Ungarische Fantasie • Ungarische Rhapsodien Nr. 4 Und Nr.5 / Ungarische Tänze Nr. 17 • 18 • 19 Und 20

This 1984 release on Deutsche Grammophon is part of the label's 'Privilege' series, which was designed to make high-quality recordings from their extensive archives more accessible to the public. It features a curated selection of Romantic-era orchestral and piano works, pairing Franz Liszt’s virtuosic 'Hungarian Fantasy'—performed by Shura Cherkassky—with orchestral staples by Johannes Brahms, directed by the renowned Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

The recording highlights the interpretative synergy between Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker, a partnership that defined the sound of Deutsche Grammophon throughout the mid-20th century. By combining Liszt’s technically demanding piano writing with the lush, disciplined orchestrations of Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, the release serves as a concise retrospective of late 19th-century Central European musical traditions, packaged for a mid-1980s audience seeking reliable, canonical performances of the core repertoire.