vivace): A melodramatic—nearly cinematic—melody, rich in expression and texture, breaks for a chipper dance. After a return to the opening melody, the tone does an about-face as pizzicato strings accompany a light piccolo melody.

No. 21 (Vivace – Più presto): Brahms’ final dance exudes fun and playfulness. The energetic melody is colored with cheery grace notes and plows ahead with unstoppable momentum.