When Liszt fashioned orchestral versions of six of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies for piano, he reordered them, thereby unintentionally creating some confusion that remains even today. As indicated in the headnote, this Rhapsody No. 2 for orchestra is a transcription of No. 12. But a note of caution must be given here: there have been several popular recordings that have revised Liszt's renumbering, returning the famous Rhapsody No. 2 (for piano) to its second position in the orchestral version. The six orchestral rhapsodies are transcriptions of the piano originals in this order: 14, 12, 6, 2, 5, and 9. Liszt also changed some of their keys; this one, originally in C sharp minor in the piano version, changes to D minor in the orchestral rendition. In general, the orchestral versions are more colorful, but more bombastic, too. This rhapsody begins with the requisite drama in the orchestral version, but takes on a slightly more reserved, somewhat stately manner in the presentation of the main theme. The piece's exoticism is often given a slightly dreamier, more mellow cast, even though the orchestra can summon more power. Neither does this transcription possess the grimness of the darker elements associated with the main theme. The alternate material, playful and mostly gentle, comes off well enough in the orchestral version, but the triumphant ending that follows a development and reprise of earlier themes has a measure of bombast, even if it is colorful. In a performance of either the piano or orchestral versions, this rhapsody typically has a duration of about ten minutes.

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