Though he grew up in Vienna and Paris and spoke German as his native language, Ferenc Liszt's Hungarian patriotism was aroused by a natural disaster. ''Oh my wild and distant country! Your cry of pain has brought me back to you. I bow my head, ashamed that I have forgotten you for so long,'' he reacted to the news of the 1838 Danube floods that demolished much of Pest, and he announced a charity concert for the benefit of the victims. When he visited Hungary the following year, he was embraced by his compatriots with an unexpected enthusiasm that defied all description. This highly emotional encounter set his entire career onto a new track; Hungarian motifs began to appear in his music. This marked the beginning of the genesis of his 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies that spanned many decades.

The opening theme of Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, a piece that has acquired extraordinary popularity, was written down by Liszt in his sketchbook in 1847 in Iaşi, Romania. The piece was published in 1851, later with separate cadenzas and ad-libitum variants added for two of Liszt’s pupils. This revised (2020) edition, based on the New Liszt Edition, is distinguished by the inclusion of these, as well as a preface summarizing the latest findings of research, facsimile reproductions, and critical notes.