The version of Mazeppa under examination here is not the famous one, the Fourth Transcendental Etude, but the second of the three piano versions, written around 1840 and published in 1847. Liszt also composed a symphonic poem entitled Mazeppa, based on materials from the piano renditions. The work was originally inspired by Victor Hugo's 1828 poem about the page in the court of the King of Poland, Mazeppa, who, after attempting to seduce a married Polish noblewoman, is tied to a wild horse and dragged off through the Ukrainian Steppes.

The music in this 1840 version—and for that matter, in the other versions—can hardly convey the specific images in the poem, but Liszt merely attempts to capture both the stormy atmosphere and sense of romance in Hugo's account. The outer sections here are, as in the better-known later version, agitated and full of virtuosic writing. The main theme is short and march-like and transforms somewhat in several ensuing variations. The middle section is stately in its loveliness and romantic character, but it, too, eventually turns agitated. The main material returns, but now is heard in a more insistent, more crushing manner. The closing moments offer a brilliant and colorful finish, typical of the flashier side of Liszt. This version, while a bit less subtle in places than the Fourth Transcendental Etude, is not significantly inferior. Both versions last about seven to eight minutes.

© All Music Guide