I know it sounds tacky, or clichéd, but, like a good book, music can transport you to worlds you never knew existed.

Read a good book, and you are right there in the action. When the characters cry, you weep with them; when they are overjoyed, you are elated too. And when the action is intense, you stay up all night reading until the conflict is resolved.

Listen to some Salsa, and you are in Havana, with a Mohito in your hand. Listen to a Gamelan ensemble, and you can practically smell the incense of a Buddhist temple. Listen to one of Brahms‘ Hungarian Dances, and all of a sudden you are an Eastern European peasant, with a killer ‘stache and an awesome hat, or maybe a ridiculously flowery dress.

Lace up those boots and get your Csárdás on!

Franz Liszt was a romantic’s romantic. He was raised in Hungary, which was considered exotic in Western Europe during his lifetime. He was the first musical superstar – a virtuoso pianist, prolific composer, playboy and priest (though not at the same time.)

The Hungarian Rhapsody #2 in C# gets a lot of used, recently in a popular video game. I just love this piece: its ridiculously over-dramatic Romani beginning; the little slow dance which is both fiery and sensual at the same time; the wild jumping at the end. It’s 19th-century heavy metal.