EXPERIENCE! In
every respect.
Photo © Tamás Réthey-Prikkel, Attila Nagy, János Posztós, Gábor Kotschy, Zsófia Pályi
Müpa Budapest is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation Corporate partners:
THE FUTURE IS NOW
Welcome to the Liszt Fest at Müpa Budapest – a celebration of Ferenc Liszt, the great disruptor who redefined artistry for his time.
Liszt wasn’t just a composer; he was a visionary. His instrument was the grand piano, which he used as a tool for innovation, pushing boundaries and creating soundscapes that continue to inspire us in our ever-evolving world. This year’s line-up is a bold mix of tradition and cutting-edge artistry: from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko to the genre-defying Einstürzende Neubauten; from the Wiener Akademie, led by Martin Haselböck, to Jeff Mills’ Tomorrow Comes The Harvest and Recirquel’s Paradisum, we embrace the full spectrum of musical expression. The Isolation Budapest festival, a showcase of music born from solitude and reflection, adds another layer of depth within an avant-garde setting. But here’s the twist: in a time where creativity is being reshaped by forces we’re only just beginning to understand, this festival isn’t just about looking back; it’s about peering
into what’s next. Here we hint at something more: a new collaboration between human intuition and the unknown, where technology and creativity intertwine deeply, just as throughout music history, yet in ways we’re only starting to explore, let alone understand.
As we dive into Liszt’s world, we’re also navigating the next frontier of art and sound. Whether you’re here to revel in the classics or to catch a glimpse of what’s new on the horizon, this festival is your gateway to the future.
So get ready. The Liszt Fest at Müpa Budapest is where music, creativity and innovation collide.
As the great John Cage (1912–1992) famously said: 'I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.' Ladies and gentlemen, the future is now.
Francesco TrisTano
Francesco
Tristano |
Photo: Marie Staggat
CHARISMA OR HYPE?
Lisztomania
‘TO SURPRISE MY AUDIENCE, I HAVE TO SURPRISE MYSELF FIRST’
Interview with Francesco Tristano
JEFF MILLS AND NEW DIRECTIONS IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC
‘HERE, MILLIONS OF CONTACTS ARE MADE IN A FEW DAYS’
Interview with Attila Ledényi
MOVING PICTURES
JUST DO WHAT YOU FEEL
Interview with Norbert Káel
SOUND, PAINTING, POETRY
TELLTALE SIGNATURES
THE ALIENS OF POP MUSIC –EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN
PARADISUM: THE MYTH OF REBIRTH IN THE LANGUAGE OF CIRQUE DANSE
LEGENDARY HITS REFRESHED
Fotó: Posztós János / Müpa
LEGENDARY HITS REFRESHED
'IT DRAWS ON THE PAST BUT REFLECTS ON THE PRESENT' Székely Land beyond the stereotypes
SOCIAL ISOLATION – PRESSED BETWEEN CONCERTS
ANDRÁS VISKY: FORGING LITERATURE FROM GULAG EXPERIENCES AND BIBLE READINGS
TURKISH DELIGHTS
‘MUSIC IS ABOUT LIFE AND NOT THE INDIVIDUAL NOTES’
Interview with József Balog
LISZT & MUNKÁCSY
MILLENÁRIS
1024 Budapest, Kis Rókus utca 16–20.
NATIONAL DANCE THEATRE
1024 Budapest, Kis Rókus utca 16–20.
AKVÁRIUM KLUB
1051 Budapest, Erzsébet tér 12.
HUNGARIAN NATIONAL GALLERY
1014 Budapest, Szent György tér 2.
PESTI VIGADÓ
1051 Budapest, Vigadó tér 2.
MÚZEUMKERT (NATIONAL MUSEUM GARDEN)
1088 Budapest, Múzeum körút 14–16.
HOUSE OF MUSIC HUNGARY
1146 Budapest, Olof Palme sétány 3.
MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY
1146 Budapest, Dózsa György út 35.
SACRED HEART JESUIT CHURCH
1085 Budapest, Mária utca 25.
BUDAPEST MUSIC CENTER
1093 Budapest, Mátyás utca 8.
MÜPA BUDAPEST
1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell utca 1.
LUDWIG MUSEUM –MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell utca 1.
PERFORMANCES BY GENRE
EXHIBITION
09. 10. The Galimberti 15. 10. Székelys 17–20. 10. Art Market Budapest
18. 10. Women’s Quota 01
DANCE
11. and 12. 10. Háromszék Dance Theatre: Ecce Homo
CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS
10–22. 10. Recirquel: Paradisum
CLASSICAL MUSIC
09. 10. Liszt: The Legend of St Elizabeth
11. 10. Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 12. 10. Choir Marathon of Liszt’s Works
18. 10. Cluj-Napoca Hungarian Opera’s Liszt Concert 22. 10. Martin Haselböck and the Orchester Wiener Akademie
WORLD MUSIC
12. 10. PONT Festival
17. 10. Jeff Mills presents Tomorrow Comes The Harvest JAZZ
10. 10. Lőrinc Barabás and the Jazzical Trio 20. 10. Markus Stockhausen Group
POPULAR MUSIC
16. 10. Einstürzende Neubauten
17. 10. Jeff Mills presents Tomorrow Comes The Harvest 19. 10. Isolation Budapest 21. 10. The Qualitons present Szenes Iván 100
CROSSOVER / ELECTRONIC MUSIC
12. 10. Francesco Tristano 17. 10. Jeff Mills presents Tomorrow Comes The Harvest LITERATURE
10–13. 10. Autumn Margó Literary Festival 14. 10. An Evening with András Visky
CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH EVENT
12. 10. PONT Festival
CHARISMA OR HYPE? LISZTOMANIA
By Z suZsa BorBély
The roots of Beatlemania, Swifties or the craze for Azahriah lie in the concert halls of the mid-19th century, where the mere appearance of a piano virtuoso in his twenties literally made the ladies swoon. Liszt not only enjoyed the commotion that accompanied him, but consciously shaped it. Lisztomania raises questions that are surprisingly relevant to the self-image of today’s musicians, and to the relationship between popularity and professional credibility.
Full-length portrait of Ferenc Liszt (1861)
Photography: Louis Frisch / Liszt Academy –Liszt Museum
'While it is true that Berlin did not go mad, it certainly made itself look very foolish. Liszt was fêted, serenades were performed in his honour, a woman knelt before him and begged to be allowed to kiss his fingertips, while another embraced him in public at one of his recitals, and a third poured the dregs from his tea cup into her scent bottle. Hundreds of women wore gloves bearing his likeness,' reported German author Adalbert Cohnfeld about the surge of adoration provoked by Ferenc Liszt’s 1842 concert series in Berlin.
German poet Heinrich Heine was the first to describe the phenomenon as 'Lisztomania.' In 1844, he gave a somewhat sarcastic and sceptical account of the effect of the pianist’s concert tour, especially among female audiences. At that time, 'mania' and 'hysteria' had more pronounced medical or psychological connotations, not identified with adoration in the modern sense. For his article on Lisztomania, Heine even consulted a physician about the possible causes of the phenomenon. Not that this was anything new: Liszt had been besieged by overly arduous fans since the 1830s.
THE POWER OF PRESENCE
The composer’s father Ádám Liszt, who himself harboured musical ambitions, consciously prepared his son for a musical career. The boy began to study the instrument of his own accord at the age of six, performing concerts for the nobility as a child prodigy from the age of eleven. Tutored, among others, by Carl Czerny and Antonio Salieri, he was greatly impressed by an 1832 concert of Paganini, where he first witnessed the profound effect a musician could exert on an audience and recognised the significance of stage presence.
In addition to his incredibly fast and unique playing style, his long, supple fingers and technical prowess, Paganini had a look that reinforced the image of the 'Devil’s Violinist.' His physique marred by illness, he had hollow cheeks and sunken eyes, and often wore black clothes to accentuate his tall, thin frame. Along with his obvious talent, the audience was thrilled by the possibility of his bow being guided by the devil, or of his instrument emitting the screams of his murdered lover, of whose guts his strings were rumoured to have been made.
Having taken stock of his own natural abilities, and taking Paganini as inspiration, Liszt decided to go for a non-demonic thrill when fashioning his own image. At 185 cm in height, he literally stood out among his contemporaries. A well-tailored black suit threw his slender figure into relief, and his dark, long hair accentuated his pale complexion and sharp face, creating the overall impression of a young aristocrat. He also possessed a charismatic personality and a reported knack for building rapport with aristocrats and commoners alike.
The 19th century was the age of intuitive geniuses, who were idealized as romantic heroes. Even after his fall, the cult of Napoleon, who had risen to become emperor from humble beginnings, was highly influential among the youth of France, as exemplified by the character of Julien Sorel in The Red and the Black. In England, Lord Byron won the admiration of his contemporaries both for his poetry and swashbuckling attitude. In Hungary, it was Sándor Petőfi who both wrote about and lived the romantic ideal.
While undoubtedly talented in their own fields, these men also had their fingers on the zeitgeist, using it to deliberately shape their own image and often bolstering their literary or political ambitions with legends. With an understanding of marketing, they knew how to frame their real strengths or weaknesses to their own advantage, to make themselves attractive to their audiences. And in this regard, Ferenc Liszt was very much a man of his time.
THE PIANO RECITAL AS SPECTACLE
Along with his own look, Liszt brought innovation to the way performances were presented. He organized recitals dedicated solely to the piano, formerly just one of the instruments in a concert programme, transforming these events into unprecedented shows of dramatic character. In defiance of the restrained playing mode customary at the time, he performed with an impassioned commitment, with his whole body in motion behind the piano, acting out the emotions evoked by the music. On one occasion he played so intensely that he fainted during the concert.
The visual dimension of Liszt’s virtuosity was as important as the musical. The theatricality of the performances and his gestures were mocked by caricaturists and condemned as charlatanry, but Robert Schumann thought they were as much part of his art as the music: 'But he must be heard – and also seen; for if Liszt played behind a screen, a great deal of poetry would be lost.'
Liszt performed without sheet music, an unusual stunt for the time. He turned the piano to the position familiar today, so that the audience could see both the instrument and the player, and could follow his eloquent facial expressions, the fluttering of his hair and his incredibly fast hands. He developed exercises to make his fingers stronger and more flexible, and broke with the customary fingering. The pianos could not always withstand his forceful treatment, and on one occasion he had three instruments lined up for a single concert. The broken strings and wrecked pianos became prized trophies, with ladies having the pieces they seized after concerts turned into jewellery.
And this was not the only kind of souvenir: Liszt’s cigar stubs were particularly popular, and the artist himself was occasionally assailed by frenzied fans who wanted to cut off a piece of his clothes or a lock of his hair. Liszt himself added fuel to the fire and sometimes deliberately left his gloves on the piano. When a concert was over, ladies would not only toss flowers on the stage, but pieces of clothing and jewellery as well. The artist himself considered this intense admiration a measure of his success: in a letter to Marie d’Agoult, he boasted that 50 reproductions of his portrait had been sold in 24 hours. At his concerts, he seated ladies of the nobility on the stage or in the front rows, often chatting with them during the intervals, or ascending to the stage from their midst.
ARTISTIC VALUE VERSUS POPULARITY
In light of the above, it is little surprise that Liszt’s every move was followed with intense interest by his audience, whether royalty or commoners. Heine had first-hand experience of the pianist’s effect on the audience during his Paris concerts, and wondered if the causes were medical at all: 'It seems to me at times that all this sorcery may be explained by the fact that no one on earth knows so well how to organize his successes, or rather their mise en scène, as our Ferenc Liszt.'
While self-promotion by musicians and artists in general may seem a modern-day necessity, Liszt relied heavily on publicity to advance his career and to make a living, and fawning articles were as useful in this regard as salon gossip. Liszt was an active and conscious participant in the discourse surrounding his person. He readily engaged in social life, enjoyed the attention bestowed upon him, and sometimes wrote articles to express an opinion or respond to some attack.
One key to the composer’s success was his ability to assess the tastes and demands of his audience, whether we mean the taste of the audience on a particular evening or, in a more abstract sense, the public taste, as Dana Gooley wrote in The Virtuoso Liszt. He provided his audience with what they sought: to the bourgeoisie, for instance, he gave the semblance of exclusivity, the milieu of the aristocracy to which they aspired to belong.
However, a fair amount of criticism was also directed at Liszt, as is evident from the newspapers of the time and the recollections of musical figures. His style already provoked a dilemma: Does the mode of performance detract from its artistic value? Does the spectacle overshadow
professional considerations? Can an artist who places such emphasis on publicity be taken seriously? The spectacle caused some critics to dismiss Liszt as a fraud, and to refuse to treat him as a serious artist – an attitude that the pianist never stopped fighting against, and that proved a source of motivation to prove himself as a composer.
While this way of measuring popularity against professionalism remains familiar to us today, in the case of Liszt we can make an impartial assessment. Oblivious to the pianist’s personal charm, the gossip and the hype, we can examine his work without the outward show. Reversing the criticism that populist gimmicks are a substitute for talent, it may be worth considering whether we are not sometimes blinded by our own preconceptions and fail to see the talent behind the appearances.
‘TO
SURPRISE MY AUDIENCE, I HAVE TO SURPRISE MYSELF FIRST’
By G erda s eres
Francesco Tristano thinks music communicates more than words can: it is both more abstract and more straightforward. The pianist has performed in the most prestigious concert halls, from Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. At his experimental concert at Liszt Fest, where he combines electronics and classical sounds, compositions by Ferenc Liszt take turns with his own pieces.
You say that sounds heal. Was music always there in the defining moments of your life?
I’m not sure I could tell you which were the defining moments of my life. That may be something you really feel only on your deathbed. I think music is always there, even in the silence that surrounds us. I used to listen to music while I ran, but one day I went out without my earphones and realized I was much better off because I could focus on the sounds around me. Music is in the air, in your blood if you like, and it’s worth paying attention to it.
You started playing the piano at the age of five and then followed the traditional path of study. How instinctive and spontaneous was your introduction to the instrument?
It was both strict and spontaneous, I think. The classes with my first teacher had a fixed schedule, but afterwards I always had time to improvise, compose, try out wild things. It was my mentor, Émile Naoumoff, who is a composer himself, who said there was potential in my music and encouraged me to compose. Prior to the 20th century, being a composer and a performer did not use to be separated so sharply – think of Bach, Mozart or Schumann. There are many ways to approach music, but they are all essentially the same.
Do you think music communicates more than words? Increasingly, I feel that we spend too much time on empty, superficial chatter. Instrumental music – and songs with lyrics are different in this respect – is both more abstract and more straightforward.
You don’t discriminate between different types of music, you play all kinds. But how were they separated in training: did the classical line of New York’s Juilliard fit in well with electronic music? I practised on the piano during the day, and spent my evenings in the electronic music lab of the Juilliard, playing with synthesizers, drum machines and gadgets. I was fifteen or sixteen when I left Luxembourg, where fewer people live than in, say, Budapest, and went to New York to study. It was a metropolis that provided me with incredibly exciting stimuli. I went to my lessons, practised, and played jazz in my free time with my friends, improvised, experimented with electronic music. I think these things complement each other: I wouldn’t have survived school if I’d had only classical music to do, but I wouldn’t have been satisfied with just playing music at night.
Why are the classics important? What do you call classics?
Everything that is not contemporary?
That makes sense, but I think the situation is more complex because artists who are now classics were once contemporary composers. Bach became a classic when Mendelssohn unearthed his compositions – which no one played after Bach’s death – and presented them as classics. Does this mean that you have to die to become a classic? I think that’s strange. 'Die and become a legend!' There are also living legends –Mozart, for example, was exceptional even in his lifetime. The great composers all wrote for their own time. If you look at a score by Bach from the 1740s, you can look for Baroque features, or you can look at what inspired the composer. Had he just
Francesco Tristano | Photo: Ryuya Amao
discovered an interesting piece by an Italian composer? I think these works should also be looked upon as contemporary works, and not approached with preconceptions. Classical works, like the contemporaries, spoke to people’s souls once, and continue to do so today.
Bach’s works have been essential for your career. What is it that Bach taught you?
The groove. The pulse. There is always a thread in Bach’s works that meanders, expands, divides and then merges... He taught me polyphony and endless melody. The latter expression usually comes up in connection with Wagner, but I think it fits Bach perfectly. The melody is always there in his works, even in the bass and the intertones. When you reach the end of the score, the melody echoes in you, goes on. The whole of music history can be found in a single piece. It is so dense and incredible and that’s really all you need.
Many find it difficult to accept the use of electronic instruments in classical music, but you work in that scene too. Do people ever find themselves astonished by your music?
I very much hope so! This was why I started to use electronics. If you stay in your comfort zone, you might get to a certain level, but you will never surprise yourself. And to surprise my audience, I have to surprise myself first. Electronics is seen by some as an avant-garde, novel thing, when in fact 18th and 19th century composers already experimented with new technology. Bach was extremely interested in how organs were built. He spent hours inside organs to understand how they work. Mozart employed the clarinet, which was a very new instrument that people had just started to experiment with. Beethoven added metronome markings, and Liszt’s works would have been unimaginable on a keyboard instrument from fifty years earlier. So the search for something new has always been there in music, and we are continuing on the path trod by our predecessors.
What was the most important congratulation you received after a concert?
What I prize most is being able to touch people’s souls and minds. Like I said, people like to talk a lot, when sometimes a look or a gesture can tell much more. I must have first played Bach’s piano concertos at a concert some twenty years ago. A former teacher of mine was there, then came up to me after the concert, looked me in the eye, and hugged me with tears in his eyes. He didn’t say a word. Sometimes no words are necessary.
Are lighting and visuals important to the show?
Yes, I think it’s essential to have visuals in 2024. The visuals, the lights, also affect the way you listen to the music. I always find classical stage lighting too strong, too sharp. The ability to focus on the music is more important than the artist’s face, I think.
Do you close your eyes when you listen to music? Sometimes you seem to be plaingwith your eyes closed. Sometimes I do. Though I think research has shown that we pay more attention when our eyes are open. But sometimes I feel there are too many stimuli. When I was practising at my mother’s, I found it impossible to concentrate with all the books and objects on the shelves around the piano. I like to close my eyes, but then I can’t see my hands, so it’s not ideal.
Single or doppio?
Espresso, always single.
You have written a piece with this title, and early mornings are vital creative periods for you. Why does that time of day inspire you?
I wouldn’t say it inspires me; I’d just simply hate to lose that period. There are so many myths about inspiration. But it’s simple: I drink my coffee and sit down at my instrument. That said, the coffee is essential, I couldn’t start working without it. My mind is clear in the morning; I’m more productive than when I already have some of the hectic events of the day behind me.
But you’ve also composed on the train and at the airport. Don’t you need quiet for creative work?
Of course I do, I’m sitting in my soundproofed studio as we speak; it’s my bubble, here I can shut the world out. But if I put on headphones on the train, I’m just as much in my own world, so the time that would be wasted travelling can be spent in a useful way.
At the concert, you will play Ferenc Liszt’s Nuages gris and Sursum corda besides your own compositions. How did these inspire you and how are they related to your own music?
First of all, Ferenc Liszt is an extraordinary figure: a visionary, mystical, perhaps a little mad artist, without whom being a pianist today would be different. For me, the other such artist is Glenn Gould, who stopped giving concerts at the age of 30 to devote his time to recording. Two very dissimilar personalities, yet neither can be ignored. One of the two Liszt pieces is an experimental work, the other requires a romantic, grandiose performance mode. I would really love to play the Sonata in B minor once, it’s perfect. I’ve studied it a lot, but have never performed it at a concert. I don’t think Liszt’s music and mine enter into a direct dialogue, the concert is more reminiscent of when Liszt played his own works to an audience for two or three hours. The form of doing this, the framework, has remained, but the artists interpret others’ works instead. I’ll bring my own music to Budapest, and the pieces by Liszt and some other earlier composers will be inserted into this 'flow.'
Ferenc Liszt was considered a virtuoso pianist. Do you think a work by Liszt is compatible with improvisation today? Virtuosity was fascinating in the 19th century, but it means little today. Also, the real bravura lies not in being able to play anything extremely quickly and loudly, but in the power of personality. When Liszt played, the audience must have gone crazy for him. That can also be achieved with very subtle, soft playing. I sometimes deliberately play very quietly to draw the audience’s attention right to the piano. And the electronics sometimes help to amplify this.
What are you on the lookout for when interpreting a work? How personal can the interpretation be?
You have to respect the composer’s ideas, but I don’t think adherence to the written music is very interesting in itself. You must make the piece your own; the individual quality is essential and I don’t think it’s incompatible with respect.
Francesco
Tristano |
Photo: Ryuya Amao
12. 10. 2024, 8 pm
Müpa Budapest – Béla Bartók National Concert Hall
FRANCESCO TRISTANO
JEFF MILLS AND NEW DIRECTIONS IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC
By erik kolBenheyer
Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is a musical collaboration that was initiated by Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, a pioneer of Afrobeat, and Jeff Mills, aka The Wizard, a trailblazer of Detroit techno. Joined by keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, the three artists shared a desire to search for a higher state of consciousness through music. The trio toured the world extensively until Allen passed away in 2020. And yet the musical concept lives on, beginning a new chapter with tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard joining Mills and Dary. The trio’s music is about exploring the unknown, the intersection of unique sounds and rhythms, the symbiosis of electronics and traditional instruments, improvisation and artistic transcendence.
Jeff Mills
Photo: Jacob Khrist
EARLY YEARS AND THE BIRTH OF TECHNO
Jeff Mills was born on 18 June 1963 in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in a culturally rich environment, in a city that serves as a melting pot of musical influences, a motley mix of Motown, jazz and soul providing the eclectic backdrop for his early musical training. His fascination with science fiction and futuristic concepts, as well as the ruggedness of Detroit’s industrial landscape, played a significant role in the development of his artistic vision. Mills started his DJ career as The Wizard in the 1980s. His shows on Detroit radio station WJLB quickly became legendary, thanks to his trademark lightning-fast mixing and cross-genre selection. Mills spun whatever he felt like: from Meat Beat Manifesto and Nine Inch Nails to Chicago house and early Detroit techno, his palette contained a plethora of colours. This period would later prove to be of key importance for Mills, as this was when he acquired the technical skills and aesthetic sensibility that would later define his relationship to techno.
UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE
In 1989, Mills, Mike Banks and Robert Hood founded one of Detroit’s most famous collectives, Underground Resistance (UR). The Motor City group was more than just a musical community; it was born as a political movement, with the aim of reclaiming the mobilising power of techno and using it as a means of social change. The collective represented a militant aesthetic, choosing as its mission artistic anonymity and resistance to the mainstream commercial world. Its members envisioned a sonic revolution where techno, with its elemental power beyond words, would break down the constructed walls separating individuals along the lines of nation, class and race. The work of UR was closely intertwined with Detroit’s sociopolitical climate, constantly conveying the struggles and aspirations of the city’s African American community. Underground Resistance became known for a raw, uncompromising sound that combined elements of techno, electronic and industrial music. The Final Frontier and Waveform are tracks that perfectly embody UR’s ethos: dark, dynamic, and imbued with a sense of burning timeliness. The records Mills released with UR (including The Punisher and Seawolf) are stripped-down and unpredictable, blending elements of hardcore acid and industrial techno with a Detroit aesthetic. His time with UR was critical in Mills’ emergence as a key figure on the global techno scene, and it helped his audience get a sense of the artist’s catalogue. By the early 1990s, however, he increasingly felt that his artistic vision needed a new space, and he distanced himself more and more from the militant tone of the organization. In the end, he left the group and started a solo career.
SOLO CAREER AND AXIS RECORDS
In 1992, Mills moved to New York City, where he became a resident DJ at the Limelight club and founded Axis Records, a label that is home mostly to his solo work. He established Axis to gain complete creative control over his own work, and to be able to make and release music without compromises. Minimalism and stylization mark both the visuals and the sound of the label, and Mills’ work at the time was also characterized by simplicity and a futuristic aesthetic, creating complex and hypnotic rhythms from lean tone sets. His iconic The Bells is a textbook case of
this approach, a masterpiece of minimalism and functionality, with an intensive, almost trance-like atmosphere constructed from repetitive loops. A careful steward of his own vision of techno, Mills continued to release hit records throughout the last decade of the millennium. This was the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with Tresor, the Berlin label and club, while British label React, Sony Japan and M-Plant, founded by Robert Hood, all also released Mills’ work. Mills’ music often explores themes of the cosmos, with several of his works bearing the names of celestial bodies (Alpha Centauri) or space missions (Apollo). His work repeatedly probes into the future, a sign of his conviction that techno is a progressive genre with a mission to always push the envelope of what is possible.
FILM SCORES AND CONCEPTUAL MUSIC
Never restricting himself to the status of DJ or producer, Mills has also ventured into the world of cinema and conceptual art. He has composed film scores and created art installations, and in 2000 wrote music for Metropolis, Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent classic, adding a modern touch to its timeless message. In addition to his work for cinema, he has also explored the intersection of music and science fiction through a series of conceptual albums. These projects, such as Sleeper Wakes and The Jungle Planet, tell stories of interstellar exploration and human evolution through music. Mills’ visual art performances and exhibitions have been hosted by art institutions such as the CCCB in Barcelona, the Southbank Centre and Barbican Centre in London, the Cinémathèque française and Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the ArtMonte-Carlo art fair. In 2014, he collaborated with French filmmaker Jacqueline Caux on Man from Tomorrow, a poetic portrait more of Mills’ music than of the artist himself. In 2015, he was a resident artist of the Louvre’s Duos éphémères, creating four events that blended music, film and dance.
TOMORROW COMES THE HARVEST
Launched with legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is one of Mills’ most innovative and genre-bending projects, which seeks to create a fusion of techno and live, improvisational music. This pioneering experiment initially combined Mills’ futuristic electronic soundscapes with Allen’s organic, polyrhythmic drumming. The collaboration between two musicians was also a meeting of two musical philosophies: the precise, computer-driven rhythms of Mills contrasted, and yet were also in harmony, with the free-flowing, human rhythms of Allen, producing a timeless and forward-looking sound. Tomorrow Comes The Harvest
was widely praised for its originality and perfect integration of electronic and acoustic elements. Several recordings were made of the musicians’ live performances, including the one released in 2018 on their eponymous album. After Allen’s death in 2020, Mills continued to nurture the concept of Tomorrow Comes The Harvest with keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, expanding the line-up with tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard, while preserving the pioneering spirit of the formation. The trio released the album Evolution last year on Mills’ Axis label. Mills has described Tomorrow Comes The Harvest as a reflection on the cyclical nature of time and creativity, in which each performance and recording is part of a larger, continuous flow. The project questions the boundaries between genres and traditions, suggesting that the future of music lies in the unexpected mixing of different forms and the constant exploration of new possibilities.
ARTISTIC HERITAGE
Jeff Mills has had an invaluable influence on electronic music, especially techno. As one of the most innovative and progressive artists in the genre, he is constantly pushing the boundaries of techno, both in terms of sound and the cultural significance of electronic music. Whether through his solo work, his contribution to Underground Resistance or collaborations such as Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, Mills has consistently challenged the artistic status quo and opened up new horizons for exponents and fans of electronic music. Jeff Mills continues to be an active and influential figure in the world of music. His past and current projects are testimony to his creativity and his unquenchable thirst for new ideas. In a musical environment that never stops evolving, Mills has remained a true pioneer, always looking to the future while remaining deeply connected to the authentic roots of his craft.
17. 10. 2024, 8 pm Millenáris – Glass Hall (Building D)
JEFF MILLS PRESENTS TOMORROW COMES THE HARVEST FEAT. JEAN-PHI DARY & PRABHU EDOUARD
WOMEN’S QUOTA
18 October 2024 – 5 January 2025
The exhibition is presented by Müpa Budapest and Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art in the framework of Liszt Fest.
‘MILLIONS OF CONTACTS ARE MADE IN A FEW DAYS’
By Fanni Borókai
Art Market Budapest, Hungary’s most important contemporary art event, welcomes visitors for the 14th time this autumn, from 17 to 20 October. The largest international art fair in the Central and East European region will be held at the Millenáris exhibition complex. We talked to Attila Ledényi, founding director of Art Market Budapest.
You founded Art Market Budapest nearly a decade and a half ago, and it has opened its doors every autumn since, even in the year of COVID. How do you keep the event fresh year after year?
The task is so inspiring and broad-ranging, the environment so vibrant and diverse, there are so many stimuli and ideas, that sometimes I wish I could just sit back and be bored for a while. Someone once calculated that during Art Market Budapest, millions of contacts are made in a few days. With hundreds of professionals from over one hundred exhibitors, tens of thousands of visitors and thousands of artworks, this doesn’t seem such an exaggeration. Imagine a huge symphony orchestra with the best and brightest musicians from thirty countries, but with each instrument playing a different score, and then with the apparent chaos always coming together in the end to form a great, common melody.
But it seems to me that almost nothing is left to chance. Of course not, you need a well-organized, strong and stable structure to be able to unleash the immense creative energy that is concentrated in one place on these occasions. You need to build strong walls so that the house can be filled with life. You have to see exactly why things are done; you have to be disciplined, you have to take responsibility, and you can’t lose sight of your goals.
So what are the goals, why was the fair established in the first place?
On the one hand, we wanted to create a platform that would provide the easiest and most enjoyable access to visual arts content with a festival-like atmosphere, unique appeal, openness and richness of choice. A platform that would not only appeal to the existing audience for contemporary art, but would also attract those who had no idea that they could enjoy themselves in the company of artworks. So, in addition to serving a stable customer base, a key objective was to expand the audience for art. On the other hand, I wanted my beloved city to be part of the international circuit of art fairs, so that Budapest, which was then an invisible dot on the contemporary art map, would also be a destination for foreigners who choose where they go on the basis of available cultural content. And last but not least, we wanted to ensure that high-quality art reaches the public in the richest possible variety, so that what gets to be seen is not only what is canonized by select professionals, but also art which, despite its high quality, has been excluded from the institutional framework. It was immediately obvious that the selection had to be international, so that Hungarian artists and artistic productions could prove their competitiveness in an ever-widening field. It was also evident that the only way to attract international attention, to expand the market, was through a major event with a broad international selection.
Will this be apparent at this year’s Art Market Budapest? Absolutely. We’ve recently become intensely interested in how property developers can be convinced of the importance and usefulness of art. How can we strengthen the relationship between the built environment and art? How can the power of art to increase value and shape attitudes be applied to property developments? So this year we’re organizing a professional day and conference during Art Market Budapest, entitled Building on Art, to create an opportunity for designers and other players in the real estate ecosystem to meet with artists. Among other things, we’ll do this by setting up a sculpture park in Millenáris, illustrating the value and richness of art in public spaces. Another new effort is to widen the interface between fine art and design. The blurring of the boundaries between these two artistic fields is a global trend, and we would like this to be an opportunity for Hungarian artists to find success, and for Hungarian consumers to get closer to art. There is an opportunity to expand the market by leading those interested in design into the world of fine art. All this will become clearly evident in the exhibition spaces of Art Market Budapest.
I understand that, in addition to sculpture and design, photography will also be highlighted.
It’s my intention to keep the spotlight on photography, and we do our best, not only at Art Market Budapest but also beyond it, to win photography the recognition it deserves. It’s my conviction that photography can provide Hungary with the opportunity to break out and succeed in the international cultural arena, provided that we take the necessary steps. Our work rests on a foundation created by important Hungarian photographers such as Robert Capa, André Kertész, László Moholy-Nagy and others, and we should make photography not only part of our national cultural heritage, but also part of our national pride, a pillar of the cultural image of our country. It was partly with this in mind that we created the photography section of the fair in 2014 under the name Art Photo Budapest, which is today the only international photography fair in Central and Eastern Europe. This is why we’re celebrating the 130th anniversary of André Kertész’s birth this year by showcasing the influence of the master’s oeuvre on contemporary photography.
17–20. 10. 2024
Millenáris — Grand Hall (building B)
ART MARKET BUDAPEST
INTERNATIONAL
MOVING PICTURES
By Tamás JásZ ay
Well-known paintings come to life on stage in Ecce Homo, a production of the Háromszék Dance Theatre from Sfântu Gheorghe, inspired by the work of Mihály Munkácsy. We talked to the two directors, Tamás Farkas and Ernő Tapasztó, about how 19th century realist painting takes on a contemporary meaning in movement, and how the reenactment of a painting can prove a revelation for the viewer.
'I was born in Békéscsaba, so Mihály Munkácsy was always present in my life,' recalled choreographer Tamás Farkas in answer to my question about his first experience of the painter. 'Thanks to my teachers and my mother, we often visited the local museum. The city has drawn heavily on the spirit of the painter in recent years, but to be honest I didn’t develop a strong emotional attachment to him until we started working on this show.'
Ernő Tapasztó agreed: 'I live and work in Arad and can report similar feelings. The house where Munkácsy was an apprentice is there, with a memorial plaque on its wall. When I was young, I was less excited about his painting, but as we started working together I realized, for instance, how rich his sketches and drawings for the great works are.'
Ecce Homo relies on this complexity, but where should we look for the origins of this great undertaking? The idea was conceived by Farkas during the period of rest enforced by the pandemic: 'Walking through the deserted main square of Békéscsaba, I realized that no one had ever come up with a dance treatment of Munkácsy and his life’s work! As a collector, I consider it my mission to visit villages in Transylvania whose folk dance heritage has not been studied. I’m interested in stories that have never been told.'
In the show, ten paintings by Munkácsy, well known to the museum-going public, are projected onto a screen, and the performers of the Háromszék Dance Theatre literally bring them to life. When asked about the work process, Farkas explained: 'We pared down our selection of pictures with the help of art historian Gabriella Gyarmati. On the one hand, we needed paintings that had potential from the point of view of the dancer and the choreographer, i.e. they had something acoustically, visually or rhythmically challenging. On the other hand, Gabi helped us to work with pictures that were truly representative of Munkácsy’s oeuvre. I had to concede that some of my favourite paintings are not so significant works, and there is no place for them on the dance stage.'
Tapasztó highlighted a fundamental difference between his and his co-director’s respective working methods: 'Tamás has done some serious reading on Munkácsy, the individual pictures and their stories, but I work differently. Even when I’m using some dramatic raw material, I’m less interested in the context than the text itself. In this case, of course, it was the painting that mattered most: how can we use movement, lights, a new take on the stories, to make the encounter with the paintings always a revelation for the viewer?'
To put the question another way: what business do we have with these images in a completely different age, in a different society, in a world that treats visuality differently? 'I trust the viewer and their ability to associate,' said Farkas. 'If what they see does not “click” during the show, it may come through later. To give you a few examples: through the Yawning Apprentice, we talk about the hundreds of millions of children around the world who
are made to work in terrible conditions. Or, few people know that Munkácsy was practically still a child when he witnessed an attack by outlaws. The Condemned Cell makes us think about the romantic treatment of outlaws, the criminals many look upon as stars, and so on.'
If we leaf through the 'album' on which the performance is based, it becomes clear that the directors have created thematic blocks. There are genre scenes, the salon painting genre and music are the focus in the central section, and finally the Christ trilogy points to man and his fallibility. 'In the case of the latter, naturally the story was a given, but with the Liszt portrait or Woman Carrying Faggot, we had to build on what the picture depicts,' explained Farkas. 'We established antecedents, systems of relationships, and it follows directly from this that we sometimes show what Munkácsy did not paint on the canvas,' added Tapasztó.
The choreographic material that Farkas has used to stage Ecce Homo is bewilderingly diverse. The expert eye will notice, among other things, a Hungarian slow dance, a stick dance and a Serbian chain dance. One scene is based on the monotonous sound of the ütőgardon, a string instrument used percussively, while others draw on dances from Kalotaszeg and the Küküllő (Târnava) region. While the dances are presented in their own unique styles, they use similar idioms of movement that merge together, serving to create a unified world for the production. According to Farkas, the performance uses similarly varied music: 'A choreographer always has solutions in his hands and feet that he likes to use. But when I first heard the compositions of Levente Fazakas, I knew that this was to be a deeper and more sacred encounter. Ernő and I asked him to develop a fusion of folk and classical music in the spirit of Bartók. We all feel this has been pulled off perfectly, thanks in no small part to the Tiberius String Quartet, Mihály Dresch and the Heveder Band, whose playing is full of life and colour.'
When asked about the reason for joint direction of the production, Farkas explained: 'I started my career as an amateur dancer; I am not a trained choreographer. Ernő Tapasztó and I have been friends and collaborators for over a decade, and I simply need the wild, expressive, often surrealistic theatrical thinking that he represents. It was his collaboration that brought together the idea, the painting, the dance and the music.'
11. and 12. 10. 2024, 7 pm Müpa – Festival Theatre
HÁROMSZÉK DANCE THEATRE:
ECCE HOMO
DANCE DRAMA BASED ON MIHÁLY MUNKÁCSY’S WORKS
JUST DO WHAT YOU FEEL INTERVIEW WITH NORBERT KÁEL
By Balá Zs B ihari
A regular guest at the Liszt Fest, Norbert Káel is a travelling ambassador of the Hungarian crossover genre, who has collaborated with a Japanese koto player, an opera singer, pop musicians, traditional Indian performers, jazz and contemporary classical musicians alike. This time the Kazincbarcikaborn pianist and university professor continues to revisit his favourite pieces with trumpeter Lőrinc Barabás, while adding another unexpected twist.
When you’re included in a programme guide or the subject of an interview, you’re consistently associated with the crossover genre. What does this mean in 2024?
I think the term is a little past its sell-by date, as everything is crossover now. We’re currently experiencing a very intense period of cultural interaction. The future of music is unfolding before us, as the fusion of different cultures gives birth to something new. In this regard, I might be called a contemporary musician, a jazz musician, or a classical musician: I would say I simply love music.
Where does this attitude come from, from your home town of Kazincbarcika?
That’s right, it comes from home. The first time I heard Keith Jarrett’s Cologne concert (The Köln Concert / ECM, 1975, the best-selling jazz solo album of all time, Ed.), where music was created with a classical approach, classical elements, and yet with unlimited freedom and spontaneity, I realized that you don’t have to think in musical genres, you just do what you feel. I was very lucky with my teachers, with Károly Binder being my first tutor at the Liszt Academy. He belongs to this club, as does Kálmán Oláh. Later I would receive further reinforcement from this world at Berklee in Boston.
What convinced you to go to Berklee?
Once again, Kazincbarcika is the key, as we had the drab-coloured three-volume Brockhaus music encyclopaedia, from which all the useful information could be mined in the pre-internet days. I found out about Berklee in the article on Jarrett, so I decided as a teenager that I had to go there! (Laughs) When I was at the Liszt Academy, I found out they were holding auditions in Barcelona, so I went there and won the highest scholarship. That’s how I ended up in Boston in 2003, where I spent four semesters.
How do you cope with being a tiny dot in a school where musicians come from all over the world?
I can recommend Berklee to everyone for therapeutic purposes, because if you think about it from a certain perspective, things open up much wider there. Berklee has a very good system of operating, it represents all levels. If you’re a beginner, you will still be admitted, but the tuition fees will be high. You can keep progressing through the exams to the next level, and if you’re really good, you hardly have to pay anything. On top of all that, there are amazing musicians there. For example, Esperanza Spalding was a classmate.
I had a reason for going back 21 years in time as you’ve been teaching at the Liszt Academy for quite some time now. How did those experiences influence your teaching methods, and what part of that system can be adapted to Hungarian conditions?
I teach improvisation at the classical piano programme of the Liszt Academy. This was also a conscious choice, as it’s probably already clear that a sound command of the instrument is very important for me. I think you can transform a classical musician into a jazz musician relatively quickly because they have everything, both the theoretical and the playing skills. If you buckle down to jazz theory, you can make serious progress in a few months.
Let me note in parentheses that Ferenc Liszt also improvised a lot.
That’s right. When I started my classes, the first reaction from the students was that it was something they badly needed. Ninety-five out of a hundred classical musicians are visual, i.e. they look at the music but do not open their ears. When you ask them to play their own melody with the right hand, instead of the sheet music, while the left hand continues to play the original accompaniment, it turns out they cannot. They don’t have the skills to communicate their thoughts on the piano. It takes about three lessons for this internal blockage to dissolve, and then they start improvising. It isn’t simple to maintain this kind of divided attention, but it can be developed. In this regard it shows the real courage of those classical musicians who agree to take part in your experiments, and to play and appear in concert with you: Erika Miklósa, for instance, took the risk of performing in such an unusual situation. In her case, it was important for the production to fit her well, so that she could feel comfortable in it. We always discuss where we can find common ground, so that it’s not tasteless or embarrassing, so that there’s unity.
You should have an easy time with Lőrinc Barabás. I really love Lőrinc’s music. He too comes from a milieu that is not quite jazz, and he can give you ideas that no one else can. We’re planning to play with an acoustic line-up: I really like the acoustic, woody sound of the double bass, the drums, and then you have the trumpet and the piano. It’s one of the best formations in chamber music. Previously, the programme was typically put together by sticking to the main themes and characters of the original pieces so that they remained recognizable in reinterpretation. By contrast, at this year’s Liszt Fest I’m trying to recreate the feelings that the original pieces evoke in me. So there will be original compositions, but they’re inspired by Liszt’s pieces.
10. 10. 2024, 8 pm House of Music Hungary
LŐRINC BARABÁS AND THE JAZZICAL TRIO
SOUND, PAINTING, POETRY
By Fanni molnár
Martin Haselböck is a dedicated performer and student of Liszt’s works, as both conductor and organist. He founded the Orchester Wiener Akademie with a mission to reconstruct the original sound of the pieces it performs. On 22 October, Liszt’s birthday, the orchestra will perform two symphonic poems and two piano pieces at the Vigadó in Budapest to spotlight the relationship between music and poetry.
How can we get closer to the sound that the composer himself experienced when he heard his pieces performed? The reconstruction of the sound begins with the discovery of the pieces and continues with the exploration of the instruments that the composer heard. I started my career as an organist, and I always found it tremendously inspiring to be able to sit at the instrument in a church where, say, Bach also played. I realized I wanted to experience the same thing with an orchestra. Over time, the Orchester Wiener Akademie has acquired three sets of instruments: one for the Baroque repertoire, one for Viennese Classicism and Beethoven, and one for 19th century music – the latter which made us unique for quite some time. But the process does not end with the use of period instruments: the third, equally important stage is to reconnect with the places to which the composer was attached. While this is important acoustically, it also provides the music-making with an emotional context. We’re very happy to be able to come back to Budapest to present the results of our research and work. Three years ago at the Liszt Fest, we premièred songs with orchestral accompaniment at a concert that featured Thomas Hampson, and we’re now very pleased to perform two symphonic poems, Tasso and The Ideals, as well as the two piano pieces, in a concert hall built in the 19th century, where Liszt himself played several times.
The subtitle of the October concert is Music and Poetry. How was Liszt – especially in terms of the two symphonic poems on the programme – influenced by literature? In the 19th century there was a huge debate between the respective advocates of absolute and programme music. The former claimed that music was a thing in itself, had no meaning beyond itself, and did not refer to anything external. Liszt, on the other hand, represented the ideal of programme music, i.e. music that depicts specific themes, and there is practically no work of his that does not obviously reflect some external influence or experience. The symphonic poems were typically influenced by painting and literature. It’s no coincidence that Liszt worked for many years in the same city in which Goethe and Schiller had lived. He was a bookworm all his life, with a deep knowledge of both French and German literature. When he moved to Weimar, the celebrations in honour of Goethe and Schiller were well under way, and in 1857 a joint monument was erected to them, for the dedication of which Liszt composed a march.
So poetry is the common starting point. But how do Tasso and The Ideals differ in terms of how the literary theme is treated and the attitude the composer adopts? Liszt composed the twelve symphonic poems in Weimar, over a relatively short period of time. The pieces have markedly different characters, but the compositional process was, interestingly, similar in each case. Liszt collected artistic and other stimuli and used them in small pieces, yet they found their final form and musical
expression in the symphonic poems: Tasso is the highest manifestation of Goethe’s influence, and The Ideals that of Schiller.
How do the Piano Concerto in E-flat major and Malédiction fit into this concept?
The piano concerti are not related to specific literary works, but they have a form that makes them real musical poetry and narrative. It’s as if Liszt had written his autobiography in the piano solo, with which the orchestra enters into dialogue, contradicting it, reflecting on it, fighting with it. Malédiction is one of my favourite Liszt pieces. He was in his late twenties when he wrote what – from the 19th century perspective – was an astonishingly avant-garde, extreme and wild work, and which is thought to be part of a lost piano concerto.
The Orchester Wiener Akademie plays on period instruments, but what about the fortepiano that will be played by Fülöp Ránki?
My esteemed colleague Balázs Szabó provided us with an Érard built around 1850. We simply could not achieve a balanced sound with a modern concert piano. The instruments of the 19th century were smaller and lighter, so they’re more sensitive to the nuances of touch than today’s pianos.
Do we as listeners need some prior knowledge, such as reading the literary works, to understand what Liszt is saying, or is that not how his music works?
That reminds me of Mozart, who famously said he was writing music in which both music lovers and specialists could find the message meant for them. Liszt’s compositional style was, of course, different from Mozart’s, but the saying applies to his works as well: we can simply let the surging, romantic music surprise and overwhelm us with emotion, or we can listen to it by delving deeper, for example into the genesis of the works. Getting background information may be to our benefit, but it is not essential to enjoy and understand the music.
22. 10. 2024, 7.30 pm
Pesti Vigadó – Ceremonial Hall
MARTIN HASELBÖCK AND THE ORCHESTER WIENER AKADEMIE MUSIC AND POETRY – GOETHE, SCHILLER, LISZT
TELLTALE SIGNATURES
By FruZsina molnár-Zolnay
Ferenc Liszt’s signature is an integral part of the logo of the Liszt Fest, which has been held since 2021. The composer was celebrated as a rock star, worshipped by ecstatic crowds, and his autograph craved by all, from the fanatical amateurs Heinrich Heine called Lisztomaniacs to almost all lovers of music, male or female. Liszt’s handwriting adds both authenticity and a personal touch to the logo, which now serves as a friendly invitation to the festival. All this at a time when many question the very raison d’être of handwriting.
Ferenc Liszt (1875)
Photography:
Ferenc
Kozmata / Liszt Academy –Liszt Museum
THE WAY WE WRITE TODAY
In 2010, the teaching of cursive handwriting was made non-compulsory in the US education system. Finland, famous for the efficiency of its education system, followed suit in 2016, while in Norway, fewer and fewer children have been learning to write by hand since 2020. This is despite the fact that research carried out in the same year in Norway, of all places, showed, on the evidence of electroencephalographic measurements of twenty-four young people, that brain activity is much stronger when notes are drawn or written by hand, rather than typed. This confirmed the scientifically accepted fact that learning to write by hand develops not only fine motor skills, but cognitive abilities and creativity. Your handwriting is also unique to you and gives important insights into your personality.
YOUR HAND, YOUR PERSONALITY
'Handwriting is an expressive movement in the manner of body language, an impression of our gestures on paper,' says graphologist Ildikó Bartha. 'Although you write with your hand, it is the brain that is the centre of writing, just as it is for speech.' Although it was already understood in antiquity, during the time of Aristotle, that there was a connection between personality and handwriting, graphology only emerged in the 19th century with the work of Jean-Hippolyte Michon, a French priest. 'Graphology is based on psychological traits and draws its conclusions from deviations from the handwriting learned in school,' says Bartha, adding that 'our handwriting is constantly changing and evolving with us, while any unresolved psychological problems or traumas also leave their mark on it.'
WHAT CAN 150-YEAR-OLD HANDWRITING TELLS US IN 2024?
'We always start from what the standard handwriting of the time was like and what changes the person under investigation introduced,' says Bartha. 'The style of handwriting taught in 19th-century Hungarian schools was based on a right-slanting ellipsis. Since it was difficult to learn, it was slowly replaced by a non-italic script that was based on the circle. That evolved into the simplified non-italic script used today, which has been in use since 1956. With information of this kind, a person who lived 150 years ago can be subjected to graphological analysis in the same way as someone living today.'
WHAT DOES OUR SIGNATURE REVEAL ABOUT US?
Although our signature carries a lot of information about us, says the graphologist, it can only be used in combination with our cursive handwriting to gain a reliable image of our personality. The signature analysed in this way not only tells the expert about our self-image, but also reveals our desires for ourselves. 'Another fundamental principle of graphology,' explains Bartha, 'is that if someone draws a line (or paraph, in technical terms) next to their name, they are protecting themselves. Others may protect themselves to the point of total isolation by drawing a circle around their signature.' Meanwhile, those who put a full stop at the end of their signature are usually quite assertive, living by the motto of 'I said what I said.' Those who only use their surnames in their signatures, as Liszt did, tend to emphasize their official identity, and consider it important to find success in their vocation. At the same time, the use of the surname by itself also reveals a person’s attachment to their father. Otherwise they will tend to be less ready to reveal anything about their private life. 'But you don’t need a professional graphological analysis to notice a telltale detail in Ferenc Liszt’s signature, which indicates the dedication of the genius,' notes Bartha, 'and that is the final T, which is actually a conductor’s baton.'
THE ALIENS OF POP MUSIC – EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN
By endre dömöTör
They may have made their debut in West Berlin on 1 April 1980, but Einstürzende Neubauten is no April Fools’ Day joke. For over four decades, it has been one of the most significant and original German bands. The group that combines home-made and conventional instruments, mixing musical and non-musical parts in an unorthodox manner, all for the sake of creating cathartic songs that push the boundaries of music, is one of the most unusual and innovative stage collectives in the world.
Einstürzende Neubauten has been one of the most important bands in experimental music, industrial rock, post-punk noise music and the avant-garde for 44 years. Uncompromising and shockingly innovative at the time of its foundation, the band will present its recently released thirteenth album, Rampen (apm: alien pop music), at the Akvárium club on 16 October, as part of Liszt Fest. Although its sound has changed a lot over the last four decades and counting, the band remains, above all, distinctive and special. Its oeuvre is an attempt to push the musical envelope as far as possible; or rather, an investigation into what makes music what it is. Can scrap metal and industrial tools be made to produce sounds that we perceive as music? While also delving into philosophical subjects, the work of the band provides exciting answers to these questions; what is more, they deliver great music through superb albums and unforgettable concerts. The contrasts between musical and non-musical parts, the innovative and intense sound, the coincidence of chaotic disorder and emotionally compelling beauty: all make the music of Einstürzende Neubauten unforgettable.
German pop music has enjoyed two periods when its influence extended around the world. The first, which started in the late 1960s and peaked in the first half of the 1970s, ran parallel with psychedelic and progressive music, but took these further in a new way with electronics, pulsating grooves and innovative ideas that still inspire pop music as a whole. This is what the world knows as krautrock, and the term applies to a wide variety of bands from Can to Tangerine Dream, Neu! and Faust to Kraftwerk. The other great movement was the Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave) of the late 1970s and early 1980s, which included punk, post-punk, new wave and synth-pop bands. It was in the West Berlin scene of the latter that Einstürzende Neubauten started out, but both eras informed their attitude; indeed, it is perhaps in their work that the innovative spirit of krautrock comes closest to the modernity of the NDW bands.
This is especially true because what the band was doing was fairly alien even in the Berlin of the early 1980s; moreover, examples of this industrial approach were few and far between worldwide. Of earlier German examples, the music of Faust, which experimented with industrial elements, bore the greatest similarity. In the UK, Throbbing Gristle’s pioneering industrial-electronic approach was comparable, while Test Dept – which followed a parallel course for a long time, albeit itself inspired by Einstürzende Neubauten – created music with similar origins and influence.
The band thus quickly stood out on the Berlin scene, and made a big impression for its originality worldwide. The two founding members were singer-guitarist Blixa Bargeld and drummer N.U. Unruh, although the former
preferred to chant and make noises with his instrument, while the latter pounded percussion instruments he created from scrap metal. They were joined for the first concert by Beate Bartel on bass guitar and Gudrun Gut on synthesizer – the latter now also known as a DJ and producer of electronic music. However, the two female members, also known from art-punk outfit Mania D., soon left the band to form the post-punk Malaria! Neubauten continued briefly as a duo and released a debut cassette, before they were joined by guitarist and bassist Alexander Hacke, and then keyboardist and percussionist F.M. Einheit and bassist Mark Chung, two musicians from the post-punk Abwärts, a band from the similar Hamburg scene, to form the seminal line-up. In the 1990s, the latter two were replaced by guitarist Jochen Arbeit and percussionist Rudi Moser, also familiar from the Berlin band Die Haut. And to make the big picture even more attractive, West Berlin in the 1980s saw the emergence of a vibrant Australian musical colony, in which Bargeld and Hacke also became involved. The former played as a guest musician with The Birthday Party, before become a founding member of Nick Cave’s next project, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, while the latter joined another well-known Australian band, Crime & the City Solution.
The 1980s saw Einstürzende Neubauten release one influential, brilliant album after another, all key works of industrial, noisy, post-punk music. They are marked by howls generated with industrial drills, dark ambient song structures that foreshadow post-rock, created with whoknows-what sound-making devices. The band was then able to gradually transform itself while maintaining its identity and autonomy. The records it put out in the 1990s delivered the above in gentler ways. Bargeld’s screams evolved into poetic and melodic spoken word, the punk outfits gave way to suited elegance, and the softer sound became increasingly combined with electronics, the most spectacular turning point being the 1993 LP Tabula Rasa. In 2000, Silence Is Sexy was already a celebration of quieter elements, its post-industrial soundscape more accurately described as a kind of ambient pop music. But the band has never stopped experimenting, always coming up with something new. Moreover, constantly providing their own inspiration, they have realized even more diverse projects in the 21st century than before – for example, with the entirely experimental Musterhaus series of albums.
It is not only the title of the new album released this year, Rampen (apm: alien pop music), that signals how Einstürzende Neubauten remains alien to pop music, since these hypnotic songs, often born out of improvisations, are still like nothing else on earth.
16. 10. 2024, 8 pm
Akvárium Klub – NagyHALL EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN ALIEN POP MUSIC
PARADISUM: THE MYTH OF REBIRTH IN THE LANGUAGE OF CIRQUE DANSE
By nikole TT Vermes
After two years, Recirquel is back with a new production. Once again, the audience can expect breathtaking choreography, visuals and music in the Müpa Tent, where, following the première, the new performance will run until the end of October. What inspired the creation of Paradisum, and how does it differ from previous contemporary circus productions? What are the company’s future plans? We talked to Bence Vági, founder and artistic director of Recirquel.
Bence
Vági |
Photo: Szabolcs Szalai, Lilla Flóra Székely
Your company tends to work on a production for a long time. While other companies spend months creating something new, Recirquel can take several years. How much time did you spend on preparing the latest show?
The idea for Paradisum was born three years ago, but at that time I had come up with a concept for a dance film and we’d even written a synopsis for it. The idea was shelved for a while, and when we returned to it we decided to present it in a stage version first. This is how Paradisum was born, the result of more than a year of creative work and rehearsals, with contributions from many, many excellent artists.
The production will make its Hungarian debut in the Müpa Tent during the Liszt Festival. After that, when can it be seen next?
Following the Hungarian première, it will be on stage until 31 October, after which we’ll take a short break, and then continue performing it in Müpa’s Festival Theatre from January. As was the case with My Land a few years ago, Paradisum had its world première abroad, before the first Hungarian performance: it was presented in August at the Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest festival of the arts, where Recirquel is a regular guest. In addition to being a significant acknowledgement, this is also one of the keys to selling the production internationally. The Fringe is also a cultural fair attended by hundreds of theatre directors and artistic directors who want to plan exciting productions for the coming seasons. An international presence is very important to us, and the company has continuously performed abroad in recent years, from Asia to numerous countries in Europe and South America.
It’s fair to say that Recirquel is one of the best-known Hungarian companies globally. Indeed, international reviews show that the company is attracting a lot of interest abroad. We also receive applications from artists from all over the world on a daily basis. All in all, Recirquel is now one of the top five contemporary circus companies in the world.
Quality performances are loved everywhere, and alongside the consistent quality it provides, Recirquel is also able to surprise audiences time and again. Tell us what new genre makes its appearance in Paradisum. There are genres that audiences have already seen in our previous productions: we use the puppet technique again, and there are several aerial acts in the show. One of the special features of Paradisum is a grandiose fabric that keeps metamorphosing in the course of the show. It appears sometimes as a natural landscape, sometimes as a strange creature, and thus offers a completely new spectacle. The fabric is moved by twelve small motors, which makes you feel as if it were coming to life, breathing with the dancers and acrobats, thus creating a unique, organic
atmosphere. This mystical transformation permeates the entire dramaturgy of the performance, as Paradisum explores the myth of rebirth of a destroyed world. Inspired by the cyclical renewal of nature and the search for purity in the human soul, it examines how harmony and pure love can be found in a renewed world. The concerns and hopes of humanity and the amazing power of nature all play an important part in this story.
How did you find the special fabric that is the central element of the production?
Production designer Emese Kasza helped me to create this constantly changing fabric, which always assumes a new form from scene to scene. The movement, the lights and the music virtually make it breathe. Moving it was a major technical challenge, as the motors need to be controlled extremely precisely. Our technical director Tamás Vladár was crucial in making this work, and also acted as flight designer for the production. Coordinating the fabric and the technology, and the collaboration with the dancers and acrobats, were all part of the process of creating these unique visuals.
Music is always an important part of Recirquel’s productions. What will the audience hear this time?
Our composer, Edina Szirtes, did a dazzling job. The music of the performance reflects the creative and overwhelming power of life that emerges from the mythical chaos, thus connecting organically to the events on stage, and – thanks to the work of sound designer Gábor Terjék – becoming a living part of the production. The music echoes the supplications of bygone cultures and the unconscious pulses of human memory. Paradisum is the result of a real team effort, and I must mention the names of lighting designer Attila Lenzsér and the three co-choreographers, Zita Horváth, Gábor Zsíros and Renátó Illés. The members of our company have been working together for many years, and joint thinking and creative work are essential for success.
I have to ask a provocative question.
How high is the turnover at the company?
It’s very low, as most of our artists have been with the company for six to twelve years. Of course sometimes people don’t find their place in this community, but that’s really rare. We’re all working towards a common goal here.
It’s striking that although Recirquel is not a circus in the classical sense, the members work together as closely as in a traditional circus.
I don’t think this is unique, or that it’s unique to circuses. Take the Ballet Company of Győr, for example, or other dance companies, in which there’s a strong bond between the artists that’s similar to ours. Our company is more like a big family. We work, travel and perform together; we experience our successes and difficulties together. This
way of life binds us together, and the time spent together allows us to develop relationships that are deeper, which also enriches the artistic process. Of course there are disagreements, as in a family, but we’re able to overcome them because we all believe we can make an impression on the audience with our performances, which gives us a strong foundation for working together.
I’ve thought a lot about you since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. Several members of the company came to Hungary from Ukraine to work with Recirquel. How has this war affected the company?
Thank you for your empathy! Indeed, the company includes several excellent Ukrainian artists, and it’s understandable that the outbreak of the war was a great shock to the team. We’ve done our best to help them and their families. Despite all the difficulties, they handle the situation with amazing professionalism, which is one of the reasons we’re able to maintain the high standard our audiences have come to expect from us.
How do you see the future of the company?
Personally, I remain committed to inspiring and leading the company, to creating new and innovative productions. I’d like to bring in new artists and creators, but it’s also important for the Recirquel community to remain strong and cohesive, and for us to continue together on the journey we started more than twelve years ago. I believe that the genre of cirque danse opens up new avenues in contemporary art. At the same time, our international presence remains extremely important to us. Being able to showcase our work around the world gives us opportunities to gain new experiences. The successes we’ve achieved at home and abroad show that we’re on the right track and motivate us to keep working.
10–22. 10. 2024, 7.00 pm
Müpa – Tent
RECIRQUEL: PARADISUM
LEGENDARY HITS REFRESHED
By a ndrás rónai
Iván Szenes, the legendary Hungarian hit songwriter who wrote evergreen lyrics for multiple generations, was born 100 years ago. The Qualitons bring a special programme to Liszt Fest, helping us to unravel the secret of Szenes.
Photo:
THE SPECIAL CULT OF IVÁN SZENES
Since performers have come to own the limelight in popular music, it is rare for the general public to know a songwriter’s name. And for a songwriter to enjoy the kind of cult that surrounds Iván Szenes is singular in Hungary. He is one of the few figures in popular culture whose name adorns public spaces: there is Szenes Iván Park in Győr, while part of Rezső Square in Józsefváros (Budapest’s 8th District), where he once lived, was renamed Szenes Iván Square in 2016. A museum also opened in the latter location this year, on the 100th anniversary of his birth. An annual memorial concert and a popular music prize ensure that both his compositions and name remain in the public consciousness. Even so, many people might be surprised by the number of evergreen lyrics attributable to his name. Many of his lines, wrote one critic, 'feel as if they have become inseparable from being Hungarian, and are all but timeless.' By his own count, of some 2,000 songs, 120 were hits, though he had a very strict criterion: only 'what the whole country knows' qualified. Kicsit szomorkás a hangulatom; Add már, Uram, az esőt; Úgy szeretném meghálálni; Próbálj meg lazítani; Mindenkinek van egy álma; Nehéz a boldogságtól búcsút venni; Kislány a zongoránál; Nem csak a húszéveseké a világ; Találkozás egy régi szerelemmel; Vuk: the lyrics of these songs were all by Iván Szenes. He also wrote dramas, radio and television plays, and poems for cabaret revues. One of his signature songs, Nem csak a húszéveseké a világ (The World isn’t Just for Twenty-Somethings) will be performed at this concert. It was first sung by Kálmán Latabár, before it became an evergreen in László Aradszky’s interpretation. In 2003, public television launched a programme with the same title, which was hosted by Szenes himself and went a long way towards planting his name in the public mind. Add már, Uram, az esőt (Give Us Rain O Lord), while a very different song in many regards, also became an evergreen. Kati Kovács sang it in several languages, it was covered by both contemporary and later artists (such as Bea Palya), and was even unexpectedly sampled for Christina Aguilera’s 2010 song, Woohoo.
THE KEYS TO SUCCESS: DIVERSITY AND METICULOUSNESS
What is the secret of this amazing success? Several factors played a part. On the one hand, the performers who sang his songs included both mainstream performers and members of the beat generation, two groups generally believed to be separated by a deep gulf. Pál Szécsi, Kati Kovács, György Korda, Sarolta Zalatnay, László Aradszky, the Apostol band, Judith Szűcs, the married Záray–Vámosi duo, Zsuzsa Cserháti – the list could go on and on. His long working relationship with comedian Géza Hofi is also particularly worthy of note.
As The Qualitons put it, 'His wide-ranging career and constant striving for renewal greatly contributed to his becoming the most listened-to Hungarian lyricist of the last century, who defined the Hungarian music scene.'
On the other hand, Szenes worked on his lyrics with amazing care, creating lines that have lodged in the ears of generations. We probably don’t even consider that their 'unaffectedness' is the result of careful work. As one of his collaborators, Miklós Malek, put it: 'He had an extremely keen sense of humour, but was not easy to collaborate with: he set very high standards for himself too. For the song, Próbálj meg lazítani (Try and Relax), for instance, he wrote fifty-two lyrics.' (Apply that work ethic to 2,000 compositions, and you’ll realise that Szenes was almost always working. As his daughter Andrea Szenes said: 'He loved roaming flea markets, but kept working in his head all along.' )
Although it’s difficult to form a coherent view of such a large oeuvre,
the members of The Qualitons have tried to pin down a common denominator in Szenes’s lyrics: 'Perhaps partly because of his background in theatre, the song lyrics have very good prosody and a lot of unique, memorable poetic images. He had a keen musical sensitivity and was very flexible, so the lyrics blend with the songs, whether they be chansons, beat or pop tunes.' In other words, Szenes was much more than a successful and productive 'craftsman.' As he himself said in a much-quoted interview, 'if you ask me if I consider myself an artist, I smile modestly. But if I didn’t believe that what I was doing in writing verse for the stage was art, I wouldn’t go on for a minute.' Finally, we must not forget the world that the lyrics conjure up. 'Iván Szenes created an idyll,' wrote Zoltán Poós, 'a dream world where little girls play the piano beautifully and where everyone has a dream. He showed the big emotions that were not censored by the hit guild. He was one of the things that made everything we call socialism easier to cope with.'
POLISHING OLD, FAMILIAR AND MUCH-LOVED FURNITURE
The Qualitons set out in 2008 with the intention of reviving the beat, funk and soul of the 1960s and 1970s, of celebrating the forgotten treasures of Hungarian recorded music. In 2009, they caused a sensation with concerts that featured Kati Kovács. Their albums of original songs gradually introduced new elements, from surf rock to psychedelic music. Starting out as a retro band, they are now a group with its own musical universe that is inspired by the past but does not cling to it slavishly; even songs that are long, multi-movement affairs keep the listener’s attention throughout.
The biggest media sensation came when members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers heard The Qualitons’ outdoor concert from their hotel after a 2016 Budapest show, and were so impressed that they went down to listen. They have been consistently voted among the most exportable bands in Hungary, while one of their biggest successes was when they played in the studio of KEXP, a major tastemaker on the American radio scene. In 2022, The Qualitons announced that they would disband, but at the end of 2023 they continued with the following line-up: Barna Szőke –guitar, vocals, Ernő Hock – bass, vocals, Ádám Menyhei – keyboards, vocals, András Weil – keyboards, vocals, Levente Boros – drums, vocals.
Entitled Club Eco Vol. I – The Trail, the comeback album came out at the end of the spring, though Kexek, released in late 2019, is more relevant for the upcoming concert: it contains covers, or rather reinterpretations of the songs of the cult band Kex, whose original themes are the springboards for musical journeys lasting as long as 9-12 minutes.
The Qualitons have given a similar treatment to Szenes’s compositions: 'We chose the songs together, and we all take part in resolving the musical questions. We listen to a lot of songs by the composer, which creates a good basis for a relationship with the oeuvre. We have our filter as a band that kicks in on these occasions, ensuring that a colourful bunch of songs comes together at the end.' The Qualitons believe that 'it’s always interesting, edifying and, of course, fun to make a cover, but naturally it’s also a very challenging process.' Although the audience will probably be more familiar with most of the songs than with the Kex numbers, the band stresses that 'we again tried to deviate from the original, familiar arrangements of the songs, to give them a new feel and a new atmosphere – but not at any cost. We don’t mean to twist them to our needs. We didn’t shy away from simple solutions when the song or the collaborative creative process went that way. To put it simply, we were looking for a personal connection with this music. We wanted to polish this old, familiar and much-loved “furniture,” which also got closer to our hearts in the process.' The list of guest artists helping this effort is truly diverse. Barbara Schoblocher is perhaps the least surprising, since her band Blahalouisiana draws in part on the period in question. Nor is Iván Vitáris a stranger to classic beat rock, even if ‘60s pop may be the last thing you would associate him with. András Áron is the frontman of Lazarvs, a leading Hungarian metal band, but sings country and folk when performing solo and recorded his latest album in Nashville. Noémi Barkóczi has found her unique voice in the singer-songwriter tradition, while Hanna Cseri’s honest (sometimes outspoken) alt-pop has quickly caught the attention of the industry and the public. Though he made a name for himself on Hungary’s X-Faktor, Marcell Mehringer has escaped the talent-show box with songs that range from trap to rock ‘n’ roll.
21. 10. 2024, 8 pm
Müpa Budapest – Béla Bartók National Concert Hall
May 9 2025
12. 10. 2024, 10 am
Sacred Heart Jesuit Church
CHOIR MARATHON
Choir marathon of Liszt’s works
'My dear Palestrina' – is how Pope Pius IX referred to Ferenc Liszt. The comparison with the late Renaissance master was more than an act of kindness, since even during his lifetime Palestrina’s music was regarded as an earthly counterpart of angelic music, and his compositions as eternal models. Palestrina’s music continued to enjoy cultic veneration in Rome and in the Papal Chapel, his exceptional role in the history of music also recognized outside ecclesiastic music circles. Liszt himself considered it crucial to familiarise himself with the works of his great predecessor. Interestingly, Liszt pondered a renewal of church music very early on, even before his career as a piano virtuoso had begun. And three decades later, in the 1860s, a number of conditions were in place for him to put his ideas into practice. Liszt composed a great many choral works, and most of his sacred compositions can be used in church liturgy. He also wrote choral pieces for secular use, most of which are compelling and demanding challenges for professional and amateur choirs alike. These choral works also highlight an exciting duality. While Liszt is known as one of the most daring innovators of his time, he was also keenly interested in the musical culture of the Renaissance and Middle Ages. The five concerts of the choir marathon at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Church in Budapest include major works such as Missa Choralis and the Szekszárd Mass, and will feature the Magnificat Girls' Choir, the Eötvös Loránd University Bartók Béla Choir, the Béla Bartók Male Choir, the Vass Lajos Chamber Choir and the Alma Mater Choir.
Brigitta Kele
Photo: Andrea Felvégi / Müpa
18. 10. 2024, 7.30 pm
Müpa Budapest – Festival Theatre
THEATRE WITHOUT A STAGE
THE CLUJ-NAPOCA HUNGARIAN OPERA’S LISZT CONCERT
György Selmeczi, to mark the bicentenary of Liszt’s birth in 2011, presented a special dramaturgical experiment with Cluj-Napoca Hungarian Opera. In that stage production, which engaged the entire company, he set out to show in a sensual way the tragic duality of the human spirit, the eternal struggle between the creative and destructive forces that lie dormant in everyone, and between faith and unbelief. The production sought to make it clear that Liszt had both a Faustian and a Mephistophelian aspect to his character, so that his life and works can only be truly appreciated in the context of both. The company visiting Liszt Fest from Cluj-Napoca continues and develops this concept, presenting rarely-heard symphonic pieces and orchestral arrangements of piano works without any theatrical apparatus, relying on the sheer drama of the music. Conducting will be György Selmeczi, the originator of the concept.
20. 10. 2024, 8 pm
Budapest Music Center – Concert Hall
THE FOUND VOICE
Markus Stockhausen Group
As the son of Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the most important composers of the second half of the 20th century, Markus Stockhausen played his father’s works regularly for more than two decades. The composition of the Markus Stockhausen Group coming to Liszt Fest –trumpet, cello, piano and percussion – already defies convention. An Italian reviewer of the Markus Stockhausen Group’s 2024 record, Celebration, has written: 'Celebration is out and once again you get the feeling that there is something more than the best jazz record of its time. Because the musical and linguistic synthesis of the trumpeter-composer still goes beyond the language of jazz. From the beginning, Markus mixes fusion, progressive rock, world, contemporary, chamber jazz and ambient towards that syncretism that – for years now – has been the basis of his musical writing. Flanked by breathtaking talents and top-class guests, Markus’ trumpet and flugelhorn rise with a timbre and lyricism that is unparalleled today. Once again, a masterpiece that you will surely find among my 10 albums of the year.'
Markus Stockhausen Group
A GREAT MOMENT OF ENTHUSIASM
By Ferenc l ásZló
The miracles of a Hungarian saint, the influence of six frescoes in Wartburg and a tender relationship that spans eight centuries: these are all at work in Liszt’s masterpiece The Legend of St Elizabeth, which will be conducted by György Vashegyi on 9 October.
Betrothal at the age of four: in 1211, mediaeval princely diplomacy decided the fate of the third child of King Andrew II of Hungary and his ill-fated wife, Gertrude of Merania. Little Elizabeth was destined to create a dynastic link between the House of Árpád and the Ludovingians, who ruled Thuringia as its landgraves: this is why she was engaged again immediately after the premature death of her first designated fiancé, and was married in 1221 to his brother, Louis. This small episode of 13th century history and Hungarian–German relations would be of interest only to mediaevalists today had it not been for the legend of St Elizabeth of the House of Árpád, a story full of Christian humility, merciful good deeds and miracles, which immediately fertilized the imagination of posterity. In addition to her canonization, Elizabeth’s cult quickly became a subject of art, as well as a part of the national consciousness of Hungarians and Germans alike.
This complex influence was well exemplified by Ferenc Liszt, who wrote of his own attraction: 'My relationship to St Elizabeth is particularly tender. Like she, I was born in Hungary, and I spent twelve years that were key to my life and career in Thuringia, very close to the castle of Wartburg, where she lived, and to Marburg, where she died.'
There is, however, a crucial element that must be added to this personal testimony. In the mid-19th century, Romantic fervour and collective enthusiasm led to the reconstruction
of Wartburg Castle, which had become a symbol of German national history. (From the mediaeval contest of minstrels to Luther completing his translation of the Bible here, there was a wealth of history over the centuries to enrich the cult of the fortification near Eisenach.) As part of the reconstruction, Moritz von Schwind painted a number of large murals, six of which relate the story of the self-sacrificing princess who served the poor. It was these works that really brought Elizabeth’s legend to Liszt’s attention, though not independently of his own personal inclinations, which at the time led him to join the Franciscans and devote himself to religious music.
The Legend of St Elizabeth, which Liszt completed by 1862 after five years of work (and which he would continue to revise for some time), also attests to the inspiration of the murals, since the oratorio comprises six scenes. This is all the less surprising as the librettist, the modestly talented German poet Otto Roquette, worked on the basis of the six paintings in Wartburg. Along with the six scenes, mention must be made of the five musical motifs that run through and unite the vast musical composition, so impressively that they immediately enthralled the audience at the work’s 1865 première in Pest’s Vigadó concert hall, with Liszt conducting. Kornél Ábrányi Sr., who translated the libretto, had this to say – with some natural bias as a contributor and patriot – about the significance of the occasion and the work’s enthusiastic reception: 'The day in question will
constitute the brightest, the most glorious and the most far-reaching page in the history of Hungarian art. […] The Hungarian capital has hardly ever seen such a great moment of enthusiasm…'
It is probably safe to say that every performance of The Legend of St Elizabeth since 1865, whether in Hungary or abroad, has been cause for such a 'moment of enthusiasm.' The great performing forces needed to stage Liszt’s first oratorio – not only the sheer number of performers, but their talent and commitment – also guarantees and enhances the celebratory quality of the work. It is the kind of artistic collaboration worthy of such a grand piece, making it possible for The Legend of St Elizabeth to be heard on the first night of this year’s Liszt Fest in the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall –barely 24 hours after its performance in Vienna, and a few days before it is presented in Amsterdam.
The quality of this collaboration is guaranteed by the person of the conductor, György Vashegyi, who himself is well versed in the centuries-old tradition of church music that captured the imagination of 'Abbé Liszt,' and who in recent years has taken a growing interest in the 19th century Romantic repertoire, both its popular masterpieces and hidden treasures deserving rediscovery. The oratorio’s sublime title role will be sung here by Gabriela Scherer from Switzerland, who started her career as a mezzo-soprano, but has for some time excelled in emblematic soprano roles of the German and Italian repertoire across the opera stages of Europe. And since Liszt’s St Elizabeth is related in many ways to Richard Wagner’s heroines (one need only consider Elisabeth in Tannhäuser), it is worth mentioning that Scherer has been an inspired interpreter of many of Wagner’s female characters, making her debut at the Bayreuth Festival just this summer as Gutrune in Götterdämmerung.
Liszt composed a number of important parts around the hugely vibrant, idealized central protagonist, to be performed by distinguished singers at this festive evening. Mezzo-soprano Dorottya Láng, who has shown admirable talent in many Müpa Budapest productions, will share the stage with internationally sought-after Hungarian baritone Zoltán Nagy, his German counterpart Johannes Kammler, and Romanian bass Bogdan Talos, a graduate of Cluj-Napoca’s academy, who is now widely employed from Paris to New York.
09. 10. 2024, 7.30 pm
Müpa Budapest – Béla Bartók National Concert Hall
LISZT: THE LEGEND OF ST ELIZABETH
'IT DRAWS ON THE PAST BUT REFLECTS ON THE PRESENT' SZÉKELY LAND BEYOND THE STEREOTYPES
By ViVien Boronyák
Rather than an idealized image, the Museum of Ethnography’s new exhibition offers a glimpse into the living traditions of the Székely Land, exploring the lifestyle, customs and material culture of this colourful region. The Székelys: Patterns of Heritage aims to dispel the notion that the culture of the Székelys is changeless, taking the visitor from the rigid 19th century reality of dependence on the land to the modernization of the 21st century. We talked to the chief curator of the exhibition, ethnographer Dr István Kinda, about the major artefacts and stories presented.
You selected the exhibits from the collections of nine Székely museums. What prompted the idea of involving institutions in another country?
In 2021, Dr Lajos Kemecsi, the director general of the Museum of Ethnography, invited us to put together a large-scale exhibition on Székely culture, and he specifically wished to bring in Székely museums, to use their collections and the knowledge of professionals working there. We understood and accepted the invitation – or should I say challenge? We selected photos, artefacts and stories to focus on the counties in Romania where Székelys live: Maros (Mureș), Hargita (Harghita) and Kovászna (Covasna).
Our main objective is to demonstrate the natural dynamics of Székely culture, its adaptivity, constant change and transitoriness. The Budapest show has seven thematic sections that allow us to present the areas we consider important: the identity of the Székelys; forms of livelihood; material culture; the heritage of small towns; gastronomy and consumption; customs and traditions in dress culture; and beliefs and religious practices. Along the way, we talk about many other things, including the influence of other ethnicities (Romanians, Armenians, Saxons), and historical and contemporary aspects of migration.
Our guiding principle was to make the best use of the 700 square metres of space available to present as many aspects as possible of the Székely culture known to us, those who live here and study these communities, while accepting the risk that the image we present may reveal greater than expected contrasts with the Székely culture many people believe they know. Our exhibition centres on the collections of the regional museums, and since we are their research staff, we are familiar with the reality on the ground.
What exactly do you mean by presentation without expectations?
In recent decades, the culture of the Székelys has often been presented to the public through exhibitions that emphasized idealized elements tending towards the archaic. Even series of photographs taken in the 21st century will contain images of moustachioed old men on cattle-drawn carts with wooden wheels and bonneted old women spinning hemp outside carved gates. Many documentaries highlight only certain aspects, typically focusing on the exotic or the extraordinary. It is no exaggeration to say that the Székely Land is often presented as a backward region with little development, its inhabitants characterized by an anachronistic, mediaeval way of thinking. (To be fair, there are examples of this as well!) We chose subjects that allowed us to show the region’s present, beyond the historical aspects, hopefully encouraging visitors to look beyond the rose-tinted stereotypes. Most of the exhibited objects and stories date from the 19th and 20th centuries, but we did not wish to lock ourselves in a time capsule as many aspects of culture and society hark back to earlier times. Consequently, we also present selected data and objects from the time of settlement of the present-day Székely Land in the 13th century all the way up to 2024. The photos, objects and major artefacts are arranged in eye-catching installations, with text to introduce visitors to the different subjects. Instead of creating an exhibition of folk art, we focus on the living culture,
Vajk István Szigeti
with all its strengths and shortcomings, emphasising how alive the various traditions remain in our region. Many of the exhibits illustrate the transitory nature of these traditions, and how their function changes or is repurposed over time. The Székely gate, this gem of the region’s architecture, will be one of the focal points of the exhibition, and will be presented in a special way. Instead of removing an existing gate from its original setting, we will have a gate built in the exhibition space, to be completed by the time the show closes with the involvement of visitors. You could say it will be unfinished. It’s probably safe to say that very few people will have seen a Székely gate in the making, laid out on the ground, and so very few will have experienced its real human dimensions at close hand. In this way, we aim to showcase the tradition of gate carving, which remains very much alive today, and enable visitors to study the structure and feel the texture of this special piece of carpentry. In a related short film, we reveal why these structures are still important in our region today, from the perspective of a gate-carving workshop. The Székely Land is not an open-air museum, nor a repository of archaic technologies: people use things for as long as they serve their needs and until they find more modern, energy-efficient solutions.
What else is there to aid understanding of the exhibition?
We had the full support of the design and graphics team at the Museum of Ethnography, helping to present the concept in a striking way. Walk-in installations and stories brought to life reveal the connections between past and present. The accompanying texts are short but refer to several stories in a condensed manner. Videos that offer clues, but could not be presented in the exhibition space, are shown in a screening room. I’d like to highlight that each theme is introduced by a text penned by Sándor Nagy, a 19thcentury teacher turned pastor, which lends a personal and authentic touch to the various sections of the exhibition.
You stress the modern quality of Székely culture, the importance of both tradition and progress. Can you give us a few examples?
The adaptation to changing lifestyles and needs is well illustrated by the case of one of the artefacts, a painted cabinet. In the 1970s, a researcher visiting villages near Kovászna came across a cabinet in a barn resembling a piece of painted furniture. When the restorer set to work on it, it revealed its secrets: parts of four different pieces of furniture hidden beneath the smoky, black exterior, which must have been put together in the 1880s. This is also a good example of how, even in the 19th century, people adhered to the principle of zero waste in the Székely Land. I should also note that, besides the items from museums, some pieces of furniture are lent temporarily from active, living households, where
they will no doubt be returned once the exhibition has closed. The subject of gastronomy is centred on a pig-killing scene by Jenő Gyárfás, an imposing painting measuring 250 x 122.5 cm. This is juxtaposed with the display of a tradition Tímea Gáll keeps alive in Csíkmadaras (Mădăraș). Based on forty recipes contained in a cookbook inherited from her ancestors, Tímea prepares dishes for her family and guests in her boarding house. We show some of the everyday utensils she uses, from a kneading trough to a potato masher, to a baker’s shovel that we virtually had to pry from her hands for the duration of the exhibition. We hope this adequately conveys what remains a living tradition.
Much like the lives of the Székelys, the exhibition is framed by the themes of farming and work on the one hand, and religious faith on the other. What are the focal points with regard to the latter?
Religious faith is a subject that cannot be ignored, as it completely permeates the life of the Székelys, even in this complex world of ours. As elsewhere in our exhibition, we had to be selective. We examine religion in the villages, displaying artefacts made for the various canonical denominations which have art historical value and certainly shaped the value system and tastes of folk culture. We also discuss the special symbols of burial culture, the coexistence of different denominations, religious relics, and the current state of religion.
What does such a comprehensive exhibition mean for the Székely Land today?
A more realistic view, which draws on the past but reflects on the present, is in everybody’s interest. The Museum of Ethnography made a smart move when it entrusted this show about Székely culture to the Székely Land itself. This is where it gets difficult for us, as researchers in the Székely Land. In terms of scholarship, it’s very important for us to be able to present the endeavours and achievements of research over the past century. We want the exhibition to make the Székelys who visit it feel at home, whether they live here or have left the region. It would be a source of great satisfaction if the feedback we receive shows we have prudently managed the knowledge entrusted to us, made good use of the tangible heritage, and delivered an authentic description of the culture which we ourselves have helped to shape, a culture that is extraordinarily complex, alive, and defined by its interactions.
15. 10. 2024, 10 am Museum of Ethnography
SZÉKELYS
PATTERNS OF HERITAGE
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SOCIABLE ISOLATION
– SURROUNDED BY MUSIC
By endre dömöTör
Isolation Budapest, the one-day concert marathon, takes place this October for the third year running. The event features artists rarely or never before seen in Hungary, and this time includes a decidedly big name. English singer-songwriter Jake Bugg has appeared on the Sziget Festival’s main stage and now returns with his sixth album. Nor will he be the only one making it worth visiting the Akvárium on 19 October, when great music features non-stop in three halls; other attractions include the front man of Danish punk rockers Iceage, an Afrobeat superboy and legendary guitar bands.
Isolation Budapest, a joint creation of Liszt Fest and the Akvárium Klub begun in 2022, is a rare initiative in Hungary as the club offers a festival of many concerts in three different halls in a single day, providing a lasting, dense experience with a plethora of artists who are either emerging or already big names in their genres. You can find many similar examples abroad, but few instances in Hungary. Another source of joy is that this is now the third instalment of Isolation. A festival that doesn’t last days or require fans to walk miles to see countless artists, most already internationally hyped but making their Hungarian debut, or bands that are legends in a particular genre, is a real treat for music lovers. This is how we got to see the likes of Westerman and Black Country, New Road at the first Isolation Budapest in 2022, while the 2023 edition brought us Nick Hakim and Wu-Lu. With so many venues and concerts offering such an immersive experience, every music lover is guaranteed to return home with new favourites.
Or old ones, as the case may be. American art rock, dream pop and indie rock act Elysian Fields has been around since 1995; often venturing into experimental sounds, they now count as legends in their field. The duo of guitarist Oren Bloedow and singer Jennifer Charles – also known from Lovage, a project with Faith No More’s Mike Patton – has been releasing albums of reliably high quality for almost thirty years, making occasional detours into slowcore, Americana or jazz-rock. They bring material from their latest, 2024 album.
Seun Kuti is another older acquaintance, as the son of Afrobeat founder Fela Kuti has been to Hungary before and given a great concert. But you can’t get too much of this scintillating music that urges you to dance, and this will be as close as we can get to Fela’s legacy as the son has taken over the leadership of his father’s band, Egypt 80.
Elias Bender Rønnenfelt is likewise well known in Hungary as the front man of Iceage, a Danish art punk band that is very popular here. The drummer who joins him, Gabriel Ferrandini, is a Portuguese national treasure and one of the most versatile percussionists in his country. You have to be pretty lucky to have seen them together before, as they gave the only previous concert of their joint project five years ago in Madeira.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah swept through the indie music scene in 2005 like a fresh wind, with songs equally reminiscent of Talking Heads and Neutral Milk Hotel; songwriter and front man Alec Ounsworth now performs solo on piano under the name, stripping the music down to its essence.
As for more recent names less well-known in Hungary, one of the big hits of the festival promises to be Manchester’s Mandy, Indiana, who released their well-received debut
album last year, featuring an original sound and danceable beats within the quadrangle of EBM, post-industrial, industrial techno and post-punk. You need to see them now, before they get too big! The same could be said of Deki Alem, a neo soul, post-R&B group who spice up their main genre with energetic dance music, and even drum’n’bass; it’s hardly a coincidence that their talent has caught the attention of Damon Albarn. Also worthy of note is Lord Apex, who crosses British hip hop with jazzy, lo-fi rap and has toured with the likes of Freddie Gibbs and Earl Sweatshirt.
By contrast, the concert of Jake Bugg, who definitely raises the stakes at this year’s festival, cannot be advertised with the slogan of 'must see now' given that he already entered the big time a decade ago. He’s still worth seeing, of course, if only because his sixth solo album came out in September and can now be enjoyed live in a venue that beats the main stages of festivals by providing a closeup experience. Bugg already knows one or two festival stages, having made the jump from Glastonbury’s BBC Introducing stage, which features up-and-coming artists, to the main stage of Britain’s biggest festival within a mere two years. What is more, in between these two, he released a UK chart-topping album in 2012.
Bugg made his name as a songwriter and performer, excelling in a genre where talents emerge by the dozen every week in the UK alone. This is primarily because he writes hits, but it’s also because he filters the music of the great predecessors who influenced him (from Bob Dylan to Nick Drake) through the voices of his contemporaries (Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane). He has also given a history lesson in pop music by artists less known to the general public, from Donovan to John Denver. The man who gazes at us from the cover of his new album is very much unlike the one we saw ten years ago. Whether or not you’ve seen Jake Bugg live before, this time will surely be different.
In short, a lot of good things fit in one place! Isolation Budapest is a little like London Calling in Amsterdam, where you can enjoy fresh, exciting music in one venue. You can isolate yourselves even in company, and focus your full attention on the concerts. It will be a tiring day, but – as I can tell you from experience, having enjoyed a few – a great time awaits.
19. 10. 2024, 5 pm Akvárium Klub
18. 10. 2024, 10 am
Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art
WOMEN’S QUOTA 01
Women Artists, Creative Women from the Collection of the Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art
This is the first time the institution is presenting a selection of works exclusively by women. The curator, Krisztina Szipőcs, focuses mainly on local and regional artists, but also includes one Russian and several Dutch artists. When it was founded in 1989, the museum only had eight works by women in its collection, less than five per cent of all its holdings. Though the situation has much improved in the last thirty-five years, there is still work to be done in this regard. Let us hope the time will soon come when a women’s quota is no longer necessary. Perhaps one day the term 'woman artist' will fall out of use and there will be no need to draw attention to an artist’s gender. On the Hungarian scene, it counts as a significant step forward that Women's Quota focuses on the role of women in art, their (self-) representation in art, the genres and themes they choose, and their achievements in the arts over the past fifty years.
Hajnal Németh: Striptease
Valéria
Dénes: Pink Flowers
09. 10. 2024, 2 pm
Hungarian National Gallery
THE GALIMBERTI
The lives and works of Sándor Galimberti and Valéria Dénes
'It is a shocking but undeniable fact that even among the most important Hungarian painters there are some whose surviving oeuvre is dwarfed even by the number of paintings by Csontváry. Valéria Dénes and Sándor Galimberti are among these artists,' writes Péter Molnos in a study on the artist couple. We are currently aware of only a little over forty surviving works by Galimberti and Dénes, compared to the seventy-seven paintings they presented at an exhibition in 1914.
A selection from the surviving works of Dénes and Galimberti will go on display at the Hungarian National Gallery from this autumn. Also included will be photographs of some of the missing paintings, on display in the WANTED section of the exhibition, calling attention to the painful gaps in their oeuvres. That some of the missing pictures may resurface is not out of the question: Dénes’s masterly Bruges was found in 2019, 107 years after its making.
Complete unity marked the two artists, both as a couple and as colleagues. Their artistic outlooks were almost identical, and their mode of painting hardly differed. This may explain why a number of Dénes’s paintings were formerly attributed to Galimberti, though research has since clarified the authorship of each painting. This large-scale exhibition also includes a selection of works by Galimberti’s first wife, Mária Lanov, and his father, Luigi Galimberti.
10–13. 10. 2024
National Dance Theatre
AUTUMN MARGÓ LITERARY FESTIVAL
This autumn’s Margó is not to be missed as it will feature a number of international authors, including the Italian Claudia Durastanti, the Slovak Silvester Lavrík, the Swedish Jens Liljestrand, the Finnish Sofi Oksanen, the Spanish Irene Solà, and Terézia Mora, who writes in German. Alongside the foreign authors, the Hungarian literary scene will naturally also be represented, with Petra Finy, Márton Gerlóczy, János Háy, István Kemény, Márton Simon, Anna Szabó T., Csaba Szendrői and Pál Závada all set to introduce their new books. Literary events held during the day will be rounded off by concerts in the evening. When The Music’s Over, a group that covers songs by The Doors, marries the psychedelia of the 1960s with today’s electronic sounds. Anima Sound System performs the songs of Bob Dylan, whose lyrics were acknowledged with a Nobel Prize in literature. The programme also includes a production blending elements of music and performance art: led by Miklós H. Vecsei, QJÚB shows the 'indomitability' behind the horrors of the 20th century through the relationship between Miklós Radnóti and Fanni Gyarmati. The show is based on their diaries and Radnóti’s poems. The festival ends with a musical evening related to the new novel by László Kollár-Klemencz.
Irene Solà | Photo: Ignasi Roviro
ANDRÁS VISKY: FORGING LITERATURE FROM GULAG EXPERIENCES AND BIBLE READINGS
By l ásZló Valuska
András Visky was two years old when he and his family were deported. Published in 2022 after seventeen years of searching for a form and a voice, his novel Kitelepítés (Deportation) relates how love and the Bible kept the family together. The audience can meet Visky, winner of the 2023 Margó Prize, in Müpa Budapest on 14 October, at around the time the novel will be published in Germany.
András Visky | Photo: Gábor Valuska
Although the wider reading public have become aware of András Visky thanks to his first novel, Deportation, published by Jelenkor, the Kossuth and Attila József Prize-winning writer, playwright, dramaturg and university professor was already known in the literary world. The novel will be published in Germany in the autumn and could prove a major success abroad, since to tell the story of his family and the tragic history of the 20th century, the author found a language of his own based on the Bible. The historical background of Deportation and the author’s experience of totalitarian regimes may serve to enhance the book’s visibility.
PROCESSING FAMILY HISTORY
A two-year-old boy is deported with his mother and six siblings to a camp on the Bărăgan steppe by the Danube Delta, and then to the Lăteşti camp, after his father, Ferenc Visky, a Protestant pastor, is sentenced to 22 years in prison and total confiscation of his property following the 1956 revolution. It took Visky seventeen years to find the form and voice that allowed him to tell the horrendous story of his family. Tens of thousands of readers have found something in the text that shows the power of family and togetherness in an era when dictatorship could deprive anyone of everything – except love. The horrors he experienced also appear in his earlier poems and in his play Juliet, but the lifelong effort of telling the story found its final form with Deportation. It was, without exaggeration, the most powerful book of 2022 that won Visky the Margó Prize for the best first volume of prose. Named Book of the Year in Könyves Magazin, it is a novel about love in a world of hate, and one that brings another book, the Bible, into play. It is a narrative constructed from parts so short that it is able to hold the attention of even the most hardcore users of TikTok. It is a story that encapsulates all the other stories of the brutality of totalitarian regimes, of families at the mercy of history, of faith that spans generations.
‘THIS GULAG EXPERIENCE SHAPED ME’
'I wanted to write a novel, which is important, because the novel is a realistic genre. And I was interested in the reconstruction of a Gulag-type camp, because this Gulag experience shaped me. In the process of writing, it was liberating to realize that doing the work is a psychological experience in itself, and even if I failed to produce a publishable book, I’d still be better off,' Visky told Könyves Magazin about the creative process. Visky regarded the writing of the novel as a spiritual exercise, which gave voice to three points of view: his own memories and those of his brothers and sisters; the biblical narrative; and history and documents, such as secret service files about his father, mother and himself. Deportation is intended to be the first novel in a trilogy. Earlier Visky said all of his previous books and experiments had effectively been a learning process, with everything leading to Deportation, the form of which he began seeking twenty years earlier. Deportation
meant real imprisonment, gulag conditions, barracks built by captives, forced labour and tragic stories. Deportation is an anachronistic novel, even though we know when and where it takes place. In the novel, banishment is not only physical, but symbolic: the family is exiled from time as well. Though it is about the solidarity, faith and survival of a specific family, the novel is in fact a universal story about defencelessness, the workings of power and the anonymization of individuals under an oppressive regime.
TWO PEOPLE ARE NEVER JUST TWO
András Visky was sent to the camp at the age of two: this extreme experience, the hunger, the helplessness and the cold are contrasted with his learning of the language of the Bible alongside his mother tongue, and with it, faith and the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The mother translates the Hungarian Károli Bible into the children’s language, and sings and laughs, while engaging in a ceaseless conversation with her own God, even when in a state of clinical death. His mother does what God should: she turns to her children with love and care, giving them hope and a future even when she herself sees no way out. As the central character of the novel, the mother must ensure the survival and growth of her children. All the responsibility falls on her shoulders, but she tries to fulfil her duties in an exemplary manner, even in their new daily life in the gulag. Every day she reads to the children from the only book they have, the Bible, whose stories become interwoven with their everyday reality, giving them strength and hope. The Bible and Deportation have at least one thing in common: the search for the Father. Another thing is that there are no beginnings and endings to the sentences, but only numbered thoughts, written as if to the rhythm of breathing. The novel, which consists of 822 verse-like passages, turns real events into fiction, so that it reads not as an account but as a literary text which can speak authentically from the narrative perspective of both child and adult.
14. 10. 2024, 7 pm Müpa Budapest – Festival Theatre AN EVENING WITH ANDRÁS VISKY
TURKISH DELIGHTS
By Vera sZ aBadkai
While oil wrestling and castle sieges are absent from the programme, this year’s PONT Festival features an animation workshop, shadow plays, Dervish dancing, focusing this year on Turkey’s intangible heritage –from music to craft traditions – on the green island of the Museum Garden in the heart of Budapest.
This one-day event at the Liszt Fest offers free activities for visitors of all ages on 12 October. PONT makes no secret of its cultural mission to present UNESCO-listed intangible heritage in a playful, engaging manner. If the presentation is well thought-out, it is also light-handed, introducing the treasures of distant cultures through the joy of creation and essential experiences. This year, the festival introduces its audience to Turkish traditions such as shadow plays, storytelling and the centuries-old crafts of book and textile decoration, all spiced up with wellknown Turkish flavours and lively melodies.
WHAT ON EARTH?
Culture is best appreciated when it is lived and created, and so the organizers strive to offer a programme to stimulate the senses and provide memorable experiences. There are few festivals where children can pet a falcon in the heart of the city, fashion a linen bag with ancient West African motifs, or learn flamenco dance or Caucasian rhythms. The organizer, Hangvető, pays as much attention to the all-day programme and the context of the traditions presented as to the choice of performers. The result is PONT, one of the most colourful tradition-based festivals, where – after previous events focusing on puppetry, throat singing, Eastern spring festival traditions and West African drumming –visitors this year will be able to experience the treasures of Turkish culture. Participation is key, as UNESCO only lists traditions that remain alive, handed down from one generation to the next in their original setting.
WHAT HAVE THE TURKS EVER DONE FOR US?
From historic misfortunes to the anti-heroes of folk tales, our language and collective memory are replete with evidence of the bitter experience of the Ottoman invasion, but what about the baths, the brass bands, Rózsadomb in Buda, pogácsa (pogaça), our words of Turkish origin and the kinship traceable in folk songs? Sipping Turkish coffee and munching on baklava, we can contemplate the complexity of our shared history at PONT, but let us adhere for now to UNESCO’s neutral yardstick. Turkey has thirty registered elements of intangible heritage to its name, ranging from ritual dances (such as the Mevlevi Sema, commonly referred to as the Dervish dance) to flatbread making and oil wrestling, so the organizers had plenty to choose from. For the sake of comparison, Hungary boasts nine elements of protected intangible heritage, of which falconry, the Busójárás procession and the Táncház (dance house) have already featured at PONT. The beauty of such listed heritage is that several countries may nominate the same tradition, or rather its local form, since the cultural practices of humanity have never stopped at national borders. Calligraphy, illuminated capitals and ebru, the art of marbling paper, are all listed elements of Turkish heritage, as are shadow play, sericulture (the production of silk for weaving), and distinctive
artistic forms of stonemasonry. From this infinitely rich material culture and formal vocabulary, the festival will bring snippets that can be explored and learnt, with screen printing and animation workshops on site, as well as a children’s bazaar.
PIPES AND DRUMS
With an audience for Turkish rock music in the tens of millions and contemporary pop based on Byzantine and Persian elements dating back millennia, the country can safely be called a musical superpower. The roots of the brass bands of the Balkans, and even those of New Orleans, can be traced back to Ottoman mehter bands, which also inspired the great composers of Viennese Classicism, including Mozart. If the Ottoman Empire was feared at the time, it was also a source of fascination for the entire Western world.
PONT will feature bands with links to the traditional musical idiom, but also a contemporary sound. There will be a demonstration of instruments, and the audience may even join in a Dervish dance. At the evening concerts, as we sit back on the steps of the museum while Turkish melodies caress our souls or sway our hips beside the statue of János Arany, we can rest assured we have UNESCO’s approval to actively engage with the treasures of a culture that dates back thousands of years. All joking aside, it is no coincidence that a festival allowing us to so freely immerse ourselves in tradition, as we do in music through dance, was created by the members of a generation raised in the dance house movement. Neither will we miss the great Turkish trick, known to almost everyone in the world from New Orleans to India, whether they are conscious of it or not: the military bands that were the ancestors of today’s brass bands, which set out to conquer the world with the Ottoman army.
ANIMATE IT!
Festivalgoers will have the chance to bring Turkish tales and legends to life with their own hands in an animation workshop under the trees of the Museum Garden. From 10 am, there will be screen printing with Turkish patterns, puppet making and puppetry evoking the tradition of Karagöz, and a storyteller regaling visitors with the adventures of Nasreddin Hodja. With coffee and baklava, playground benches under the trees for taking a breather, and concerts in the early evening, PONT is designed to be enjoyed by all ages. Enriching ourselves with the treasures of another culture and bringing us closer together is part and parcel of a festival inspired by universal values: a day on an island of peace for all the family.
12. 10. 2024, 10 am Múzeumkert (National Museum Garden)
PONT FESTIVAL BREATHING HERITAGE
‘MUSIC IS ABOUT LIFE AND NOT THE INDIVIDUAL NOTES’
By Ferenc l ásZló
On 11 October, the soloist at the concert of Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be József Balog, at the recommendation of Müpa Budapest and in the spirit of its decade-long mission. We asked the pianist about the status and importance of Liszt’s keyboard oeuvre, the prejudices that still surround the playing of Liszt and, of course, the Piano Concerto in A major that will feature on the programme.
József Balog
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Photo: László Emmer
How has your Liszt repertoire developed over the years, and how has it changed your view of the composer? Tarantella was probably the very first Liszt work I learned, followed by the Spanish Rhapsody, which I played for my entrance exam. That piece was a great challenge when I was seventeen or eighteen, and I think it allowed me to improve a lot. Then I entered various Liszt competitions, where I had to have a larger Liszt repertoire: I remember learning, for example, the Dante Sonata and Petrarch’s Sonnet No. 104. I took part in the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht twice, playing in front of such judges as Lazar Berman and Imre Antal, and on the second occasion I won the prize for the best performance of the Sonata in B minor. These competitions influenced the development of my personal Liszt repertoire in a manner I still feel: for example, Ständchen was part of the compulsory programme in Utrecht, and I still often play it. In the meantime, of course, I was also shaping this repertoire myself, and I included late piano works by Liszt that are very important to me. And although I rarely give allLiszt concerts and don’t consider myself a Liszt specialist (even if I’m sometimes described as such), when I have the opportunity I like to highlight the impressive variety of Liszt’s oeuvre, including through his song transcriptions, opera paraphrases, and emblematic Hungarian rhapsodies.
So, like most pianists and audiences, you were first introduced to the virtuoso Liszt. When a teenager starts to take command of the piano, it can be a great joy to be able to play a larger virtuoso piece. Not incidentally, you can improve your skills tremendously while learning Liszt pieces like that. And since I never went in for finger exercises and études, they were an attractive alternative with which to develop and cement my technique because they were far more musical.
Anton Rubinstein, a younger contemporary of Liszt, said that all pianists were children compared to Liszt, which is to say his virtuosity represented something completely different, a much higher level. To what extent do Liszt’s bravura pieces work as a standard for today’s pianists to compare themselves against?
I believe that Liszt’s virtuosity is still an impressive and challenging achievement. It was a huge 'aha' moment for me when I started performing Liszt pieces on period instruments. I have both given concerts and made recordings on Érard pianos, and they illuminated a great deal about the works in question, as well as more generally in terms of how Liszt was always seeking new possibilities of composition and performance at a time when the piano itself was undergoing extraordinary development. Liszt’s musical thinking changed in parallel with this revolutionary process in the history of the instrument, and this partly accounts for his subsequent, repeated revisions of many
of his works. This was the case with the Piano Concerto in A major, which I’ll have the chance to play at Liszt Fest. But to return to the original question: it’s still a real feat to perform the virtuoso Liszt pieces well. And what I mean isn’t the pointless question of wrong notes, since we know from his contemporaries that Liszt himself did not play the piano clearly in this respect. But if we consider the enormous impact that his playing had, and that music is about life and not the individual notes, then Liszt’s virtuosity is still of great relevance today.
We often encounter prejudices about Liszt, since the popularity of some of his works is such that for a century and a half he has often been labelled sensationalist. In one interview, Jenő Jandó said that when he started his career, professionals used the term 'Liszt player' to describe a superficial performer who only concentrates on attractiveness. On the one hand, there’s undoubtedly a real risk of superficiality, just as there is a misconception that Liszt was a simple virtuoso. I’ve been asked by Austrian concert promoters, for example, not to play Liszt because it’s empty striving for effect. On the other hand, whoever says the increasingly well-known late Liszt piano works are striving for effect is deaf. But performers also have a great responsibility here: to draw from the oeuvre as a whole, to call attention to its richness, and to find the great innovations and musical ideas behind the countless notes even in the virtuoso pieces. Because I’m convinced that, besides Beethoven, the innovator Liszt is the greatest dividing line in the history of music: it would be difficult to imagine either 20th century modernity or Hollywood film music without his influence; without the influence of, say, the Piano Concerto in A major.
Let’s then talk about the Liszt concerto in the programme on 11 October. What is the greatest or most distinctive challenge for the soloist when playing the A major concerto?
As I said, the process whereby this composition reached its final form was long, and although the original indication of genre, concerto symphonique, was simplified to piano concerto, there remain many beautiful orchestral passages and rewarding instrumental solos in the work where the pianist merely accompanies. I find this very interesting, and though not a spectacular and glamorous task, it’s vital for the pianist to be able to exercise restraint on these occasions. They must also know precisely what they’re responding to, to know their role at any given point of the musical communication. On occasion they must engage in what is virtually chamber music, accompanying a clarinet or oboe solo in a Romantic concerto, which comes with multiple risks. Maintaining contact with the conductor is therefore essential for the soloist, while they must simultaneously
A SHARED VISION
We owe our first experience of the interplay between the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and its music director, Vasily Petrenko, to a wonderful concert on the programme of the Bartók Spring in May 2021, which – for want of a better solution – was broadcast live from London. Now in October, we can finally meet them at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall and see for ourselves that the strong chemistry characterizing their artistic collaboration has not diminished one iota over the past three years. Founded in 1946 by Thomas Beecham, the London-based ensemble has not been without periods of crisis over its impressive history; nevertheless, it seems that it entered one of its most successful periods when, in the summer of 2018, the decision was taken to hand over the helm to Petrenko from the 2021/22 season. It was hoped that the charismatic Petrenko would energize the orchestra as much as he had the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, whose time with him was marked by numerous recordings and public honours. The expectations of the London ensemble seem to have been fulfilled, given that this spring the music director’s mandate was extended until the end of the 2029/30 season.
listen to all the musicians in the orchestra and direct the musical material. Beyond the obvious privilege, I look forward to meeting Vasily Petrenko and his London orchestra for the sake of working out this delicate balance, of experiencing this collaboration. I’ve never worked with them before, and I know we won’t have much time to get to know each other, but that will only encourage us to use the few hours of rehearsal before the concert all the more intensely. They bring this programme from their tour, evidently with a fleshed-out concept, in which it will be interesting and exciting to find my place.
11. 10. 2024, 7.30 pm
Müpa Budapest –Béla Bartók National Concert Hall
VASILY PETRENKO AND THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Vasily Petrenko
Photo: Svetlana Tarlova
LISZT & MUNKÁCSY
By k risZTina halásZ
When thinking about the relationship between Ferenc Liszt and Mihály Munkácsy, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the portrait in the Hungarian National Gallery which Munkácsy painted of the elderly composer in 1886. This painting is justly famous, as it was the last portrait for which Liszt sat. However, this was not the only gesture that testifies to the mutual appreciation of the two artists, and it thus seems appropriate to commemorate their friendship on the joint occasion of Liszt Fest and Munkácsy’s 180th memorial year.
Mihály Munkácsy: Ferenc Liszt (1886) (Hungarian National Gallery)
In the winter of 1882, the Hungarian capital was in the grip of a special event: two of the nation's most revered geniuses, Mihály Munkácsy and Ferenc Liszt, were in Budapest at the same time, which had never happened before and was never to be repeated. Munkácsy arrived on 17 February with his wife Cécile for the Hungarian presentation of his grandiose work, Christ before Pilate, while Liszt, already an old man, was spending an extended period in the city, where he taught at the Academy of Music, residing in its building on Sugár (now Andrássy) Road. Munkácsy, who was living in Paris and rarely came to Hungary, was celebrated at a series of events that lasted for weeks and where Liszt was also paid special attention. And while Hungarians showered their appreciation and love on their world-famous compatriots, reinforcing their national identity, the two artists struck up a friendship.
While Liszt and Munkácsy had never met before 1882, and nor had they exchanged letters, Munkácsy rushed to pay his respects to the elderly composer on the day after his arrival in Budapest. Though they missed each other that day, we know from the extensive coverage of events in newspapers of the time that they would meet regularly during the celebrations. They were often seated next to each other at gala dinners, and at a banquet the Harmónia Music Society gave in honour of Munkácsy, their busts were displayed next to each other – to be regarded, according to reports, by a smiling composer and painter. Liszt described Munkácsy with exceptional sensitivity in a letter to Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein: 'As a human being, Munkácsy is characterized by a delicate simplicity that is akin to superiority. The extraordinary ovations, which he receives from all sides, are received with modesty, without foolishness or bad taste. He is 38, but his hair is already grey – and sometimes an inner sadness I can’t put my finger on is reflected in his face. This [sadness] is tempered by the noblest gentleness [...]'
As a token of his appreciation, Liszt dedicated his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 16 to Munkácsy, and personally presented the work to the painter at a private event on 25 February 1882. Munkácsy already considered painting a portrait of Liszt at the time, but his busy schedule forced him to postpone its execution until their next encounter, which took place in 1886.
Liszt arrived in Paris on 20 March 1886, and three days later the Munkácsys gave a soirée in his honour. There were some 500 guests, including members of the French intelligentsia such as Camille Saint-Saëns, who – with help from Louis Diémer – honoured the host with a performance of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 16. Later that evening Liszt himself sat down at the piano, a very rare occurrence by that time. Beyond sittings for the portrait, Liszt spent a lot of time at the Munkácsys’ Paris residence, the only occasions the two
men could have meaningful conversations and deepen their friendship. In the absence of Liszt, Munkácsy continued work with the help of a photograph, allowing him to present the painting to the public on 11 May; the work was a great success, of course, and is still considered one of the most important portraits of Liszt.
While Liszt and Munkácsy evidently held each other in high esteem, their relationship was mostly guided by Madame Munkácsy, especially in 1886. Several contemporaries noted Cécile’s assertive and loud personality. The sources give the impression that in the spring and summer of 1886, she spent more time in the company of Liszt than her husband. In Paris, it was Madame Munkácsy who accompanied the composer on many of his appointments, and she even travelled to London with him. Liszt’s close friends did not take kindly to Madame Munkácsy clinging to him; eventually, Munkácsy himself had to warn Cécile: '...be careful not to get too close to the glory of our illustrious friend, lest they think you want to bask in his rays, so be tactful and reserved.'
Liszt promised Madame Munkácsy that he would visit them in their summer home in Colpach as soon as possible, but the busy schedule and travel began to take their toll on the old master’s already declining health, and one chilly evening in Paris he caught a cold. During the summer, his friends tried to persuade him not to undertake the tiring ordeal of travel, because upon arriving in Weimar he needed help to get off the train, but Liszt was adamant. After his granddaughter Daniela’s wedding in Bayreuth, he went to Colpach as promised. During his stay Madame Munkácsy took great care to look after him, contributing to his treatment as best she could, while her puppies, which often rested in Liszt’s lap, improved his mood. Liszt, always the gentleman, said of Cécile: 'A warm-hearted lady, whose devotion to me is fuelled by admiration and has no ulterior motives.'
On 19 July, Liszt attended a concert in Luxembourg that Cécile had organized in his honour, and played piano for the last time in front of a large audience. From there, at the invitation of his daughter Cosima, he travelled to Bayreuth to attend the Wagner Festival, but on the train he caught a cold again and contracted pneumonia. As we know, Liszt died shortly afterwards, on 31 July. We have seen that some of the last important events of his life, such as his trips to Paris and London and his last piano concert, became forever intertwined with Munkácsy. And while the memories these events left behind are not exclusively fond, it can certainly be said that, despite their differences, Liszt and Munkácsy, these two men of the world, found a kindred spirit in each other. Their friendship was based on mutual respect and appreciation, to which the last Liszt portrait and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 16 remain fitting testimony.
LISZT FEST MAGAZINE
Volume 4, October 2024
A free publication of the Liszt Fest International Cultural Festival
Published by Papageno Consulting Ltd. on behalf of Müpa Budapest
Founded by:
Müpa Budapest Nonprofit Ltd. Csaba Káel, CEO
Publisher:
Managing director of Papageno Consulting Ltd.
E-mail: szerkesztoseg@papageno.hu
Editor-in-chief: Fanni Borókai
Assistant to the editor: Enikő Csengey
Publication manager: Bernadett Lukács, Zsuzsanna Oszip
With contributions from: Balázs Bihari, Zsuzsa Borbély, Fanni Borókai, Vivien Boronyák, Endre Dömötör, Krisztina Halász, Tamás Jászay, Erik Kolbenheyer, Ferenc László, Fanni Molnár, Szabolcs Molnár, Fruzsina Molnár-Zolnay, Zsuzsanna Molnár, András Rónai, Gerda Seres, Vera Szabadkai, László Valuska, Nikolett Vermes
On the cover:
Zsófi Barabás (Artist of Erika Deák Gallery)
English translation: Árpád Mihály
Translation editor: Stephen Paul Anthony
Submissions closed on: 13 September 2024
The organizers reserve the right to make changes.
Liszt Fest International Cultural Festival 9–22 October 2024
lisztfest.hu
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