I knew I should have made that left turn in Budapest (or was it Albequerque?) - Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody no. 12, and Spanish Rhapsody

I know that much of the discussion with the Hungarian Rhapsodies centers on two things: the fact that they are not Hungarian, and the fact that Bugs Bunny once played one of them with his toes. That being said, I did enjoy the rhapsody. While a lot of Liszt's music is accused of a lot of show without substance, in this instance the work seems to avoid that better than some of his others. in this idiom.. it is still virtuosic, but manages to demonstrate a depth of emotion that, while neither nationalistic nor Hungarian, is still present.

The Spanish Rhapsody is much the same. Balanced somewhere between virtuosic and genuine... and decidedly NOT Spanish, except perhaps in passing. To me, the Spanish Rhapsody has more show for show's sake than the Hungarian Rhapsody, but this could just be a matter of preference, or performer playing.