In his 13 symphonic poems, inspired by the visual or literary arts, Liszt broke away from the standard four-movement-symphony, to create a one-movement composition of frequently contrasting moods unified through thematic transformations of a single, recurring musical idea. This recording includes Hungaria, a patriotic reflection on the Hungarian uprising of 1848, and the sombre Héroïde funèbre, described by Liszt as casting a ‘transfiguring veil over the tomb of the brave … in the wars and slaughter that follow one another.’ Le Triomphe funèbre du Tasse was intended as an epilogue to Liszt’s earlier symphonic poem on the tragic fate of the sixteenth-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso. Volumes 1-3 of the symphonic poems conducted by Michael Halász are available on 8.550487, 8.553355 and 8.557846.