Franz Liszt
Two Polonaises
S. 223

About Franz Liszt's Two Polonaises

Around 1850, in the wake of Chopin’s death, Liszt suddenly began to produce works in forms forever associated with his Polish friend – the second Ballade, Berceuse, several nocturnes, and the two Polonaises. His sudden interest in the Polonaise could of course also have another reason – the fact that his mistress at the time was the Polish princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. The second Polonaise was always the most popular, and has been recorded by Rachmaninoff among others.