Liszt Academy Concert Magazin 2016/1 eng by Zeneakadémia

LISZT ACADEMY CONCERT MAGAZINE JANUARY–JUNE 2016

Today it is hard to imagine life in the capital when Liszt Academy courses were launched in an apartment by the Danube 140 years ago. Budapest had only just emerged two years earlier when Pest, Buda and Óbuda were rolled into one. The Grand Boulevard and Nyugati Railway Station were being built and the streets were full of horse-drawn coaches and carts; trams did not exist yet. The academy soon found its place among the capital’s finest musical centres and it became a jewel of Hungarian musical educational. Few of the country’s institutions have done as much to spread Hungary’s excellent reputation around the world as the Liszt Academy. Liszt and Erkel, Bartók and Kodály, Weiner, Kadosa, Ligeti and Kurtág (list goes on and on) taught and studied here. It’s my pleasure to write the introduction to this gorgeous concert magazine which covers the second semester of the 140th academic year. But I’ll admit I’m uncertain which of our very many brilliant concerts to highlight. What lies close to the university lies close to my heart, of course: the On the Spot series, this time presenting the skills of our percussionist students, the Talent Oblige series, in which the spotlight is turned on our top students, appearances by the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the Liszt Academy, or indeed fantastic performances by our teachers and professors. Keeping concert-goers and our students in mind, I must equally note the importance of having so many international stars performing in the Liszt Academy: Maria João Pires, Anne Sofie von Otter, Julia Lezhneva, Frank Peter Zimmermann and Gautier Capuçon, to name just a few (not to mention our Hungarian colleagues in the firmament). We also look forward to concerts of folk music with such luminaries as Márta Sebestyén and Miklós Lukács. Jazz greats performing include Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran, Uri Caine and Dave Douglas. I mentioned that 140 years is a long period of time—true in some ways, but music can transcend it: we may not be able to soak up the atmosphere of a Danube embankment filled with horse-drawn carriages, but music by Liszt and Bartók still lives with us. And in an institution such as ours, where Georg Solti, Annie Fischer, György Cziffra and Sándor Végh spent their student days, where artists such as Sviatoslav Richter, Yehudi Menuhin and Richard Strauss have given concerts, well, the decades, indeed the centuries, simply fly away. For us this is not only a source of pride and joy but an obligation, too. We must make every effort to prove ourselves fully worthy of this great heritage. dr. Andrea Vigh President of the Liszt Academy

Dear Guests, We are living in an age of festivals. Concert series of all types come hot on the heels of each other in a multiplicity of venues. The capitals of European culture operate in permanent "festival mode". Visitors and arts tourists are spoilt for choice from among the best performers and a dizzying diversity of exhibitions. Historical monuments, gastronomy and thriving city life are for the taking. More and more, all senses are catered for. Concert audiences, stage performances and exhibitions must be immersive experiences, overflowing with energy. Every day visitors from abroad are transfixed by the magnificence of Budapest, with its spas and ruin pubs. Thanks to its cultural offerings, however, it has also become a centre of international standing, too. We are proud to have upped the ante over the past few years. And since its reopening in October 2013, the Liszt Academy has become a key player in setting the agenda. We are lucky to be located at the intersection of the capital’s restaurant and "party" quarter (music combined with food and the hustle and bustle of downtown are a must). Yet because party-goers are not necessarily interested in the sort of quality programmes the Liszt Academy has to offer, we must also make a big effort to draw in the home audience. The constant stream of festivals is all very well, but it can be hard to choose between them given certain limits: you can’t attend a concert every night, after all. In this drastically changed world, the Liszt Academy can only do what its traditions as one of Europe’s foremost music institutions of higher education require: offer the finest quality. We are confident that you will discover our programmes do just this! We look forward to seeing you at our concerts. András Csonka Cultural director, Liszt Academy 2

Dear Reader, The core concept of this Concert Magazine – with the size, character, basic graphics styles, ratio between illustrations and text – as well as earlier issues which you may have on your bookshelf at home, leapt like a spark from our minds in a marvellous yet enormously hectic period in the months preceding the reopening of the Liszt Academy in 2013. It came forth fully formed, and only later did we go through the slow-motion of details (the plural refers to my team and myself). We felt the centaurian unity of the Liszt Academy then taking shape, that is, the complex, never-before attempted viable duality of university and concert centre, to be totally original, and we also sensed that the image encapsulating this very essence had to be just as original. Instinctively, we began to think along the lines of a publication that would stand out and transcend international trends: the reader’s eye will be drawn down a "corridor" of the concert chronology only to be met with arresting photography and then transfixed by an engrossing essay. Academic rigour and artistic provocation: this is how we want to be part of the mythology. The centaur, the symbolic figure adorning the building on Liszt Ferenc Square, appears before us at every step according to the barely hidden intention of the architects. Its mythological origins are shrouded in mystery; they are creatures of the era of titans preceding the Olympian swarm. Older than the gods, timeless, just like creation, like art itself. In their being, the world of instinct in tension with wisdom creating peace – as in creation, as in art. Now, as we appear in front of an audience with a music programme of even greater magnificence, we can take stock of the achievements of the last two years, the duality of the university and the concert centre. Indeed, the viability of the creator-centaur. Imre Szabó Stein Editor-in-Chief / Director of Communications and Media Content Development, Liszt Academy

VILMOS SZABADI & ESZTER KARASSZON (15 FEBRUARY 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

MOLNÁR BENCZE QUARTET FEAT. KRISTÓF BACSÓ (2 DECEMBER 2014) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

KÁLMÁN DRÁFI & JÁNOS BALÁZS (22 OCTOBER 2014) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

UNMATCHED PAIRS There is an abundance of concert centres and illustrious music universities around the world. But few conservatories have a large-capacity concert hall combined with a professional apparatus for organising concerts which target a wide spectrum of the general public. Founded 140 years ago, the Liszt Academy is just such an institution. But how do similar, "centaur-like" institutions operate?

Of all the European music conservatories, one of the examples closest to the Liszt Academy is the Royal Danish Academy of Music, founded at almost the same time as the Liszt Academy, in 1867. This historically rich institution is Denmark’s premiere concert venue, where more than 200 concerts are staged each year (most of them free of charge). The academy moved into a completely renovated building with a grand hall seating one thousand people, and five smaller chamber halls, in 2008 (the complex handed over in 1945 was formerly the headquarters of Danish Radio). This building is also the home and principal venue for performances by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra. Whereas most department concerts and other free university productions are held in one or other of the chamber rooms, the Grand Hall programmes feature concerts by the resident orchestra as well as productions starring trainee soloists and doctoral students. This is also the venue for half a dozen large-scale concerts by the academy’s symphony orchestra each year; on evenings when the Grand Hall is not booked, the university hires it out to other concert organizers for conferences and corporate events. The two most prestigious music institutions of higher education in the United States similarly organize a considerable number of music programmes in top concert venues, although this activity is conducted according to a completely different model. The Jacobs School of Music, functioning as a faculty of the Indiana University Bloomington, is North America’s second-largest music academy (János Starker and Iannis Xenakis taught here at one time, and Joshua Bell is a senior member of staff). The Musical Arts Center features a 1,500-seat world-class opera house, which hosts opera and ballet series arranged by the school, as well as concerts by students and teachers, guest professors and the academy orchestras – amounting to 1,100 performances (plus, naturally, associated rehearsals). And this is not all: the 3,200-seat Indiana University Auditorium, independent of the academy and the venue for diverse music productions, organizes and promotes music programmes within the institutional framework of the university yet as an independent organizational unit. The target audience of these programmes is the university’s community, which by European standards is astonishingly large. The Juilliard School, considered by many to be the finest performance arts academy in the world, operates as a member institution (rather than as part of a university) of a true “multi-cultural” entity, the New York Lincoln Center. Thanks to its resident status, the Juilliard School holds top productions of nearly 800 public music, theatre and dance programmes each year (for example, the season-closing concert of the Juilliard Orchestra) in the much sought-after Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. In every case, the professional and independent directorates of Juilliard, heavily present in the university administration, are responsible for programme organization and communication.

UNMATCHED PAIRS

THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL 6

Returning to Europe, a similar operational model functions in Helsinki, where the Sibelius Academy founded in 1882 (and attached to the Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts a few years ago) has, since 2011, been working as a resident institution of the Finnish Musiikkitalo Music Centre. The music university was allocated a separate wing in the new classical music centre of the Finnish capital, where, besides rehearsal and lecture rooms, administ ration and a library, there was also room for four chamber halls. The Sibelius Academy only puts on a few concerts each year in the 1,700-seat grand concert hall of the Musiikkitalo, which also serves as home for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Resident institutions account for the vast majority of the Musiikkitalo programme (only 20% of the monthly average 80-100 classical, jazz and folk music concerts are outside events) and the concert centre does not have an independent concert organization profile or team. Communications manager Marja-Leena Lehtimäki told the Liszt Academy Concert Magazine that even the resident institutions pay rent for the facilities and utilities, though, Musiikkitalo does not take a commission from the ticket sales. Communications and marketing director of the Sibelius Academy, Elisa Ylinen, added that the programmes organized by the academy are always dictated by educational aims and they help students gain experience in “testing” experimental projects of lecturers in performance practice. The several dozen public events each week, translating into 500 on an annual basis, include departmental concerts, the most varied chamber music recitals, chamber opera productions and folk music concerts, multidisciplinary performances and public lectures. However, there are no themed concert seasons. Marja-Leena Lehtimäki noted that given the huge number of events and differing programme-editing scheduling of the resident institutions, Musiikkitalo does not have a printed season brochure, thus joint communication and marketing – appearing under the Musiikkitalo umbrella brand – is restricted to a few themed (for example, Sibelius150) and primarily online and poster campaigns. Programmes can be found on the websites of Musiikkitalo and resident institutions, unlike the Lincoln Center, where the free educational programmes of the Juilliard do not appear. The Sibelius Academy conducts wide-ranging cooperation with two resident orchestras: selected students are allocated members of the orchestra to act as their mentors, from whom they can learn the repertoire as well as sit with at concerts. What is more, academy students are allowed to take part in dress rehearsals of orchestras, and guest soloists often give master classes to Sibelius students. Elisa Ylinen added that the audience profile for events at the Sibelius Academy seems a bit younger than those of the two resident orchestras. The academy's symphony orchestra specifically puts together programmes aimed at young people for Grand Hall concerts (for instance, on 21 November 2015, in the Sibelius150 jubilee season, the Finnish composer’s accompanying music to Shakespeare’s The Tempest was staged by the Faculty of Acting of Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts, together with Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture in a contemporary dramatization that promises to be unsettling), while jazz concerts tend to draw urban, “hipster” and younger audiences. The model of The Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, founded in 1886, perhaps best matches the functional duality of the Budapest Liszt Academy. This renowned North American institution, which has had its

THE CONCERT HALL OF MUSIIKKITALO

own sheet music publishing company since 1944, has (from the 2008 season) operated out of a hypermodern music hub built by TELUS, Canada’s national telecommunications corporation. The complex bearing the name of the telecom company includes a grand concert hall for 1,100, studios, multimedia laboratory, rehearsal rooms, library and more than 70 classrooms. Each year the Toronto music academy organizes approximately 130 public concerts in the new grand hall (together with nearly as many concerts organized by outside parties, conferences and corporate or other private events) and a further 100 in the academy’s historical concert rooms (with far smaller capacities). Peter Simon, RCM president, told us that the Vice President of the Performing Arts, who exercises the rights of managing director and was invited from the music management sector, has a full discretion and effective control of the programming decisions and in approaching guest artists. In fact, currently the Vice President is none other than Mervon Mehta (son of the world-famous Indian-born conductor, Zubin Mehta), who puts together the programme of the concert centre operating under the brand name RCM Performing Arts according to his own taste and the preferences of Canada’s largest urban centre. RCM Performing Arts publishes and promotes concerts in printed and electronic publications independent of the university. The performing arts area has its own marketing communications team; members of this group work exclusively on promoting programmes organized by RCM (naturally they cooperate with the overall marketing group to ensure comformity of style, messaging and effective leveraging of all platforms). It goes without saying that self-organized concerts often feature teachers of the institution – frequently playing alongside top-rated students. Moreover, students who are pursuing professional study in the Glenn Gould School are required (and receive credit points) to perform at a certain number of concerts. Whatever differences can be seen in the above examples, still there are common elements in the concert organizing activities of these institutions. Admission to department concerts and productions given by students are free, whereas a charge is made everywhere for performances by the larger university ensembles and teachers (of course, students and employees of the institutions are admitted free-or-charge). Another common aspect is that institutions devote a separate website for programmes aimed at the general public. But of greater importance than this is the identical motivation of operational models of concert halls meshed with music conservatories. During periods when not in use for teaching purposes (e.g. at weekends and during teaching breaks), concert halls can generate considerable revenues – the return on the significant infrastructure developments (whether construction of the new campus, reconstruction of, and installation of modern multimedia systems in, historical buildings) is guaranteed by the culture-targeted utilization and revenues. The main aim of music academies is to help their students gain performance experience while teachers are given regular performance opportunities. At the same time, concert halls should be made full use of without impinging on work of the academy. Rather than hiring out of halls on an ad hoc basis the optimal solution is for the institution itself to organize concerts in a way that outside events are included. One advantage is that the institution itself will have a role in the shaping the programme: it can establish its own profile and circle of artists and communicate directly with the audience 7

UNMATCHED PAIRS

The Royal Conservatory © EDUARD HUEBER

and even offer season tickets. More importantly, unified communications platforms mean appearances by the university’s staff and students receive due prominence alongside programmes bound to attract considerable interest while people looking for free concerts are also served. In order for a 1,000-seat hall to be regularly filled, it is essential to invite the biggest names from the local and international scene, sought-after guest musicians and ensembles. In the case of a conservatory with a long and distinguished past, there is no doubt that even the greatest world stars – sometimes for a very modest fee – are more than willing to appear on the same stage where their legendary predecessors and masters or even return to their alma maters. If the academy and concert hall happen to operate as a single entity, it is easy for a guest artist to hold a masterclass between rehearsals. He is less likely to find time in his diary otherwise. Clearly international experiences show that resident symphony orchestras are a good way of tempting leading guest artists. In return for a rehearsal hall with superb acoustics and access to an established concert venue, it is well worth their time introducing the best conservatory students to the professional work of the orchestra, which acts as an incubator. So how does the Liszt Academy’s university and concert centre fit with these international examples? Looking at the past two seasons of the Liszt Academy Concert Centre: in addition to concerts with stars like Chick Corea, Mitsuko Uchida and Zoltán Kocsis, the On the Spot, Talent Oblige and Jazz it! series showcasing the university’s teachers and students with full-house diploma concerts, performances combined with masterclasses by the Holland Baroque Society, Steven Isserlis, David Lang, Brodsky Quartet and Jordi Savall, suggests that the concept is not only viable but is proving to be successful indeed. Dániel Végh

GYÖRGY VASHEGYI & ENSEMBLES OF LISZT ACADEMY (7 MARCH 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / GÁBOR KASZA

BINDER QUARTET (8 MARCH 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / SÁNDOR BENKŐ

ON THE SPOT – TROMBONE DEPARTMENT (9 NOVEMBER 2013) © LISZT ACADEMY / SÁNDOR BENKŐ 9

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY JANUARY Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior Other SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

FÉLIX LAJKÓ NEW YEAR SOLO RECITAL Tickets: HUF 2 900, 3 900, 4 900, 6 900, 8 900 Organizer: Fonó Music Hall

WEDNESDAY 6 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

SATURDAY 9 JANUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

TRANSPARENT SOUND 2016 NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL BLACKSNOW FLUX Page 16

Szolnok Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Izaki Masahiro SATURDAY 9 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO IVETT GYÖNGYÖSI PIANO RECITAL Frédéric Chopin: Barcarolle, Op. 60 Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 55/2 Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 39 Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34/2 Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22 Mazurkas, Op. 30 Sonata in B minor, Op. 58 Ivett Gyöngyösi (piano) Tickets: HUF 2 000, 2 500, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHOIR NEW YEAR CONCERT Ravel: Miroirs – Alborada del Gracioso (orchestral version) Granados: Goyescas – Intermezzo Manuel de Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat – Suites No. 1 and 2 J. Strauss: Ritter Pázmán, Op. 441 – Csárdás J. Strauss: The Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 314 J. Strauss: Pepita-Polka, Op. 138 Giménez: El baile de Luis Alonso – Intermezzo Massenet: Cid Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir Conductor: Thomas Herzog Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Hungarian Radio Music Ensembles

Gershwin: An American in Paris (excerpt) Kodály: Dances from Galánta (excerpt) Khachaturian: Gayane – Sabre Dance J. Strauss I: Indianer-polka, Op. 78 Verdi: Aida – Triumphal March

Tickets: HUF 2 500 Organizer: Philharmonia Hungary

2016. JANUARY 12. (TUESDAY), 19.30 GRAND HALL

WE ARE CHILDREN DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA TALE Ravel: Mother Goose Stravinsky: Firebird Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Gábor Káli Narrator: János Kulka Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200, 3 800, 4 700 Organizer: Danubia Orchestra Óbuda

WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

HOMMAGE À STRAVINSKY I. SERIES OF THE UMZE & CONCERTO BUDAPEST

IVETT GYÖNGYÖSI

SUNDAY 10 JANUARY 2016, 10.30, 15.00 GRAND HALL

STORY-TELLING MUSIC MUSICAL GLOBE Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 – Chinese Dance, Russian Dance Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35 – excerpt Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ("From the New World") – 4th Movement (excerpt)

Zappa: The Perfect Stranger Zappa: Naval Aviation in Art? Zappa: Dupree's Paradise Bob Becker: Music on the Moon Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms Balázs Fülei (piano) Concerto Budapest UMZE Chamber Ensemble Conductor: Rácz Zoltán Tickets: HUF 2 200, 3 500, 4 700, 5 900 Organizer: Concerto Budapest

THURSDAY 14 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR THE GRAND HALL

SOL GABETTA & ALEKSEI VOLODIN RECITAL

WEDNESDAY 20 JANUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL TSARINA'S SLIPPERS LISZT ACADEMY Page 17

Page 16

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO IN 1 MOONLIGHT AND DAYDREAM JÁNOS BALÁZS RECITAL Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27/2 ("Moonlight") Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15 Chopin: Barcarolle, Op. 60 Rachmaninoff–Horowitz: Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 36 János Balázs (piano)

Dominique Labelle (soprano) Yeree Suh (soprano) Budapest Festival Orchestra Conductor: Sigiswald Kuijken Baroque gesture: Sigrid T’Hooft

THURSDAY 21 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500, 4 400, 6 300, 10 500 Organizer: Budapest Festival Orchestra

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE MARIA JOÃO PIRES & DEUTSCHE KAMMERPHILHARMONIE BREMEN Page 18

FRIDAY 22 JANUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL OPERA MAKERS GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA Page 18

Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert YEREE SUH

SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE KRISTÓF BARÁTI SOLO COMPLETE BACH VIOLIN SOLO SONATAS

OPERA MAKERS

SECRETS OF MUSIC THIS IS VIENNA

Page 17 TUESDAY 19 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHOIR Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61 Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Children’s Choir Conductor: Tamás Vásáry Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Hungarian Radio Music Ensembles

SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 2016, 10.30 GRAND HALL

FRIDAY 22 JANUARY 2016, 19.45 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA BAROQUE NIGHT Händel: Samson – Ouverture Corelli: Concerto Grosso in D major, Op. 6/4 Vivaldi: Concerto for two Flutes in C major (RV 533) Vivaldi: The Four Seasons – Winter, Op. 8/4 Telemann: Tafelmusik Book 3 – Concerto in E-flat major (TWV 54:Es1) C. P. E. Bach: Hamburg Symphony No. 3 in C major Hasse: "L’ Amor prigioniero" – cantata for two sopranos

Haydn: 12 Minuets (Hob. IX:11 – selection) Haydn: Piano Concerto in F major (Hob. XVII:3 – movements) Mozart: Divertimento in D major (K. 136 – movements) Beethoven: Romance in F major, Op. 50 Schubert: 5 German Dances (D. 90 – selection) Brahms: Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52 (excerpts) J. Strauss: Pizzicato-polka, Op. 234 Budapest String Orchestra Tickets: HUF 1 900 Organizer: Philharmonia Hungary 11

SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 2016, 19.45 GRAND HALL

SATURDAY 30 JANUARY 2016, 15.30 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA BAROQUE NIGHT

ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS BUDAPEST

Händel: Samson – Ouverture Corelli: Concerto Grosso in D major, Op. 6/4 Vivaldi: Concerto for two Flutes in C major (RV 533) Vivaldi: The Four Seasons – Winter, Op. 8/4 Telemann: Tafelmusik Book 3 – Concerto in E-flat major (TWV 54:Es1) C. P. E. Bach: Hamburg Symphony No. 3 in C major Hasse: "L’ Amor prigioniero" – cantata for two sopranos

Mozart: Così fan tutte – Ouverture Mozart: Flute Concerto in D major (K. 314) Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major (K. 504, "Prague")

Dominique Labelle (soprano) Yeree Suh (soprano) Budapest Festival Orchestra Conductor: Sigiswald Kuijken Baroque gesture: Sigrid T’Hooft Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500, 4 400, 6 300, 10 500 Organizer: Budapest Festival Orchestra

SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL SATYRICON UNIVERSITÄT DER KÜNSTE BERLIN Page 19 SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

THE JAZZ REQUEST SHOW SPECIAL EDITION PÉTER SÁRIK AND HIS GUESTS FRANCISCAN CHARITY EVENING FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH AUTISM Page 19

VERONIKA HARCSA 12

Zsófia Bíró (flute) Zugló Philharmonics Budapest Conductor: Péter Óberfrank Tickets: HUF 2 100, 2 300, 2 700 Organizer: Zugló Philharmonics Budapest MÁTÉ SZŰCS

THURSDAY 28 JANUARY 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FRENCH EVENING Ravel: Mother Goose Debussy: Iberia Berlioz: Harold in Italy Máté Szűcs (viola) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Péter Csaba Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: MÁV Symphony Orchestra

FRIDAY 29 JANUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO DÉNES VÁRJON PIANO RECITAL Haydn: Sonata in E minor (Hob. XVI:34) Schumann: Fantasia in C major, Op. 17 Janáček: On the Overgrown Path Chopin: Ballade in F major, Op. 38 Chopin: Mazurka in A minor, Op. 67/4 Chopin: Mazurka in C major, Op. 24/2 Chopin: Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9/1 Chopin: Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31 Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

SUNDAY 31 JANUARY 2016, 11.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND MATHS FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS Page 19

CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LISZT ACADEMY IN THE BARTÓK MEMORIAL YEAR 04.02.2016 GRAND HALL

DÉNES VÁRJON, IZABELLA SIMON & CONCERTO BUDAPEST 8 OCTOBER 1940 – BÉLA BARTÓK & DITTA PÁSZTORY FAREWELL CONCERT

14.11.2016 GRAND HALL

JÁNOS KOVÁCS & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BARTÓK: BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE

03.12.2016 SOLTI HALL

JERUSALEM QUARTET BARTÓK STRING QUARTETS I-III.

04.12.2016 SOLTI HALL

Kelemen Quartet BARTÓK STRING QUARTETS IV-VI.

MUSIC AND WALLS I once told an acquaintance from Slovakia about a long October weekend last year when it was possible to hear Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in the Liszt Academy over three successive evenings (twice in the Solti Hall and once in the Old Academy of Music). This young fogy—a serious music lover who regularly travels to nearby Vienna for concerts—showed astonishment and envy. I hold those three evenings from the previous season of the Liszt Academy dear in my memory. The reason I mention this is not because I think my own preferences are especially interesting but because the Liszt Academy, both as a school and as a concert venue, was involved. Indeed it had the relationship of Budapest and music in it, the best face of the city and the culture of this city. And I’m not only talking about the purely sensory experience, the passion of the Harpsichord Concerto in C major (or rather the passionate interpretation). Let me say it: C.P.E.B. rocks. The concert organizer for these three recitals was harpsichordist Miklós Spányi and the orchestra’s leader Márta Ábrahám, who teaches violin in the string department (and is an enduring colleague of Spányi’s). Two young students of Ábrahám, Bálint Kruppa and Mikola Román, took the parts of first violinist. Spányi is not only a great artist but a supreme exponent of C. P. E. Bach with strong affiliations to early music; he is an extraordinary person judged from many different angles, and the appearance of such a personality, a subcultural star, is a great event in itself. Beyond the experience itself, most striking was the arc spanning master and two generations of musicians: three generations of artist in contact with each other, building on each other’s work and communicating to perfection on stage. Added to this was the milieu: the walls of the Liszt Academy—literally speaking—every single square metre, the colours, the gilding, the greys, the greens, the complicated rhythmic interplay of lines and geometric forms, the crowning glory of decorative art of the late 19th century. I would add that all three concerts attracted near full houses, not least because the tickets were on sale at a reasonable price. I say all this to bring into focus how I see the differentia specifica of the Liszt Academy: the institution that cleverly manages to juggle between being a place of learning and a concert venue, feeding off this duality creatively while avoiding any tensions that this can bring about. As well as the concert organizing department, which draws out the best from a lean budget, there is the close proximity of the school as well as invention, faith and professional know-how (without this, not only would the audience be poorer off but the presence the school would be less visible at home and abroad). This is what the Liszt Academy has given us since it reopened: if we put the last two years, or even the last season in the balance, you’d have a long list of exam concerts and masterclasses, Hungarian and foreign world stars, the best Hungarian symphony orchestras, from the Festival Orchestra through the Danubia Orchestra, as well as the likes of Ian Bostridge an Vijay Iyer. Anyone would be hard-pressed to choose between them. 14

When the Liszt Academy (re)opened and the Budapest Music Centre (BMC) opened its doors for the first time, there was concern that several thousand new seats would be too many. Would there be enough concerts to go round or would the quality be diluted? Indeed, was there a sufficiently large audience? Obviously dark clouds hang over classical music generally around the world, with fewer CD sales, a smaller and greying audience. But in our case, the exact the opposite is true: growth and differentiation of supply have stimulated demand, and this is clearly apparent. New faces also mean new age groups. This expansion didn’t occur independently of the best endeavours of the Liszt Academy and a few other institutions, orchestras and other musicians. Classical music can be sold and must be. Classical music can be the new cool in this city (changing tastes blow fresh air through the dusty old cobwebs of repertoire too). For those familiar with the capital’s music life, this wealth of choice will not come as a surprise (they may even take all of this for granted). This is the natural state of things: there is the Liszt Academy, the city, the classical music infrastructure, and the Liszt Academy and its multiple dimensions. You’d be hard pressed to come up with another branch of Hungarian culture that better combines the following: world standards, emerging talent, recognition of and respect for quality, an ecosystem providing the opportunity to make appearances (concert halls small and large, the team of concert organizers and impresarios, Bartók Radio, music critics), performers and audiences, supply and demand—all finding each other so perfectly. The state provides sufficient financing (which I think is how it should be). It is possible that all this appears quite natural from inside: yet on every single occasion that I review the treasures of the daily concert menu on the website Fidelio, including the programmes of the Liszt Academy, I am still to this day astonished at what a wonderful place I live in. Endre Bojtár B.

SATURDAY 9 JANUARY, 19.00

THURSDAY 14 JANUARY, 19.30

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

TRANSPARENT SOUND NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL BLACKSNOW FLUX Works by Alessandro Baticci, Wojtek Blecharz, Bálint Bolcsó, George Brecht, Brian Jacobs, George Macunias, Brigitte Munterdorf, Nam June Paik, Stefan Prins, Alexander Schubert, Martin Schüttler, Ben Vautier, Tristan Tzara

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR THE GRAND HALL SOL GABETTA & ALEXEI VOLODIN Beethoven: Sonata for Cello and Piano in F major, Op. 5/1 Beethoven: Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major, Op. 102/1 Prokofiev: Cinderella suite Op. 97bis – Adagio Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 119

Black Page Orchestra Black Page Orchestra is one of the youngest formations on the Austrian contemporary music scene. Its name pays homage to Frank Zappa's composition The Black Page, a score that is almost black, given the high density of notes and musical events. The orchestra often performs dauntingly complex works enhanced by imagery, placing the theatrical-visual and sonic aspects of their concerts on an equal footing. Their Liszt Academy concert mainly includes works performed in Wien Modern (November 2015), a music festival that focuses on the new generation of composers. Their show also looks back to movements in the 20th century that adumbrate the ensemble’s aesthetic: besides contemporary works, they have handpicked staged musical performances for the Budapest audience from the Dada and Fluxus movements. In addition, the concert features the premiere of a work by Bálint Bolcsó, which makes use of animated notation and live computerized improvisation. It was written at the request of the festival organizers especially for the Black Page Orchestra. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre, Trafó, Fuga, Budapest Music Center, Gryllus Kft, MuPATh 16

Sol Gabetta (cello) Aleksei Volodin (piano) Two superb musicians take to the stage of the Liszt Academy’s Grand Hall and introduce us to the marvels of chamber music through classical and lesserknown works. Both artists drew attention to themselves at a remarkably early age, exploding onto the international scene as winners of top competitions. Sol Gabetta, who was born in Argentina but is of Russian-French descent, lives in Switzerland and directs his own festival there. Now a world star, he found fame at the age of ten, when he won his first competition. He then received a special prize at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition and the ARD competition in Munich. In his twenties he was playing with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Lucerne Festival under the baton of Valery Gergiev, and he made recordings with pianist Hélène Grimaud and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, which was conducted by the legendary Lorin Maazel. Sol Gabetta’s partner for the recital is Aleksei Volodin, who is very familiar to Budapest audiences. His career took off in 2003 when he won the Anda Géza Piano Competition in Zürich. Tickets: HUF 4 300, 5 900, 7 600, 9 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SOL GABETTA © UWE ARENS

SUNDAY 17 JANUARY, 19.30

WEDNESDAY 20 JANUARY, 19.00

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE KRISTÓF BARÁTI SOLO RECITAL COMPLETE BACH SONATAS FOR SOLO VIOLIN J. S. Bach: Sonata in G minor (BWV 1001) Sonata in A minor (BWV 1003) Sonata in C major (BWV 1005) Partita in E major (BWV 1006) Partita in B minor (BWV 1002) Partita in D minor (BWV 1004)

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL TSARINA’S SLIPPERS LIST ACADEMY Tchaikovsky: Tsarina’s Slippers Featuring the opera students of Liszt Academy: Andrea Brassói-Jőrös, Lilla Horti, Ferenc Kristofori, Botond Ódor, Alexandra Ruszó, Lusine Sahakyan, Karina Szigeti & Ákos Ambrus

Kristóf Baráti (violin) The K2 of violinists is performing Bach’s six solo sonatas and partitas in a single concert. Few are up to the demands of the task which calls for near-superhuman skills, but young Kossuth Prize laureate Kristóf Baráti does not know the word impossible: he has already recorded this major series, not to mention the devilishly difficult series composed in the same genre by Ysaÿe. His virtuosity is far from being the only reason for the success of his recordings, which include the whole cycles of Beethoven and Brahms violin-piano sonatas in partnership with Klára Würtz. He was only 18 years old when he won third prize at one of the world’s most prestigious violin competitions, the Brussels Queen Elisabeth Competition (he returned home from Belgium with the audience prize to boot). His art combines the traditions of two great violin schools: he studied in Paris with professors who were students of David Oistrakh and Nathan Milstein, and he graduated from the Liszt Academy as a student of Miklós Szenthelyi and Vilmos Tátrai, moving immediately into the heart of musical life. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 3 100, 4 300, 5 400 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Head of department: Andrea Meláth Teachers: Éva Marton (prof. emer. KS), Katalin Halmai, Magda Nádor, Péter Fried, Ingrid Kertesi, Atilla Kiss B., Júlia Pászthy Director: András Almási-Tóth Choreography: Noémi Kulcsár Stage design and costumes: students of Budapest Metropolitan University of Applied Sciences Leading designers: András Juhász and Lili Izsák Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: László Kovács By tradition, the Liszt Academy Opera Festival is organized to coincide with the dates of the opera exam in January. Every year the staging of the Opera Festival is coordinated with different

invited fellow institutions—this year, with the academies of music in London and Berlin. Students of the Department of Vocal and Opera Studies (head of department: Andrea Meláth) take part in the meeting under the direction of András Almási-Tóth, head of the opera programme, with a production of a Tchaikovsky opera barely known in Hungary. Tsarina’s Slippers is based on a novella by Gogol about a pair of lovers who, battling the devil and their own emotions, eventually succeed in finding each other. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 17

THURSDAY 21 JANUARY, 19.30

FRIDAY 22 JANUARY, 19.00

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE MARIA JOÃO PIRES & DEUTSCHE KAMMERPHILHARMONIE BREMEN Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: La clemenza di Tito (K. 621) – Overture Piano Concerto in B-flat major (K. 595) Symphony in C major (K. 551, "Jupiter") Maria João Pires (piano) Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Conductor: Trevor Pinnock

MARIA JOāO PIRES © FELIX BROEDE

By performing the last works of Mozart in various genres, the world-famous orchestra pays tribute to one of the greatest geniuses of music on the 260th anniversary of the composer’s birth and 225t h anniversary of his death. Founded in 1980 and re-formed in 1992, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is a chamber orchestra with an unusual profile: members are virtuoso soloists who jointly produce productions of astonishing intensity by avowing their artistic personalities. The orchestra’s artistic leaders include such great conductors as Thomas Hengelbrock, Daniel Harding, Frans Brüggen and Paavo Järvi. Other major soloists who have worked with the ensemble include Christian Tetzlaff, Heinz Holliger, Viktoria Mullova, Hélène Grimaud, Janine Jansen, Hilary Hahn and last but not least, the Portuguese Maria João Pires, whose depth and sensitivity, whose immediacy of piano playing have raised her to among the most accomplished Mozart performers of our day. Conducting this evening is founder of the English Concert, Trevor Pinnock, a leading figure of the British school of period performance. Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre Tickets: HUF 6 300, 8 200, 11 500, 14 900

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL OPERA MAKERS GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA Laurence Osborn: Narkissus and The Reflektions Rossini: Le Comte Ory (excerpt) Evan Kassof: Greenland Mozart: Così fan tutte (excerpt) Oliver Leith: Isabella Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (excerpt) Vocals: Thomas Atkins, Katarzyna Balejko, Christopher Cull, David Ireland, Elizabeth Karani, Bethan Langford, Meili Li, Jenavieve Moore, Josep-Ramon Olivé, Nicola Said, Milan Siljanov, Elgan Thomas, Jennie Witton Director: Martin Lloyd-Evans Music director: Dominic Wheeler Stage design: Louis Carver Lighting: Cassie Mitchell Movement: Victoria Newlyn Opera students from the London Guildhall School perform new works by three present-day composers and librettists. All are taking the Guildhall’s new Opera Making & Writing masters course. The production, created in cooperation with the Royal Opera House and which premiered in summer 2015, evokes the golden age of operatic performance, inasmuch as the authors specifically shaped the roles for the singers, just as Mozart and Rossini did in their time. And it is precisely excerpts of works by Mozart and Rossini that provide the transition between the contemporary pieces. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SUNDAY 24 JANUARY, 19.00

SUNDAY 24 JANUARY, 19.30

SUNDAY 31 JANUARY, 11.00

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL SATYRICON UNIVERSITÄT DER KÜNSTE BERLIN

THE JAZZ REQUEST SHOW SPECIAL EDITION PÉTER SÁRIK AND HIS GUESTS FRANCISCAN CHARITY EVENING FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH AUTISM

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND MATHS FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS

Bruno Maderna: Satyricon Hyelim Jo, Mengqi Zhang (soprano) Amelie Baier (mezzo-soprano) Semjon Bulinski (tenor) Matwej Korshun (bariton) Director: Ingo Kerkhof Director assistant: Sibylle Gogg Stage design, costumes: Maria Frastanli, Sanghwa Park Chamber music orchestra of the Universität der Künste Berlin Conductor: Errico Fresis Berlin University of the Arts, which offers courses in fine arts, architecture and music, is one of this year’s guest institutions at the third Opera Exam Festival organized by the Liszt Academy. The world premiere of their production is staged in the Sir Georg Solti Chamber Hall; in other words, the Budapest audience can see their production even before Berliners. Bruno Maderna (1920–1973), one of the leading post-Second World War avant-garde figures, is not well known in Hungary. His last work, Satyricon, is based on the piece by Roman author Titus Petronius, premiered in 1973. The unfinished novel inspired Maderna and two major film directors, Federico Fellini (Satyricon, 1969), and Marco Ferreri (The Grande Bouffe, 1974) at the same time – not surprising considering the work’s theme, a picture of society dehumanized by the pursuit of money and fame, was just as topical 2000 years ago as it was four decades ago, and indeed as it is today. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Péter Sárik (piano); Tibor Fonay (double bass), Attila Gálfi (drums); Tamás Berki, Veronika Harcsa, Luiza Zan (vocals) Péter Sárik’s efforts to locate jazz amidst interpretive frameworks beyond what we are ordinarily accustomed to have proved to be remarkably successful. Fellow musicians Tibor Fonay and Attila Gálfi have (since 2012) been solid and dependable partners of this great pianist who is endowed with breathtaking improvisational skills, a streak of true compositional originality and an entertaining stage presence. Their presence has largely contributed to the unbroken run of successes of Sárik’s Jazz Request Show. Once again the trio and their guests perform along these tried-and-trusted lines, although naturally the three singers of very different characters will lend the evening a special tone. Tamás Berki is an old partner of the pianist and somebody who takes improvisation seriously, as the 2015 Fonogram Prize for their album Minden délibáb shows. The Liszt Academy represents an important link between Berki and Veronika Harcsa: they had a teacher-student relationship in the Jazz Department, and during his Radon Trip concerts Sárik discovered a common voice with Veronika. Luiza Zan comes from Romania, where during the Csíki Jazz Festival the band leader discovered this singer who has great experience in Romanian folk music and classical music. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 3 100, 4 300, 5 400 Organizer: Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Hungary, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Organums from the Middle Ages and works by Dufay, Tallis, J. S. Bach, Brahms & Toch Featuring: Discantus Vocal Ensemble Conductor and narrator: Péter Mészáros Amongst schoolchildren there are those destined for maths, there are those good at Hungarian, there are born geographers or historians. Of course, the various subcultures are not totally isolated from each another, and the pathway is especially free between them if we are talking about music. The fact is that music is a common denominator: it reveals as much about maths as it does about literature, geography or sport. The youth series of the Liszt Academy, that is, the four concerts in the chamber hall arranged in the framework of the Liszt Kidz Academy, venture into the latter four subjects, and for the first in the series it is the turn of mathematics, the most important co-science of music. How does music work mathematically? How is it possible to depict the architectural solutions of the great Dome of Florence in music? What mathematical riddles lie hidden in certain pieces of music and how can their codes be broken? This concert for 10–15 year-olds seeks answers to these and similar questions. It features the outstandingly talented (both as teacher and as conductor) Péter Mészáros acting as choirmaster and as narrator, leading his own chorus, Discantus vocal ensemble, winners of numerous international prizes. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 19

TOWARDS COMPLETENESS These days the educated concertgoer is less keen on the "mixed salad" concert programme. According to the "overture-concerto-symphony" recipe inherited from the 19th century and typical of orchestral concerts, satisfaction depended on listening to works by a potpourri of composers without an explicitly common theme (though the performer was expected to choose the works based some kind of conceptual association between them rather than on a whim). Chopin preludes and Bach preludiums; Beethoven bagatelles and Brahms intermezzos; the late works of Liszt and Bartók pieces—not only do we seek a sensual experience but an intellectually engaging one too.

Recently, single-composer, or “uni-genre” concerts – indeed whole concert series, – have become particularly fashionable: entire cycles of Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert sonatas, all the Bach cello suites, or even the Viennese classical string quartets, cello-piano works from Bach to Bartók, and so on. This phenomenon is interesting, perhaps even peculiar, from a historical aspect because in the age of Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert audiences attended mostly potpourri concert programmes at public concerts (on the whole, even composer recitals included works by other composers). In Mozart’s time not even symphonies were performed in their entirety: generally the concert started with the first movement of a symphony, followed by the most varied genre movements, concert aria, piano concerto, sonata, the middle movements of the symphony, composer’s improvisations, a further concert aria and at the end the final movement. Needless to say, every movement was followed by the audience’s expression of approval, or otherwise, depending on how they enjoyed what they had heard. The 18–19th centuries did not know the meaning of the ban on applause between movements. Liszt’s programmes (that really established the genre of solo piano recital) only differed from the practice of the age of Mozart in that Liszt played everything himself on a single instrument. But the variety of genres was similarly typical for his concerts: he often performed symphonic and song transcriptions besides works originally written for piano. As the classical music repertoire was canonized in the second half of the 19th century, as art took over the role of religion in an increasingly secular society, as critical complete editions publishing the whole oeuvre of composers with scientific thoroughness were created by employing philological methods, as concert halls functioning as shrines to music were built, as the rules of etiquette for concertgoers reflecting the dignity of the lofty acceptance of music solidified, so the ideal concert programme type gradually took shape, in which the purpose was not only to entertain but also to morally and intellectually educate the audience. As to what was the result of this education, that, naturally, is extremely hard to measure (the relationship between music and moral is far from clear – one only has to consider those musicians dealing with music for their entire lives who were no better than representatives of any other profession; although it should be added, they were no worse, either). However, what is certain is that we can acquire music history knowledge by the printed and audio complete editions that were not available to earlier ages. Perhaps we truly have moved far from the performance and concert practices of the days of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, but we can learn their music more profoundly than anyone of their time. Gergely Fazekas

ANIMA MUSICAE (22 SEPTEMBER 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / KRISZTIÁN BÓDIS

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL THE ANGEL OF THE ODD (25 JANUARY 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / ANDREA FELVÉGI

MISCHA MAISKY (19 OCTOBER 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / ISTVÁN FAZEKAS 21

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY FEBRUARY Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior Other WEDNESDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Libretto: Ranieri de’ Calzabigi Stage design: Zsófia Geresdi Dramaturge: Eszter Orbán Director: Helga Lázár Gluck: Orpheus and Eurydice Orpheus: Zoltán Daragó Eurydice: Ágnes Molnár Cupin: Rita Rácz Libretto: Ranieri de’ Calzabigi Stage design: Zoltán Gelsi Costumes: Máté Csősz Dramaturge: Judit Kenesey Director: Zita Szenteczki Chamber Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera House Conductor: László Bartal

Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila – Overture Glière: Harp Conceto in E-flat major, Op. 74 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54

Tickets: HUF 2 800, 4 200 Organizer: Hungarian State Opera House

Bettina Tóth (harp) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Gergely Kesselyák

SATURDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2016, 11.00 ROOM XXIII.

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: MÁV Symphony Orchestra

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY JAZZ-PLAYGROUND FOR 6–10 YEAR-OLDS

THURSDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Orpheus: Éva Várhelyi Eurydice: Eszter Wierdl Cupid: Ingrid Kertesi 22

Tickets: HUF 2 800, 4 200 Organizer: Hungarian State Opera House

SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2016, 18.00 GRAND HALL

MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA GYÖRGY VASHEGYI & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COSÌ FAN TUTTE

TUESDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

WE ARE CHILDREN DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA WE LOVE Péter Zombola: Werther Cello Concerto – Premiere Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (version from 1943)

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200, 3 800, 4 700 Organizer: Danubia Orchestra Óbuda

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Bertoni: Orpheus

Bertoni: Orpheus Gluck: Orpheus and Eurydice

Luigi Piovano (cello) Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Gergely Kesselyák

LEGENDARY CONCERTS DÉNES VÁRJON, IZABELLA SIMON & CONCERTO BUDAPEST 8 OCTOBER 1940 BÉLA BARTÓK & DITTA PÁSZTORY FAREWELL CONCERT

GREEK LATE NIGHT

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FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2016, 21.00 SOLTI HALL

SATURDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2016, 21.00 SOLTI HALL

TAKÁCS QUARTET

SATURDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

FOUR BY FOUR TAKÁCS QUARTET Page 26

WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT ACADEMY OF YESTERDAY MOZART DURING THE DICTATORSHIP (1948-1956) SERIES BY ANDRÁS BATTA & SÁNDOR KOVÁCS Page 28

FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

SUNDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2016, 11.00 GRAND HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC BUDA FOLK BAND

UNDERSTANDING MUSIC DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

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FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL VADYM KHOLODENKO

WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO VADYM KHOLODENKO PIANO RECITAL Schumann: Nachtstücke, Op. 23 Schumann: Humoresque, Op. 20 Scriabin: 24 Preludes, Op. 11 Scriabin: Fantasia, Op. 10 Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000, 8 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CARNIVAL CONCERT Johann Strauss: Tales From The Vienna Woods, Op. 325 Josef Strauss: Die Libelle, Polka mazur, Op. 204 Josef Strauss: Music of the Spheres, Op. 235 Eduard Strauss: Bahn frei!, Polka schnell, Op. 45 Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 – 2 th Movement (A Ball) Josef Strauss: Sport-polka, Op. 170 Suppé: Light Cavalry March Shostakovich: The Golden Age, Op. 22 – Can-can Ravel: Bolero MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Gergely Kesselyák Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: MÁV Symphony Orchestra

THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

TALENT OBLIGE OSZKÁR VARGA VIOLIN RECITAL Page 30

THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Ning Feng (violin) Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 200, 5 500, 6 900 Organizer: Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Narrator and conductor: Gábor Hollerung Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 700, 3 200 Organizer: Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

HERE AND NOW PIIA KOMSI & PÉTER NAGY Page 31

TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

RECONNECTIONS JOINT CONCERT OF THE MUSIC ACADEMIES OF BUDAPEST AND JERUSALEM Page 34

SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

WEDNESDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE ANDREI BARANOV & ISTVÁN LAJKÓ COMPLETE PROKOFIEV WORKS FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHOIR

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FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major (K. 219) Sarasate: Gypsy Airs, Op. 20 Barber: Adagio for Strings Bartók: Divertimento (BB 118)

Beethoven: Fidelio, Op. 72 – 2 th Act

Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet – symphonie dramatique, Op. 17 Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir (Choirmaster: Zoltán Pad) Conductor: János Kovács

SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Hungarian Radio Music Ensembles

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35 Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Conductor: Tibor Bogányi

THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

MOZART EFFECT CHRISTIAN GERHAHER & FREIBURGER BAROCKORCHESTER Page 34

SATURDAY 27. FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC MIKLÓS LUKÁCS & GUESTS

KURTÁG 90

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FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2016, 21.00 SOLTI HALL

GREEK LATE NIGHT Bertoni: Orpheus Gluck: Orpheus and Eurydice Tickets: HUF 2 800, 4 200 Organizer: Hungarian State Opera House

WIENER SÄNGERKNABEN

SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2016, 17.00 GRAND HALL

WIENER SÄNGERKNABEN "BELLA ITALIA" Page 36

SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2016, 18.00 GRAND HALL

SZENT ISTVÁN HIGH SCHOOL JUBILEE ORCHESTRA IN MEMORIAM JÓZSEF ZÁBORSZKY Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 Mozart: Requiem (K. 626) Katarina Záborszky (violin), Veronika Geszthy (soprano), Jutta Bokor (alto), András Molnár (tenor), István Berczelly (bass), Szent István King Oratorio Choir, Szent István High School Jubilee Orchestra Conductor: István Záborszky

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

BAROQUE SOPRANOS ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER & LES MUSICIENS DU LOUVRE GRENOBLE Page 38

THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

HOMMAGE À STRAVINSKY II. SERIES OF THE UMZE & CONCERTO BUDAPEST

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND SPORT FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS Page 42 SUNDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

HÄNDEL: SAMSON ORATORIO IN THREE ACTS (HUNGARIAN PREMIERE) Samson: Zoltán Megyesi; Dalila: Krisztina Jónás; Micah: Kornélia Bakos; Israelitish Woman, Philistine Woman: Nóra Ducza; Manoa: Tomáš Šelc; Harapha: László Jekl; Israelitish Man, Philistine Man: Viktor Korbász ELTE Pro Musica Mixed Choir (Choir master: Zsuzsánna Mindszenty) Vass Lajos Chamber Choir (Choir master: Csaba Somos) Savaria Baroque Orchestra Conductor: Pál Németh

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 2 700, 2 900, 3 200 Organizer: Partitúra Foundation

Varèse: Arcana Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 1 (BB 91) Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Tickets: HUF 1 400, 2 100, 3 500, 4 900 Organizer: Hungarian Händel Society

SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2016, 21.00 SOLTI HALL

József Balog (piano) Concerto Budapest UMZE Chamber Ensemble Conductor: Rácz Zoltán

MONDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

GREEK LATE NIGHT Bertoni: Orpheus Gluck: Orpheus and Eurydice

Tickets: HUF 2 200, 3 500, 4 700, 5 900 Organizer: Concerto Budapest

Tickets: HUF 2 800, 4 200 Organizer: Hungarian State Opera House FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

JAZZ IT! KÁROLY BINDER & KÁLMÁN OLÁH TWO PIANO RECITAL Page 38

SUNDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2016, 11.00 SOLTI HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO JENŐ JANDÓ PIANO RECITAL J. S. Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor (BWV 903) Bach–Liszt: Prelude and Fugue for organ in B minor (BWV 544) Liszt: B-A-C-H Fantasia and Fugue Beethoven: 6 Bagatelles, Op. 126 Brahms: 4 Ballades, Op. 10 Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

SEASON TICKETS 2016 MUSIC SO CLOSE

EIGHT NEW SEASON TICKETS WITH SPECIAL CHRISTMAS DISCOUNT LISZT ACADEMY 140 – AS YOU LIKE IT: 14 FURTHER CONCERTS À LA CARTE ZENEAKADEMIA.HU/EN/SEASON-TICKETS

THURSDAY 4 FEBRUARY, 19.30

SATURDAY 6 FEBRUARY, 11.00

SATURDAY 6 FEBRUARY, 19.30

GRAND HALL

ROOM XXIII

GRAND HALL

LEGENDARY CONCERTS DÉNES VÁRJON, IZABELLA SIMON & CONCERTO BUDAPEST 8 OCTOBER 1940 BÉLA BARTÓK & DITTA PÁSZTORY FAREWELL CONCERT

FOUR BY FOUR TAKÁCS QUARTET Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 74/1 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73. Beethoven: String Quartet in C major, Op. 59/3 ("Razumovsky")

J. S. Bach: Piano Concerto in A major (BWV 1055) Mozart: Piano Concerto in F major (K. 459) Mozart: Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major (K. 365/316a) Bartók: Microkosmos (BB 105) – 5 Movements

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY JAZZ PLAYGROUND FOR 6–10 YEAR–OLDS

Dénes Várjon, Izabella Simon (piano) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller

Kristóf Bacsó (saxophone) Márton Fenyvesi (guitar) Narrator and percussion: András Dés

“Our parting concert was in Budapest on 8 October: I played Bach’s A major concerto, my wife the lovely (and barely known) Mozart piece in F major – this was her first solo appearance and she played beautifully – then we performed the Mozart concerto for two pianos, and finally I gave a recital from Microcosmos,” wrote Bartók from Geneva on his way to the United States. The pianist couple Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon perform the programme from this famous farewell concert, accompanied by Concerto Budapest (conductor: András Keller), as part of the Legendary Concerts series launched on the occasion of the 140th academic year of the Liszt Academy. The two pianists are representatives of the same school hallmarked by the likes of Sándor Végh, György Kurtág, Ferenc Rados and András Schiff, and they have similar attitudes to music. Thus all their joint productions radiate harmony, thanks to which they are characterized by perfect artistic cooperation and at the same time an open avowal of personal traits and style.

There are no swings, slides, climbing frames or sandpits in the Jazz Playground. So what is there to play with? Ideas, emotions and above all else, sounds and rhythms. Not forgetting each other, as exemplified by András Dés, Kristóf Bacsó and Márton Fenyvesi. The fact is, they recognize that joint improvisation, like all truly serious play, is first and foremost about attention and having an awareness of others. These three fine musicians – together with the kids – examine the subject of improvisation and build the music. András Dés put it like this: “Playing jointly with the children, improvisation, is all about us, the jazz musicians, and the children mutually giving something to each other. They supply the innovation, openness free of preconceptions, the carefree enjoyment of play, and we provide what we have learned about how this can be transplanted into music – making the melody, harmony and rhythm. How we have learned to pay attention to each other, to enjoy, love and respect the playing of each other.”

The string quartet is a "sacred" genre of chamber music: it is only the most accomplished composer who can write a truly good string quartet. Just four instruments and sixteen strings are at his disposal to produce the same dramatic effect as, say, a symphony or an opera. This perfection is evident in one of the quartets written by Haydn for Count Apponyi. Through his similarly superb string quartets (he wrote 15 in all), Shostakovich was able to say to posterity all that could not be said in any other form. The masterpieces of Beethoven represent the bridge between these two geniuses. These works only come alive when the four musicians perform them as one (without suppressing their own personalities) in performances turning on the minutest details. The Takács Quartet are just such an ensemble, which is why every appearance of these world-renowned artists is a special occasion. The formation established under the leadership of Gábor Takács-Nagy by four students from the Liszt Academy in 1975 have worked in the US since 1983. During the 2015–2016 season they return to Carnegie Hall for two concerts, while they have had their own series in London’s Wigmore Hall for several years.

Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 100, 5 200, 6 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 400, 2 100, 3 500, 4 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Takács Quartet: Edward Dusinberre, Károly Schranz (violin); Geraldine Walther (viola); András Fejér (cello)

METAFORMS © JUDIT MARJAI

SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY, 18.00

WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY, 19.00

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

LISZT ACADEMY OF YESTERDAY MOZART DURING THE DICTATORSHIP (1948-1956) SERIES BY ANDRÁS BATTA & SÁNDOR KOVÁCS MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA GYÖRGY VASHEGYI & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COSÌ FAN TUTTE

György Vashegyi, head of the Liszt Academy early music department and one of Hungary’s foremost exponents of historically informed performance, coaches students of the vocal department of the Liszt Academy as well as its orchestra and chorus in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most problematic opera (and from a musical aspect, perhaps his work of the highest order). The piece, which boasts the most virtuoso arias in the Mozart oeuvre, has the two male protagonists put the loyalty of their lovers to the test for a bet, as if it were a single big moral question mark: Mozart and his brilliant librettist Lorenzo da Ponte query the moral boundaries of love. Géza Fodor expressed it thus: “Così fan tutte is a matchless, unique phenomenon of 18th century art and all opera, an unlikely, playful light dance between life and ideal.”

The two Liszt Academy music history professors Sándor Kovács and András Batta bring to life chapters from the past of the Liszt Academy in four programmes on the occasion of the 140th academic year of the institution, with the assistance of live music and archive recordings, professors and students of the Liszt Academy, spicing up the event with documents, anecdotes, a historical overview and a touch of humour and nostalgia as well. For the third programme in the series the period from the communist takeover after World War II until the 1956 Uprising is evoked. The pair do not shy away from answering the question of why, during the darkest days of the communist dictatorship, the Muses played so poignantly in the Liszt Academy. They speak about a time when Ferenc Szabó, former officer with the Red Army, was a defining figure as director of the institution, whose students included geniuses such as György Ligeti, György Kurtág or those who are special guests of the event such as Tamás Vásáry, László Somfai and István Párkai. Lóránt Péteri, current head of the Musicology and Music Theory Department, takes part in the conversation as a prominent researcher of the period.

Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Mozart: Così fan tutte – concert performance Featuring singing of Liszt Academy, Zoltán Megyesi (tenor) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra and Alma Mater Choir (Choirmaster: Csaba Somos) Conductor: György Vashegyi

Guests: Tamás Vásáry, István Párkai, László Somfai, Lóránt Péteri

ANDRÁS BATTA & SÁNDOR KOVÁCS © LISZT ACADEMY / ANDREA FELVÉGI

PEACE RALLY OF INTELLECTUALS (1953) © MTI / DEZSŐ SZIKLAI FACADE OF LISZT ACADEMY ON LISZT SQUARE (1950) © BTM KISCELLI MUSEUM

INTERNATIONAL FRANZ LISZT PIANO COMPETITION (1956) © MTI / FERENC BALASSA 29

THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY, 19.00

FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

TALENT OBLIGE OSZKÁR VARGA VIOLIN RECITAL Bartók: Rhapsody No. 1 (BB 94) De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole (Paul Kochanski arrangement) Janáček: Sonata for Violin and Piano Mozart: Sonata for Violin and Piano in B-flat major (K. 454) Webern: Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 7 Brahms: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 78 Oszkár Varga (violin) László Borbély (piano)

OSZKÁR VARGA

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC BUDA FOLK BAND Andor Maruzsenszki, Ádám Takács (violin, vocals); Sándor "Sündi" Csoóri (contra, Bulgarian tambura, vocals); Márton Éri (viola, contra, vocals); Soma Salamon (accordion, recorder, kaval, vocals); Gergő Szabó Csobán (bass, guitar, cello, choir) Featuring: Anna "Tücsi" Márczi (vocals, choir)

“Oszkár Varga is the sort of superb musician who will be snapped up by a Hungarian or foreign ensemble very quickly indeed.” Barnabás Kelemen’s comment about his student was prompted when the violinist was asked to stand in for Gábor Homoki in the Kelemen Quartet for the 2014–2015 season. In a single year as a member of the quartet, the youthful musician acquired priceless musical experience and appeared at leading international venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, BOZAR in Brussels and Musikverein in Vienna. Oszkár Varga graduated from the Liszt Academy as a student of Katalin Kokas and Barnabás Kelemen in May 2015. His final exam pieces included Bartók’s Violin Concerto. Earlier he spent a year in New York at the invitation of Albert Markov on a scholarship at the Long Island Conservatory. In 2009 he debuted (as partner of the Zugló Philharmonics Budapest) with Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, and he has appeared at the Kaposfest on several occasions in the company of top artists.

Members of the Buda Folk Band have been dealing with the musical traditions of the Hungarian-speaking region of Europe since their childhood. This comes as no surprise considering that among their parents we can find several founding members of the Muzsikás band. They consider the existence of authentic folk music in an urban setting to be totally natural. So much so, in fact, that they don’t try to isolate themselves from the impacts of other music genres. These influences, along with the particular scoring of folk instruments found in the Carpathian Basin, give the orchestra a very special sound. In January 2014, their second album, Magyar Világi World / Folk was in second place on the World Music Charts Europe. As to exactly what this title means, all will become clear during the concert. In all likelihood, they are not referring to an ecclesiastical/secular pairing dating from the Middle Ages, the impacts of which are still rippling through the classical-pop duality. Pondering what the title of their third album could be, there is only one possibility: Hungarian folk world music.

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY, 19.00

TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE ANDREI BARANOV & ISTVÁN LAJKÓ PROKOFIEV COMPLETE WORKS FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO Prokofiev: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80 Prokofiev: Five Melodies, Op. 35bis Prokofiev: Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in D major, Op. 94a Andrei Baranov (violin) István Lajkó (piano)

ISTVÁN LAJKÓ © PÉTER HERMAN

As brief as the list of Prokofiev works for violin and piano may be, these compositions are inescapable both in terms of his oeuvre and twentieth century music history. The “creative artifice”, though well-known and described countless times, is still something that excites interest: inscrutable, twisting melodies engrave themselves into the memory but never become sentimental. This type of parallel presence of late Romanticism and early avant-garde still has an effect on contemporary music in linking ethereal, occasionally brooding lyricism with musical frivolity sometimes taken to the level of sarcasm. Russian violinist Andrei Baranov is an authentic interpreter of Prokofiev, since the playing style of the winner of the 2012 Queen Elisabeth Competition is similarly characterized by an enigmatic naturalness, the duality of silkiness and power. Prima Junior Prize winner István Lajkó accompanies him on the piano; the artist, who, despite his youth, already has a string of international awards to his name, brings his analytical intellectuality and sensitivity to the performance, essential for bringing these works to life. Tickets: HUF 3 400, 4 100 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

HERE AND NOW PIIA KOMSI & PÉTER NAGY György Kurtág: Requiem, Op. 26 György Kurtág: Three Old Inscriptions, Op. 25 Schubert: An die Sonne (D. 439) Zoltán Jeney: Songs of Innocence and Experience Webern: Ideale Landschaft Webern: Bild der Liebe Webern: Nachtgebet der Braut Zemlinsky: Ahnung Beatricens Schubert: Sehnsucht (D. 310) Cage: Solo for Voice, No. 47 Piaa Komsi (soprano) Péter Nagy (piano) She has an extremely versatile, bright voice and dazzling coloraturas – Finnish soprano Piia Komsi has played the roles of Brünnhilde (Wagner: The Ring of the Nibelung), madam chief of secret police (György Ligeti: Le Grand Macabre), and she is one of very few to have performed both soprano roles in The Magic Flute (Pamina, Queen of the Night). She feels equally at home in Baroque operas as she does in experimental avant-garde, so it comes as no surprise to hear that several modern composers have written material expressly for her. Piia Komsi began her music studies as a cellist, she benefits from her instrumental background to this day, having appeared in several works in which she both sang and played cello. Piia Komsi is in contact with several Hungarian composers, György Kurtág and Péter Eötvös among them, and in Budapest in 2013 she presented Zoltán Jeney’s song cycle Songs of Innocence and Experience set to poems by William Blake. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 31

“MAGIC IS THE ESSENCE OF OPERA” The repertoire of the Finnish coloratura soprano runs the gamut from Mozart through Wagner, Ligeti to Thomas Adès. The tension between the naturalness of Piia Komsi, her Nordic informality, perfectly controlled technique which builds on her classical training, and her daring stage attitude (not to mention her "madness" in contemporary works) make her one of the most exciting personalities in international opera today.

You yourself responded to our request: we didn’t have to go through an impresario or agency to arrange a telephone interview. Instead, we ended up e-mailing each other. Is it this easy to approach a 21st century star soprano? It’s a cliché but the world truly has changed, and in the age of twitter and Facebook I think this is very evident. I don’t think this could be any other way, because singers are far more in the spotlight now than earlier. The audience perspectives have also changed. Our production, our performance as performers can be judged immediately and virtually everything is uploaded onto the internet in an instant – not like those times when the critics reached a judgement and frequently only the press and recordings represented a reference point for the public. What is interesting is that the repertoire is virtually identical to that of 50 years ago. The voices have not changed at all? When I was a small girl Maria Callas was my number one icon. I spent my youth listening to Callas. And I believe that even today it is only possible to train the voices of opera singers in the classic works, with the tried and trusted scales and the romantic coloratura repertoire, even when somebody, for instance, me, sings many contemporary works. The fact is that with contemporary composers one sometimes has to go a bit mad, that is, one has to operate with totally unusual sounds, but this does not mean that one does not have to know how to sing. On top of this, more extreme timbres demand even more classical-based voice training exercises, otherwise one can very easily lose the voice. The trick is perfect control: that is the only way to take risks, to roar, or to use funny sounds. The technique, voice training, is exactly the same as fifty years ago. The difference is in the interpretation of emotions, in precisely which stage means are used to deliver this to the audience. So it is merely the staging that has changed? Nobody today is really interested in static performances in which the “singer stands centre stage and breaks into song”. At the same time, neither do I think the public can be grabbed by the circus-like variety shows. I believe in the opera director who understands music, in stage choreographies concentrating on musicality, in which singer and music can prevail. As far as I am concerned, a good, or more accurately, a sympathetic director is one who is aware of the limits of singers. I have a colleague who is not bothered by dance or stage acrobatics, but there are some highly qualified singers with beautiful voices who just can’t do this.

One cannot expect them to turn cartwheels while singing arias. At the same time, stage movement, theatrical acting, are absolutely vital today – and not just because the monumental scenery and extras apparatus are gradually becoming unaffordable. I reckon I am not the only one who thinks that a performance where the singers just stand and sing is anachronistic. Young singers are already trained for this, but one has to be careful. The voice, the music, the singing must not be lost along the way. My worst memories are of those directors who jerked us about like marionettes. For me, freedom is of existential importance, so that I can fill the situation with my own personal emotions, to give myself on the stage. However, to do this it is vital that the director points out the directions. So you feel better in the so-called semi-dramatized performances when singers perform the work in concert-like conditions? I don’t enjoy this at all because I think that the concert-like performance does not work. The illusion, the theatre is missing. There is the orchestra, the singer. The audience can see the faces of musicians as they play, their every movement can be followed. The magic, the essence of opera, is lost. I know that there are cost-efficiency aspects but putting on a work for stage, let’s say a contemporary dance with little scenery, is not necessarily expensive. Of course, it is totally different when the singers are on stage with a chamber orchestra or they give an aria recital. The international press mention your interpretations in works by contemporary composers most often. Does contemporary opera have an audience? There is a small but enthusiastic band of people into experimentation. The most interesting thing is how open Asian audiences are. I have witnessed this in Australia, China, Korea and Japan – probably because there, the opera audience is made up of more young people in these places than in Europe. They have no preconceptions about the genre, so they discover music both in the classical composers and in contemporary composers. Whatever happens, time will tell what is lasting and what is transient. There is no doubt, however, that some composers frequently pay no attention whatsoever either to the audience or the performers. After all, opera is a stage genre, cooperation is essential; we cannot subordinate everything to the experimental whim of the artist. Tamás Vajna PIIA KOMSI 33

TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY, 19.30

GRAND HALL RECONNECTIONS JOINT CONCERT OF THE MUSIC ACADEMIES OF BUDAPEST AND JERUSALEM J. S. Bach: Orchestral Suite in C major (BWV 1066) – Overture Schubert: The Trout (D. 550) Yinam Leef: Triptichon Beethoven: Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20 – 1 st Movement Ligeti: Six Bagatelles Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70 – 1 st Movement Students of the music academies of Budapest and Jerusalem Coaching teachers: Márta Ábrahám, Zsolt Szatmári, Gusztáv Hőna, Zvi Carmeli, Yaron Rosenthal

THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY, 19.30

GRAND HALL

MOZART EFFECT CHRISTIAN GERHAHER & FREIBURGER BAROCKORCHESTER Mozart: Symphony in D major, (K. 297, "Parisian") Mozart: "Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo" – concert aria (K. 584) Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A major (K. 622) Mozart: Marriage of Figaro (excerpts) Mozart: Don Giovanni (excerpts) Christian Gerhaher (baritone) Lorenzo Coppola (clarinet) Freiburger Barockorchester Conductor: Gottfried von der Goltz (violin)

In 2013, on the initiative of Ilan Mor, Israel’s ambassador to Hungary, the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance began a programme of cooperation in the spirit of which the two institutions have organized a joint chamber music workshop – Reconnections – in Jerusalem and Budapest every year since. The artistic directors of the programme, which acts as a cultural bridge between the two countries, set their sights on intensifying chamber music workshop activities and putting on combined concerts. Two aspects are taken into account when it comes to selecting works: pieces from the classical repertoire in addition to performances of contemporary Hungarian and Israeli works. This year, “new music” is represented by Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles for wind instruments and a chamber composition by Yinam Leef, head of the Department of Composition of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.

In 1987 final-year students of the Freiburg College of Music established the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra in order to play 17–18th century music on period instruments and in a historically informed manner. The ensemble quickly gained a reputation and today they are one of the best-known early music orchestras in the world. They frequently perform under the baton of famous conductors like Ádám Fischer, although they are most commonly directed by their concertmaster, Gottfried von der Goltz, who is once again first among equals at this Mozart recital. Besides the orchestral works, this programme presents several opera and concert arias performed by German baritone Christian Gerhaher, who, with is broad repertoire, is sought-after both as an oratorio and lieder singer. Gerhaher is joined by another major soloist: the Italian clarinettist Lorenzo Coppola, who performs the Clarinet Concerto in A major, dedicated to Anton Stadler and written shortly before Mozart’s death.

Tickets: HUF 1 600 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 4 800, 6 500, 9 200, 11 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

CHRISTIAN GERHAHER © JIM RAKETE

World class from Hungary. They are here! CLA Shooting Brake and the new B-class. In 2008 Mercedes-Benz made the decision to establish a new factory plant in Hungary. The success of the Kecskemét model has proved our decision to be correct. In 2012 we started the production of B-class. One of the leading models of the compact car category, it emphasised its appearance through its elegance and practicality – this is still the same today. In fact the new B-class offers even finer lines and a more dynamic feeling than ever. This updated series satisfies every need, not only from the aspect of comfort, but also of visage. In 2013 we started the production of the model Mercedes-Benz CLA, the first model exclusively produced in Hungary. The never ending success story of the four-door coupe has been continued with the production of its “big brother” started in January 2015. Thanks to its cabin volume the spacious CLA Shooting Brake is not only practical

but also reflects the young dynamism of the four-door model, produced in our home country. CLA Shooting Brake, just like its brother model, is produced exclusively in Hungary. Therefore the unique combination of German technology and Hungarian workmanship has resulted in another world class standard vehicle. “World class from Hungary”. Naturally, this is not only a sentence to be solely applied to ourselves, or not just about the models produced in Kecskemét alone. We are also devoted to sponsor other world class performers that are to be found in the Hungarian sporting and cultural life. In the process of choosing our partners, this was also our main consideration, which is why we initiated a program with the Liszt Academy. We are convinced, that they represent world class standards in both cultural and musical life that matches the basic principle of Mercedes-Benz: “The best or nothing.”

FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY, 19.30

SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY, 17.00

GRAND HALL

KURTÁG 90

WIENER SÄNGERKNABEN "BELLA ITALIA"

Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller

GYÖRGY KURTÁG

When Antal Szerb briefly characterized the authors of his anthology of the finest poetry in world literature, he pithily described Johann Wolfgang Goethe thus: “He was Goethe”. In such a concert review as this one can say little more about György Kurtág than: “He is Kurtág”. Of course, one can come up with generalities about the composer who celebrates his 90th birthday on this very day – as did the international jury of the Spain-based Fundación BBVA which recognizes the most important contemporary composers. After Steve Reich and Pierre Boulez, they awarded the foundation prize to Kurtág in 2015: “The innovative dimension and significance of his music is not tied to the material used, but its source is the composer’s innermost world, the authenticity of his language, and the freedom with which he crosses borders between spontaneity and reflection, between formalization and expression.” However, such words say nothing of the marvel with which Kurtág is capable of constructing a complete musical universe even out of just a few notes, or concentrating into just a few minutes intricately complex system of music-history correlations. It is just as hard to explain the elementary impact anyone coming across the music of Kurtág experiences on listening to any of his works. In this birthday concert of the András Keller-directed Concerto Budapest his alma mater pays respects to one of the most significant composers of the second half of the 20th century. Tickets: HUF 1 100, 1 700, 2 400, 2 900 Organizer: BMC, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Works by Vittoria, Vivaldi, Caldara, Cherubini, Mozart, Rossini, Mascagni, Verdi, Mancini, Morricone, J. Strauss Wiener Sängerknaben Conductor: Manolo Cagnin Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna Boys’ Choir), comprising 10–14 year-old boys dressed in characteristic sailor suits, are a byword in European music circles. This is one of the longest established choirs in the world, formed in 1498 by Emperor Maximilian I in order to provide musical accompaniment to liturgies in the imperial chapel. Over the centuries they have been associated with numerous greats of music like Gluck, Salieri, Mozart, Schubert and Bruckner, but the approximately 100-person ensemble, known for its strict rules and rehearsals, has also provided the Vienna Staatsoper the three boys in The Magic Flute for many decades. Due to their strong traditions, the choir is as much a part of the culture of the former imperial capital today as Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, the Vienna New Year’s Day concerts and Philharmonic. As a result of the enormous interest aroused by the Wiener Sängerknaben, they travel the world split into four groups, spending weeks touring a particular continent; in total they have given 300 concerts to around half a million people. Their visit to the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy is a rare and special moment: we have the chance to listen to one of the best – if not the best – boys’ choirs and to share in that great experience represented by their incomparable sound and musicality. Tickets: HUF 1 400, 2 100, 3 500, 4 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

KURTÁG György Kurtág is music — a strange thing to say, perhaps — but it is true. Music makes its way slowly, irresistibly from his innermost being, emerging on the surface with extraordinary, overwhelming intensity. I have never encountered a musician for whom each note mattered more; every tone, whether of his own works or those of the great composers whom he loves, possesses for him a world of meaning, of narrative, of emotional depth.

STEVEN ISSERLIS © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

I cannot imagine György Kurtág without his wife Márta. They are a unique couple, with the same intensity of outlook, and a matching passion for, and understanding of, his music. I was lucky enough to attend a concert that they gave in London not long ago. It was utterly magical, the extraordinary atmosphere heightened by the visual effect: they sat facing away from the audience, playing on a muted upright piano, expertly and almost unnoticeably amplified by their son, György Kurtág jr. It was one of the most memorable concerts I have ever heard, each piece an enchanted world in itself. I met György and Márta Kurtág maybe twenty-five years ago, at IMS Prussia Cove in Cornwall, which they visited many times. They immediately became an important part of my life; and my love for them has grown ever stronger through the intervening years. I have learned, performed and recorded several of his cello pieces; and he composed a very special piece for me after the death of my wife Pauline. I would never dare perform a piece of Kurtág without studying it with him beforehand; as often as I can, I go to him for lessons on his music (or even have them by telephone!). These are amazing experiences: the most demanding of composers, he has an unshakeable vision of how each note must sound, and will use a vast range of unexpected images to communicate that vision. It is exhilarating! The satisfaction of coming close to pleasing him is indescribable; I come away from those sessions (providing that I have come close!) floating on air. The length of his sessions is legendary; I must have spent at least 9 hours with him – or rather, with him and Márta, since they are often both there, she contributing valuable insights as well – on approximately 7 minutes’ worth of music; but every moment is essential, and I usually end up wanting to go on longer. Of course, it is not always easy. Kurtág’s intensity is such that he cannot understand how anybody else’s could possibly be less. I remember one bleary morning in Cornwall, after having gone to bed far too late the night before, I staggered up to the main house in search of much-needed coffee. I encountered him outside one of the rooms. “Steven – you have to come and hear; Márta and some others are about to play through a Beethoven trio.” “I haven’t had my coffee yet!” I wailed. Kurtág gave me a look that banished all thoughts of caffeine. “Beethoven first, then coffee,” he said firmly. And it is a tribute to the beauty of the Beethoven that within a few bars I had forgotten all about my deprivation. As always, friendship with the Kurtágs repaid many times over any demands it may make. I am celebrating Kurtág’s 90th birthday myself by performing his works interspersed with the 6 Bach suites at London’s Wigmore Hall and other places in February 2016; so alas, I cannot be in Budapest for the anniversary concert at the Liszt Academy. But I send my love, congratulations, and warmest possible wishes to both György and Márta Kurtág, as well as fervent hopes for many more years of health, happiness and work. Steven Isserlis 37

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY, 19.30

FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY, 19.00

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

BAROQUE SOPRANOS ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER & LES MUSICIENS DU LOUVRE Works by Telemann, Vivaldi and Händel

JAZZ IT! KÁROLY BINDER & KÁLMÁN OLÁH TWO PIANO RECITAL Károly Binder, Kálmán Oláh (piano)

Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble Concertmaster: Thibault Noally

Anne Sofie von Otter has been a leading soprano since the 1980s, irrespective of whether we are talking about opera, song or oratorio. Her extraordinary musicality, sensitivity, sense of drama, outstanding vocal abilities, flexibility – and indeed her very stage presence – have all made her one of the most sought-after singers of our day. The great-grandchild of a former Swedish prime minister has given unparalleled performances in, primarily, the Baroque repertoire; this time she gives us a taste of this excellence through the music of Telemann and Händel, reflecting an ever-vigorous creative spirit. Anne Sofie von Otter has regularly worked with conductors of the calibre of William Christie, Claudio Abbado, John Eliot Gardiner and Marc Minkowski, one of the best known French conductors following historically informed performance. The artist who comes from a distinguished family of doctors and has Polish, American and Hungarian ancestry, founded the orchestra in 1982. Originally set up to revive primarily the French Baroque opera repertoire, the ensemble has enjoyed the official support of the city of Grenoble since 1996. Through them Minkowski regularly stuns audiences with recordings of a world standard and hugely successful festival productions.

These two important Hungarian representatives of jazz piano playing have never before given a full evening two piano concert, even though their careers have overlapped on many occasions. Both teach at the Liszt Academy Jazz Department: Binder was appointed head of department in 2000, Oláh joined the institution in the same year, and both are teachers of jazz composition and jazz piano. Many know Kálmán Oláh from Trio Midnight, an ensemble formed 25 years ago, his sextet as well as the groups he has put together with Attila László – all considered landmark formations – and we often get to hear him playing together with American jazz greats such as Lee Konitz, Jack DeJohnette, Ron McClure, John Patitucci, Adam Nussbaum and others. He is also a performer of classical works and his own diverse compositions. Károly Binder has been a leading light in avant-garde jazz since he started in the 1980s. Recordings he has made with his quartet and quintet are widely acknowledged, but he has achieved importance over many years as a soloist as well as together with Mihály Borbély. He has also teamed up at different times with John Tchicai, Ramesh Shotham, Theo Jörgensmann, Jiri Stivin and Barre Phillips. This evening’s recital features his own compositions and Bartók paraphrases. Free improvisation will also have an important role.

Tickets: HUF 4 900, 6 500, 9 200, 11 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

2014. SZEPT. 4. ( THURSDAY ), 19.30

2014. SZEPT 6. (SATURDAY ), 20.30

2014. SZEPT 7. (SUNDAY ), 18.00

GRAND HALL

A 100 TAGÚ CIGÁNYZENEKAR ÉS BARÁTAI A PABLO CASALS NEMZETKÖZI CSELLÓVERSENY NYITÓHANGVERSENYE Kodály: Galántai táncok Elgar: e-moll csellóverseny, op. 85 Bartók: Concerto (BB 123) Közreműködik: Perényi Miklós (cselló) Nemzeti Filharmonikus Zenekar Vezényel: Kocsis Zoltán

GIORA FEIDMAN & GITANES BLONDES – NAGYON KLEZMER Közreműködik: Giora Feidman (klarinét, basszusklarinét), Mario Korunic (hegedű), Konstantin Ischenko (harmonika), Christoph Peters (gitár), Simon Ackermann (bőgő)

Közreműködik: Vendég: Roby Lakatos, Lendvay József (hegedű), Sabbathsong Klezmer Band Műsorvezető: Tóth Géza Az est fővédnöke: Vattamány Zsolt, Erzsébetváros polgármestere Szerkesztő, producer: Beke Farkas Nándor Főprímás: Lendvai Csócsi József

Hianyzik a tartalom. Hianyzik a tartalom. Hianyzik a tartalom. Jegyárak: 3 900, 5 400, 6 900 Ft Rendező: Filharmónia Magyarország Koncert és Fesztiválszervező Nkft.

Jegyárak: 4 900, 9 500 Ft Rendező: Art Quarter Budapest

Jegyárak: 7 990, 8 990, 9 990 Ft Rendező:100 Tagú Cigányzenekar Kulturális és Közművelődési Közhasznú ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER Egyesület © EWA-MARIE RUNDQUIST 39

“I LOVE DOING NEW THINGS” One of the most celebrated sopranos of our era, Anne Sofie von Otter, has a repertoire extending from early Baroque through classical and romantic works to jazz and pop music: it is fair to say she an authentic musical omnivore! She now comes to the Liszt Academy with her beloved Baroque music. For this occasion, she gave an interview to Concert Magazine.

Your first notable teacher was the Hungarian Vera Rózsa. How do you remember her? I studied with her for ten years and she contributed hugely to what I am today. She told me very clearly what repertoire to sing, how to look after myself; it was never enough to just produce a beautiful voice, we had to say something personal about each work; she was a powerful personality, at times she could be quite frightening but she could also be very warm-hearted. Is your versatility a natural trait or were you taught it? Or is it perhaps a Scandinavian thing? Oh, it is my personality – I'm a restless, impatient type, I love constantly doing very different and new things and I get bored quite easily; I like to say that I am a short-distance runner! I am very curious but I'm not an intellectual, researcher type, I am just always attracted to a variety of music. I am interested in the capabilities of my voice but I don't examine it with my brain. I am always looking for new encouragement and inspiration. What would you say were the two extremes of your profile as a singer? At one end certainly is Wagner; I have sung Brangane and Waltraute. I never imagined that I would be able to sing them because I don't have a big enough voice but I learned to project the voice I have. I do it primarily with the help of the words, with the flavour of the German language – because people see that I understand what I am singing, I know what a character wants to say. The other extreme certainly is pop music which comes in many forms. When singing this, I don't really project my voice and there is no vibrato, but you can hear that I am not a pop singer. You voice is very recognisable. But are you the same person when singing with Elvis Costello or Brad Mehldau as you are when you are playing Sesto, Ottavian or Brangane? I think I am utterly the same person. It is true that I feel most at home in Baroque music, because I started with Baroque in a choir which had a very good leader, and to this day I draw on this person's advice. When I sing pop music, if I love what I'm doing, then I do it well. In truth, jazz is not my world but I am capable of doing a classical version of jazz singing. The timing, the freedom, the flexibility is not the same as that possessed by those who have been singing jazz from their earliest years because I come from a classical background where you have to sing precisely what is written down. In this repertoire, I am basically imitating, but there is nothing wrong with imitation.

What are the vocal differences when you sing such different music? You have to make Wagner carry, and sing strongly. Bach has to be sung more softly with little vibrato. Obviously you have to use everything that you know about breathing because it is the foundation for the singer's performance. When you are younger, you are more instinctive, but with age you become more analytical and conscious. Of course you need an appropriate partner. Rock music is not for me, but then neither is Italian bel canto â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and there are plenty of people who do these genres well, who are born to them. What advice do you have for singers who either do, or would like to sing such a diversity of music? Wanting is not enough; you have to have the ability. Pay attention and listen to the greats of each genre. Enjoy yourself and be self-critical. There are many singers who can never liberate themselves from their classical training or habits and when that happens, it will sound very bad. My advantage is that I have a good ear and I like to analyse what I do. Additionally, I know very clearly what I want. A creative musical brain is a tremendous gift and I am very grateful for it. Pick a conductor and please describe how they work. Oh they are so different! For example, Abbado almost never spoke in rehearsals and what he did say was not particularly interesting. His rehearsals were not inspirational but at the concert, he was simply magical: very intense but also very calm. And then there was Solti, who put all his energy into rehearsals; you had to go to his hotel for a rehearsal, he gave you lunch, then we rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed; he would grab your arm and explain things, he was so consumed with music. This didn't always work in the music's favour but generally it was fantastic. Judit RĂĄcz

SATURDAY 27 FEBRUARY, 19.30

SUNDAY 28 FEBRUARY, 11.00

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC MIKLÓS LUKÁCS AND GUESTS

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND SPORT FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS

Miklós Lukács (cimbalom)

MIKLÓS LUKÁCS © TAMÁS DOBOS

Miklós Lukács graduated from the Liszt Academy and comes from a long line of musicians. While maintaining his ties to classical music, he also took up jazz and contemporary music. Through his special talent he brings to life the most varied music forms, be they composed or free improvisation. In seconds he blends into the given musical environment, recreating musical material with decisive movements and holding the audience spellbound through his relentlessly precise interpretation. In an interview, he declared that “I, together with my colleagues, have struggled long and hard to get the cimbalom the level of attention it deserves, opening a space for it to be accepted as a musical instrument of equal status, and for it to be absorbed into the global musical bloodstream … Our literature is contemporary music. Stravinsky was the first to write parts for the cimbalom. We did not have our own pieces from the age of the Viennese classics or the Romantic period (apart from arrangements). This is why we always have to be open to contemporary music.” The world premiere of the latest work by Péter Eötvös, written specifically for the cimbalom, was performed together with the Remix Ensemble in the Casa Di Música concert hall, Porto, Portugal in 2014. Scrolling though Miklós Lukács’s résumé, it is clear he has succeeded in capturing attention for the instrument. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 3 100, 4 300, 5 400 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Händel: Concerto Grosso in G major, Op. 6/1 J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major (BWV 1050) Gábor Homoki (violin); János Bálint (flute), Miklós Spányi (harpsichord) Concerto Armonico Budapest (artistic director: Miklós Spányi) Narrator: Gergely Fazekas Amongst schoolchildren there are those destined for maths, some are good at Hungarian while others are born geographers or historians. Of course, the various subcultures are not totally isolated from one another, and the pathway is especially free between them if we are talking about music. Music is a common denominator: it reveals as much about maths as it does about literature, geography or sport. The youth series of the Liszt Academy, that is, the four concerts in the chamber hall arranged in the framework of the Liszt Kidz Academy, venture into the latter four subjects, and this time it is the chance to delve into the correlations between music and sport. Is someone a winner in a concert, someone else a loser? Does a keyboard instrumentalist have to train his/her fingers? What does teamwork mean in music? This concert for 10–15-year-olds seeks answers to these and similar questions through performances of Bach and Händel works by Concerto Armonico (conductor: Miklós Spányi), with an intensity that would put many athletes to shame. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

GREAT CHRISTMAS FOLK MUSIC (30 DECEMBER 2014) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

TAMÁS BUBNÓ (22 MARCH 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

KATIA LABÈQUE (12 OCTOBER 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA 44

SNÉTBERGER TRIO (19 APRIL 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / ZOLTÁN TUBA

BARNABÁS KELEMEN (11 SEPTEMBER 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

MITSUKO UCHIDA & MAGDALENA KOŽENÁ (24 MAY 2015) © LISZT ACADEMY / LÁSZLÓ MUDRA 45

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY MARCH

FRIDAY 4 MARCH 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior Other TUESDAY 1 MARCH 2016, 18.00 SOLTI HALL

Mozart: Symphony No. 30 in D major (K. 202) Tchaikovsky: Pezzo Capriccioso, Op. 62 Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 2 in D minor Op. 119 Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60 Miklós Perényi (cello) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Gábor Takács-Nagy Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: MÁV Symphony Orchestra

THE STORY OF A MOTHER

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TUESDAY 1 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

WE ARE CHILDREN DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA WE STRIVE Liszt: Prometheus Janáček: Taras Bulba Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony, Op. 58 Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Stanislaw Kochanowsky Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200, 3 800, 4 700 Organizer: Danubia Orchestra Óbuda

WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016, 11.00 ROOM XXIII

Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Narrator and conductor: Gábor Hollerung Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 700, 3 200 Organizer: Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

SUNDAY 6 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

JAZZ IT! DAVE DOUGLAS & URI CAINE Page 54

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016, 20.00 GRAND HALL

TALENT OBLIGE ESZTER KARASSZON CHAMBER RECITAL Page 54

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

Barnabás Kelemen (violin) Budapest Academic Choral Society Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Conductor: Gábor Hollerung

THE STORY OF A MOTHER

Schubert: Quintet in C major (D. 956)

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Shostakovich: Festive Ouverture, Op. 96 Shostakovich: Violin Concert No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 Mozart: Davidde Penitente – Cantata (K. 469)

Page 52

UNDERSTANDING MUSIC DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY JAZZ-PLAYGROUND FOR 6–10 YEAR-OLDS

FOUR BY FOUR EMERSON STRING QUARTET Page 52

SUNDAY 6 MARCH 2016, 11.00 GRAND HALL

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

DAVE DOUGLAS

MONDAY 7 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

EMMANUEL PAHUD & FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA J. S. Bach: The Art of Fugue (BWV 1080) – 3 Fugues J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major (BWV 1048) C. Ph. E. Bach: Flute Concerto in D minor (Wq 22) W. F. Bach: String Symphony in F major (F. 67) C. P. E. Bach: String Symphony in B-flat major (Wq 182/2) J. S. Bach: Orchestral Suite in B minor (BWV 1067) Emmanuel Pahud (flute) Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 200, 5 500, 6 900 Organizer: Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

TUESDAY 8 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

SATURDAY 12 MARCH 2016, 15.30 GRAND HALL

FESTIVE CONCERT ON THE OCCASION OF THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL CHOIR

ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS BUDAPEST Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 ("Classical") Martinů: Oboe Concerto (H. 353) Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60

Verdi: Quattro pezzi sacri Péter Eötvös: Prayer Bartók: Cantata profana (BB 100) Ágnes Szalai (soprano), Ottokár Klein (tenor), Alexandru Agache (baritone) Hungarian National Choir Conductor: Mátyás Antal Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 500, 6 000 Organizer: Hungarian National Philharmonics

WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT ACADEMY OF YESTERDAY GREAT GENERATION IN A HEADWIND (1967–1980) SERIES BY ANDRÁS BATTA & SÁNDOR KOVÁCS Page 58 WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

LEGENDARY CONCERTS GERGELY MÉNESI & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 15 NOVEMBER 1909 – THE FIRST CONCERT OF LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Page 58

THURSDAY 10 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE ISTVÁN VÁRDAI, MATE BEKAVAC, IZABELLA SIMON

Péter Villányi (oboe) Zugló Philharmonics Budapest Conductor: Gábor Horváth ANDREA VIGH

Tickets: HUF 2 100, 2 300, 2 700 Organizer: Zugló Philharmonics Budapest THURSDAY 10 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – MASTERPIECES IN THREE MOVEMENTS DEBUSSY & RAVEL IMPRESSIONISM IN MUSIC Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 Debussy: Danse sacrée et danse profane Ravel-Salzedo: Sonatine for Violin, Cello and Harp Ravel: Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Cello in A minor Ravel: Introduction and Allegro, Op. 46 Andrea Vigh (harp); Béla Drahos (flute); Zsolt Szatmári (clarinet) Kelemen Quartet: Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas (violin); Oszkár Varga (viola); László Fenyő (cello) Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000, 8 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

FRIDAY 11 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHOIR Bach: St Matthew Passion (BWV 244) Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir (Choir master: Zoltán Pad)

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Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Hungarian Radio Music Ensembles

FRIDAY 11 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

ON THE SPOT THE PERCUSSION Page 60

SUNDAY 13 MARCH 2016, 10.30 GRAND HALL

STORY-TELLING MUSIC PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Hungarian Symphony Orchestra Miskolc Conductor: Tamás Gál Tickets: HUF 2 500 Organizer: Philharmonia Hungary

SUNDAY 13 MARCH 2016, 15.00 GRAND HALL

STORY-TELLING MUSIC PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Hungarian Symphony Orchestra Miskolc Conductor: Tamás Gál Tickets: HUF 2 500 Organizer: Philharmonia Hungary

MONDAY 14 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

IN TRIO FOR EQUALITY JÁNOS BALÁZS, ERNŐ KÁLLAI, GYÖRGY LAKATOS AND THEIR STUDENTS CHARITY CONCERT FOR THE HUNGARIAN INTERCHURCH AID Liszt: Grand duo concertant sur la Romance de M. Lafont Le Marin Bartók: Rhapsody No. 2 (BB 96) Ligeti: Duo Ligeti: Ballad and Dance – 1st and 2nd Movement Weiner: Divertimento, Op. 20/1 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet in C minor, Op. 1 – 1st Movement Mozart: Sonata in A major (K. 305) – 1st Movement Haydn: Piano Trio in G major (Hob.15) - Finale, Rondo All'Ongarese Schubert: Military March on G major (D. 733) Dvořák: Trio in C major, Op. 74 – 1st and 2nd Movement Mendelsshon: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80 – 1st Movement Vivaldi: Concerto for Three Violins in F major (RV 551) Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor ("Rákóczi March") János Balázs (piano) György Lakatos, Ernő Kállai (violin) Kállai Quartet: (Ernő Kállai, Géza Szajkó (violin); Kálmán Dráfi (viola); István Balázs (cello); László Onódi, Patrik Gergő Oláh (violin); Sándor Szalacsovis, Gyula Váradi, Bettina Foskolos, Kamilla Tóth (piano); Blanka Bolyki (cello); Zoltán Sztojka (viola) Chamber Orchestra formed of György Lakatos’ students (Concertmaster: József Lendvai, Jenő Farkas) Tickets: HUF 1 500, 1 800, 2 000, 2 200, 2 500

WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS BALÁZS SZOKOLAY PIANO RECITAL Page 60

THURSDAY 17 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

SUNDAY 20 MARCH 2016, 11.00 SOLTI HALL

ST MATTHEW PASSION

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND LITERATURE FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS

J. S. Bach: St Matthew Passion (BWV 244) Martin Lattke (tenor) Orfeo Orchestra and Purcell Choir Conductor: Helmuth Rilling

Page 61 SUNDAY 20 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 Organizer: Philharmonia Hungary

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS CONCERT OF CONCERTO BUDAPEST

FRIDAY 18 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

Messiaen: Three Small Liturgies of the Divine Presence Haydn: The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross (Hob III: 50-56) – Orchestral version

VOICE, SO CLOSE KLÁRA CSORDÁS & JORY VINIKOUR Page 61

SATURDAY 19 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS CONCERT OF CONCERTO BUDAPEST Messiaen: Three Small Liturgies of the Divine Presence Haydn: The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross (Hob III: 50-56) – orchestral version

Keller Quartet: András Keller, Zsófia Környei (violin); Zoltán Gál (viola); Judit Szabó (cello) Fülöp Ránki (piano), Bruno Perrault (Ondes Martenot) Pro Musica Girls Choir (Choir master: Dénes Szabó) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller Tickets: HUF 3 200, 4 200, 5 600, 6900 Organizer: Concerto Budapest

MOONLIGHT DANCE JUDIT TÍMÁR & PANNON PHILHARMONIC

Tickets: HUF 3 200, 4 200, 5 600, 6900 Organizer: Concerto Budapest

TUESDAY 22 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

MONDAY 21 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

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ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN FOLK EMBASSY POLISH-HUNGARIAN DAY Page 64

THURSDAY 24 MARCH 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL

WEDNESDAY 30 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GERMAN EVENING

HOMMAGE À STRAVINSKY III. SERIES OF THE UMZE & CONCERTO BUDAPEST

Beethoven: Leonora Overture No. 3, Op. 72/b Hindemith: Matthias the Painter Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Irwin Hoffman

Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments Boulez: Pli selon pli – Don Boulez: Pli selon pli – Tombeau Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: MÁV Symphony Orchestra

Zoltán Fejérvári (piano) Concerto Budapest UMZE Chamber Ensemble Conductor: Zoltán Rácz

FRIDAY 25 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Tickets: HUF 2 200, 3 500, 4 700, 5 900 Organizer: Concerto Budapest

PURE BAROQUE PURCELL CHOIR & ORFEO ORCHESTRA Page 64

THURSDAY 31 MARCH 2016, 18.00 SOLTI HALL

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THURSDAY 31 MARCH 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE FRANK PETER ZIMMERMANN & GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER GUSTAV RIVINIUS

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TUESDAY 29 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE VILMOS SZABADI, RIVINIUS GUSTAV, MÁRTA GULYÁS Page 68

WEDNESDAY 30 MARCH 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

THE STORY OF A MOTHER

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FRANK PETER ZIMMERMANN

LET BARTÓK BELONG TO EVERYONE! This year, the 70 year copyright on Bartók's compositions following his death expires. It means that legally speaking, his works are now public property. Meanwhile, the decadeslong debate still rages over who possess the “prerogative” for authentic performances of Bartók's works.

Bartók is not just one of the emblematic figures of Hungarian musical history; he is also one of the seminal creators and shapers of 20th century western musical culture. This duality flatters our national pride but it is also creates conflicts. Because if “Bartók is ours” (as the old slogan proclaims), then it is incumbent on us Hungarians alone to share a correct interpretation of Bartók's oeuvre and certain works with the world at large. This (to some extent justifiable) mission has tacitly accompanied us in everything which Hungarian musicians have performed on foreign tours or in recordings and also in everything which Hungarian Bartók researchers have published and are publishing in foreign languages. But the message has not always hit the mark and we cannot just lay the blame on the eternally uncomprehending foreigner – no less important is that a listener from a different cultural background will quite literally hear and feel the music differently to a Hungarian musician who will largely be more familiar with the work's cultural and musical background. The most obvious example of these differing perceptions can be found in the long-running debate about the relationship between the different creative elements of Bartók's style. Bartók himself said in an interview that (together with Kodály) he wanted to create a “synthesis of East and West” and this approach has been enthusiastically propagated by many subsequent Bartók researchers. For example Halsey Stevens wrote in an important monograph in 1953 that he attributed to Bartók “the highest musical synthesis of the era”, while in 1966 János Kárpáti devoted a separate volume to demonstrating three different syntheses in the oeuvre: the first unifying the inheritance of the great European predecessors, the second finding a common denominator with the various musical directions of Bartók's contemporaries, while the third solved the apparent incompatibility of folk and art music. The majority of foreign analysts, however, have been sceptical about the possibilities of this kind of synthesis. René Leibowitz wrote in a much quoted article in 1947 that he felt Bartók's strivings for synthesis led precisely to artistic compromise, inhibiting the composer from ultimately ridding himself of the obsolete remains of earlier musical styles. In more recent literature, the British musicologist David Cooper said that in Bartók “it is the fracture deriving from the styles competing with each other and not their synthesis that drives the music forward.” One of the most prominent experts of 20th century music history, Arnold Whittal, said that Bartók's music is unstable with complete and fragmented contours – in other words, both writers believe that the predominant feature of Bartók's works is the juxtaposition of different stylistic elements rather than unified synthesis. And it is precisely this fragmentation which, according to a post-modern scale of values, actually becomes an important virtue.

At first sight, these kinds of puzzles can appear as glass bead games, and in truth they have left a perceptible trace on the performing practise of Bartók's works. Hungarian performers find it easier to identify folk music roots and are naturally are more inclined to emphasise these features in the works: being aware of the (hopefully) authentic performance of these models, their playing gains an unmistakeably “Hungarian” colouring. But someone who approaches Bartók as a member of the avant garde of his time, for whom the elements shared with Stravinsky or Schoenberg appears the “foundation” will produce interpretations with quite different emphases. But there is no argument that in Bartók's works we find a variety of juxtaposed building blocks, so it is not easy to define the criteria for an “authentic” performance. If on some foreign CDs we hear what is to us an unmistakable “folk accompaniment” with blurred emphases, we find it hard to forgive. But I have heard from foreign colleagues discussing older Hungarian Bartók recordings that the characters communicated are very convincing but they can't hear the notes themselves – this criticism is partly an observation of orchestral culture from the years of socialism, but also the relative indifference of Hungarian performers to the “avant garde” strata in Bartók's music. Finally, we should bear strongly in mind that a Hungarian passport is no guarantee that a performer is sufficiently au fait with the background to Bartók's music since his style incorporates not just Hungarian but also Romanian, Slovak and even Arab elements. Rather, it is a regional identity that perhaps helps the performer, as Zoltán Kocsis alluded to in an interview to Holmi magazine ten years ago: “In the case of Bartók, if someone is East European, then they understand not just their musical mother tongue but also the characteristics of neighbouring people more easily than someone from another continent or even from Western Europe. It is my experience that the further someone has come geographically and topographically, the harder it is to teach them Bartók.” So when on March 2 nd 2016 the Emerson String Quartet performs Bartók's String Quartet No. 4, it will be worth focussing our ears. The ensemble recorded Bartók's six quartets a quarter of a century ago, and although their CD won a Grammy, certain critics felt it lacked a certain “Bartokian hardness”. Have perhaps the quartet members been listening to authentic peasant music since then? Whatever the answer, four supreme musicians are going to reveal their own Bartók to us – and this is in all likelihood it is going to be different from our own version and for this reason, we can learn much from it. Balázs Mikusi

TUESDAY 1 MARCH, 18.00 WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH, 19.00

WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH, 19.30

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL THE STORY OF A MOTHER Gyula Fekete: The Story of a Mother (one-act chamber opera) Libretto written by Zsuzsa Beney based on the work of H. C. Andersen Death: Attila Dolhai Mother: Tünde Frankó Briar: Soma Langer Night: Veronika Nádasi Lake: Anita Lukács Gravedigger: Domonkos Blazsó Stage design: Mária Ambrus Costumes: Mari Benedek Music director: Krisztián Balassa Assistant to the director: András Tucker Music assistants: Anikó Katona, László Szekeres Choreography: Andrea Ladányi Director: Sándor Zsótér Orchestra of the Budapest Operetta Theatre Conductor: Krisztián Balassa This is a heart-rending story about the mother-child relationship based on the work by Hans Christian Andersen. Composer Gyula Fekete, head of the Liszt Academy’s Composition Department, brings together the complex picture of selfless, self-sacrificing love in a melodious, modern popular-style composition. “Typically for Andersen, the tale starts off sadly, becoming darker and darker as it progresses, although strangely enough the conclusion – thanks to the author’s genius – achieves transcendent heights as it reveals the complexity of love: if we truly love somebody then we must have the courage to let them go, however painful that may be, so that they can discover their own happiness which may exclude us.” Tickets: HUF 2 000, 2 500 Organizer: Budapest Operetta Theatre, Liszt Academy Concert Centre 52

FOUR BY FOUR EMERSON STRING QUARTET Schubert: String Quartet in A minor (D. 804) Bartók: String Quartet No. 4 (BB 95) Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor, Op. 30 Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker, Philip Setzer (violin); Lawrence Dutton (viola); Paul Watkins (cello) This concert in the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy by a leading string quartet promises to be a real treat. One reason is that in 2016 the world-renowned formation celebrates their 40th anniversary. In 1976 students of the Juilliard School decided they would like to cultivate this noble genre of chamber music professionally. The choice of name for the quartet draws an exciting parallel with the unworldliness of the genre and the ultimately refined culture of performance: American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson was active as a famous advocate of 19th century transcendental movements and the endeavours of individualists. With their latest triumph, the Emerson String Quartet, nine times Grammy winners, captured a gong for a Bartók album—a first. Over the past four decades they have released over 30 albums and their discography spans the cream of the string quartet literature. This concert picks out three immortal, classical works from a fantastically diverse repertoire. Tickets: HUF 1 400, 2 100, 3 500, 4 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

EMERSON STRING QUARTET © LISA-MARIE MAZZUCCO

FROM DESK TO STAGE Ten years after its completion, the Miskolc Opera Festival in partnership with the Operetta Theatre is putting on a production of the opera by Gyula Fekete. The work is being staged several times in the Sir Georg Solti Chamber Hall. This was the ideal occasion for a conversation with the head of the Liszt Academy’s Department of Composition.

Where do you position this opera in your oeuvre and in the tradition of the genre? I consider all my own compositions to be independent works, not as a part of an oeuvre. However, as far as the relationship of the tradition of opera and my opera is concerned, I can say more because this is rather a practical question. The storyline of the opera is linear, following the dramaturgy of the Andersen fairy tale, which is very reliable and well-structured as well as providing a stable construct. I owe a lot to poet Zsuzsa Beney, who wrote the libretto on the basis of the fairy tale. Those long afternoon meetings are unforgettable, with Zsuzsa analysing, interpreting the fairy tale and creating the text with great affection, care and mulling over every word for days. “Requiem drama” – this at least is what we can read in various guides: how should we interpret this definition? The definition of the genre “Requiem drama” does not come from me, but if I remember correctly from Gergely Kesselyák, the director of the Miskolc Opera Festival. The basis of this definition may be a reference to the possible death of the kidnapped child, and the drama refers to the tragedy of the mother searching endlessly for her child. The opera was staged by Sándor Zsótér. I generally do not exceed my sphere of authority as a composer. Directing is a different profession and I look on the directors of my operas openly and as creative partners. Opera is a musical stage genre where I compose the music, but putting it on stage is outside my remit. As for Zsótér, I looked forward to the meeting with curiosity and, of course, I was rooting for him. His vision as director uncovers new dimensions in the work, which were made even more special through the choreography of Andrea Ladányi. Wasn’t it odd at first sight to imagine the premiere of a contemporary opera with Attila Dolhai? Absolutely not. The parts of the opera are written in such a way that they provide opportunities for singers who feel at home in different genres to perform together. Thus Tünde Frankó comes from an opera background, Attila Dolhai, Veronika Nádasi, Soma Langer are more musicals oriented, while the voice training of Anita Lukács, perfect for the operetta, blends well during the performance. Krisztián Balassa, music director and conductor of the production, was hugely supportive in combining these variables into a single entity. I would also like to mention Domonkos Blazsó, who is studying under Péter Fried at the Liszt Academy as a vocalist, and who also has a role in the work. I am grateful that the Operetta Theatre and the Miskolc Opera Festival took on the piece, which finally made it from the desk to the stage thanks to the work of many excellent artists.

THE STORY OF A MOTHER

Ferenc László 53

SATURDAY 5 MARCH, 11.00

SATURDAY 5 MARCH, 20.00

SUNDAY 6 MARCH, 19.00

ROOM XXIII

SOLTI HALL

TALENT OBLIGE ESZTER KARASSZON CHAMBER RECITAL

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY JAZZ PLAYGROUND FOR 6–10 YEAR-OLDS Kristóf Bacsó (saxophone) Márton Fenyvesi (guitar) Narrator and percussion: András Dés

János Vajda: Just for you Lendvay: Seven Short Pieces for two Cellos Ákos Bánlaky: Tarantella Gárdonyi: Sonata Bartók: Duos (BB 104) Kodály: Duo, Op. 7 Eszter Karasszon (cello) Dénes Karasszon (cello) István Lajkó (piano)

JAZZ IT! DAVE DOUGLAS & URI CAINE Dave Douglas (trumpet) Uri Caine (piano)

Eszter Karasszon has compiled a daring concert programme for her cello recital: instead of classical masterpieces she appears on stage to play various 20 th century Hungarian solo and chamber works. The opening piece in the concert (part of the Talent Oblige series showcasing top talents from the Liszt Academy) is János Vajda’s Just for you solo written in 1984. This is followed by Seven Short Pieces for Two Cellos by Kamilló Lendvay, which the composer penned in 1999 for Eszter Karasszon’s Liszt Academy professor, Csaba Onczay, and his son, Zoltán Onczay. But the family connections don’t end there: Eszter Karasszon’s chamber partner in the Lendvay work is her brother, Dénes Karasszon, cellist with the orchestra of the Opera House. The concert’s first half ends with Kodály’s Duo, written in his youth and a piece that poses considerable musical challenges for the performer. Vilmos Szabadi, Liszt Prize artist and professor at the Liszt Academy, plays the violin part. In the Sonata by Zoltán Gárdonyi he is partnered by the Prima Junior Prize Winner pianist, István Lajkó.

Any attempt to pigeonhole the musical style of trumpeter Dave Douglas or pianist Uri Caine is doomed to failure. Nevertheless their duo is a modern-day classic. Both are accomplished instrumentalists and their compositions have permeated the American east coast’s jazz scene for decades. Although Caine has been a member of the Douglas band since the turn of the millennium, and they have proven their coordinated harmony in several joint recordings, Present Joys (2014) was their first duo album, and it immediately won enthusiastic support among a wide circle of music fans and in professional circles. Some of the raw ingredients on this recording are picked from the Sacred Harp songbook, bringing together elements of Protestant hymns and American folk songs from the southern states of American in the 1700s. Naturally their own compositions are also on this lyrical album which displays sonic intimacy while also revealing a spirit for experimentation. These two masters of improvisation take us on a similar adventure in the Liszt Academy.

Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 3 400, 4 100 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

DIALOGUE OF TRADITIONS Uri Caine is unsettlingly hard to classify as a composer: his works demonstrate that post-modernist aesthetics and certain modern trends in jazz share many common points. They renounce a linear depiction of history; they are fixated with allusions and eclecticism and to questioning the traditional terms of originality and authorship.

If Vincent Cotro was correct in his 2005 study that since the 1980s, the past has become more important than the present in jazz, then we might regard Uri Caine as one of the key figures of the genre. His oeuvre to date has truly been conceived under the enchantment of the past. He employs a wide scale of references in his performances. Conspicuous processes include collage and quotation, while he playfully deletes the conventional terms of hierarchy, genre and style. He has re-interpreted such representatives of the classical canon as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Wagner, Verdi and Gershwin, but it would seem that Mahler has exerted the most profound influence on him: on several recordings and DVDs, he has turned to the author of Kindertotenlieder and in 1997 his first Mahler album, Urlicht won the Toblacher Komponierhäuschen prize awarded for the best Mahler interpretation of the year. And yet we primarily define Caine as a jazz performer whose earliest recordings featured him playing modern “straight ahead” jazz, before discovering for himself the joys of transcribing and rewriting the works of the classical music canon under the aegis of post-modernist eclecticism. The objective of his preoccupation with the past is not reconstruction, nor adaptation or revitalisation, but rather re-reading and the ensuing act of recreation, during the course of which he does not jazzify classical extracts but in a sharply unpredictable stylistic blend ( jazz, latin, dub etc) creates something new from classical fragments. To all intents and purposes, Caine discovered Mahler for jazz. Even in his first reading (Urlicht/Primal Light, 1997) we don't find the kitsch that is all too frequently present in crossover; rather, he undertakes a radical reinterpretation of extracts from the Viennese composer's works: despite coming from Philadelphia, Caine reconstructs a central European Jewish jazz tradition which is not a challenge to the Afro-American musical tradition but supplements it. The result is a pluralistic musical phenomenon in which the different cultural traditions unite with each other to form an open and equal dialogue. The roots of his strivings – particularly in relation to Mahler – can be found not in jazz history but with classical composers. He further develops the trend launched by Schoenberg in Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen and which Berio followed in the third movement of his Sinfonia. When we hear Caine's classical pieces, above all we must find an answer to the question – and this is not easy – whether we are hearing a transcription or his own (re)-composition. This ambiguity is deliberate. According to one possible explanation, Caine is selecting these two qualities and mixing them, always unpredictably. We can also say that for a jazz musician of Caine's stamp, the customary categorisation in classical music of performance, arrangement and re-composition have no validity. Because these recordings are placed in a zone between classical and jazz that is hard to define, the judgement of Uri Caine's music will not be satisfactory using conventional aesthetic categories for classical music or jazz. This is because the concept of authorship and originality can mean something different in classical and jazz discourse.

Mahler is particularly problematic material, since from several perspectives he, too, lies in border territory: romanticism and modernism, the urban Christian Western Europe and the rural Jewish Central Europe. Europeans (Bruno Walter) and Americans (Leonard Bernstein) have both claimed his artistic heritage as their own. It is also clear from Caine's selection of themes that he does not reject the tradition characteristic of all music but deliberately selects between traditions, placing some in the foreground, while ignoring others, and with Caine this latter gesture also has great importance. His articulation is at once situational. His music avoids the categorical borderlines, and what is important is not how he synthesises different traditions (which would not be a great novelty in our current era of using and proclaiming the juxtaposition of a diversity of styles) but rather how he treats the demands for identity of the individual elements. Jazz explores Bach and Wagner, but that does not mean that in this music, jazz is necessarily the determining stylistic element. We can say very many things about these types of music, but not that they are “jazzed up” versions of old composers. On his first two records, Caine rethought works by important pianists in jazz history (Thelonius Monk, Herbie Hancock). Even then he did not approach the performers through conventional means: his attitude as a performer instead linked him to the downtown avant garde of the Manhattan Knitting Factory where John Zorn, Dave Douglas and co were the artists showing the way. As a pianist, Caine is perhaps best thought of as a disciple of Herbie Hancock but as a composer and band leader, he has no predecessors: he is a unique phenomenon. While on his record Village Vanguard (2004) he can be heard in a conventional trio, in the Toys album he “quotes” Mahler's First Symphony but it is almost indistinguishable from the funk musical background. The idea for an independent Mahler album primarily came from the Winter brothers' record company: they were just thinking in terms of film music. The Uri Caine Ensemble provided live music in the Knitting Factory for a silent Mahler film in 1995, the DVD accompanied with sound only appeared in 2005 under the title Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen. Caine has always approached the music he selects deconstructively and uses eclecticism to organise it into a work which in most cases is impossible to label as contemporary jazz music or as something else entirely. We can observe the strata principal of marked eclecticism on his records published by Winter & Winter which does not really go in for traditional generic classification: different musical layers pile up one on top of the other, from jazz motifs to laptop noise, but in the end, it is undecided which strata should be regarded as the “real” one. György Máté J. URI CAINE © BILL DOUTHAR 57

WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH, 19.00

WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH, 19.30

THURSDAY 10 MARCH, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

LEGENDARY CONCERTS GERGELY MÉNESI AND & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 15 NOVEMBER 1909 FIRST CONCERT BY THE LISZT ACADEMY ORCHESTRA Liszt: Ce qu’on entend sur la montagne Bartók: Rhapsody (BB 36b) Mozart: Symphony in G minor (K. 550) Peter Benoit: Charlotte Corday overture

LISZT ACADEMY OF YESTERDAY GREAT GENERATION IN A HEADWIND (1967–1980) SERIES BY ANDRÁS BATTA & KOVÁCS SÁNDOR

Two Liszt Academy music history professors Sándor Kovács and András Batta bring to life chapters from the past of the Liszt Academy on the occasion of the 140th academic year of the institution. In the final episode, the two narrators take the audience back to their own youth, to a time when Sándor Kovács and András Batta were students of the academy. We gain a glimpse into a period when legendary violinist Dénes Kovács introduced numerous reforms as rector of the Liszt Academy (these impacted on the gifted young artists just as much as orchestral training), and when the Liszt Academy had on its student roll such figures as Zoltán Kocsis, Dezső Ránki, András Schiff, Miklós Perényi and Eszter Perényi. The discourse of the two artists, richly illustrated with musical examples and archive material, is certain to include personal anecdotes and stories; and knowing them, there’ll be no shortage of humour either.

This is a chance to become a time traveller: the orchestra of the Liszt Academy perform a programme from 110 years ago, this time in a compilation that promises to be very exciting indeed. At that time Jenő Hubay conducted the ensemble, with a young teacher of the institution at the piano, Béla Bartók. He played the Rhapsody, Op. 1 written for piano and orchestra which premiered in 1905 and was a daringly modern piece at the time. Also heard at the concert was the first symphonic poem of Ferenc Liszt (the spiritual father of the Liszt Academy and nominated its president by the Hungarian Parliament) as well as Mozart’s penultimate symphony, the popularity of which was counterbalanced by the work closing the recital. The name of Belgian-born Peter Benoit – who likely knew Jenő Hubay, one-time head of the violin department of the Brussels Conservatory – is associated with the establishment of the Flemish national school. The Symphony Orchestra of the Liszt Academy is conducted by Gergely Ménesi who oversees the day-to-day operation of the ensemble. The soloist is the young American-Hungarian pianist Peter Klimo.

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 400, 2 100, 3 500, 4 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Guests: Zoltán Jeney, András Keller

Peter Klimo (piano) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Gergely Ménesi

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE ISTVÁN VÁRDAI, MATE BEKAVAC, IZABELLA SIMON Beethoven: Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11 Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-f lat major, Op. 120/2 Schumann: Fantasia Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 73 Brahms: Trio in A minor, Op. 114 István Várdai (cello); Mate Bekavac (clarinet); Izabella Simon (piano) Three instruments, three superb performers, three brilliant composers and four masterpieces – this is one way of summing up the concert in which the brilliant Mate Bekavac performs with Izabella Simon and Várdai István, two artists well known to Hungarian audiences. The Slovene clarinettist studied with Béla Kovács in Graz before perfecting his skills in Salzburg, at the Juilliard School and in Paris at the Conservatoire; he has worked together with conductors such as Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Charles Mackerras and Christopher Hogwood, and played chamber music, his absolute passion, with such famed musicians as Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Sol Gabetta. He is a highly sought-after musician globally, having managed to attain remarkable results at the same top competitions as the young Hungarian teacher of the Kronberg Academy, István Várdai, who won the ARD Competition in 2014 and took third prize at the Geneva Music Competition and prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Tickets: HUF 4 500, 5 400 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

ENTRY IN THE GUEST BOOK OF LISZT ACADEMY JORDI SAVALL (19 MAY 2015)

FRIDAY 11 MARCH, 19.00

WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH, 19.30

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

ON THE SPOT THE PERCUSSION Steve Reich: Quartet Ligeti: "With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles" Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141 (chamber version) Judit Szathmáry (mezzo-soprano); Emese Mali, József Balog, Krisztián Andor (piano); Helga Kiss, Dániel Janca (vibraphone); Arne Christian Sundby, Gyula Lajhó, Ádám Hlaszny, Gergő Vörös, Mátyás Standovár, Ákos Balla, Zoltán Rácz (percussion); Eszter Osztrosits (violin); Ágnes Márkus (cello) Conductor and artistic director: Zoltán Rácz

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS BALÁZS SZOKOLAY SOLO RECITAL Debussy: Preludes Debussy: Etudes Debussy: Two Arabesques Debussy: Pour le Piano Scriabin: Nocturne and Prelude for the left hand Scriabin: Preludes from the Op. 11 series Scriabin: Etudes from Op. 8 and Op. 42 series Scriabin: Two Poems, Op. 32 Scriabin: Sonata Op. 30/4 Balázs Szokolay (piano)

In the course of the On the Spot series showcasing the Liszt Academy’s depart ments, it is now the turn of percussion students to step into the limelight. Given the repertoire of the instruments, new music plays a key role in the life of Kossuth Prize winner and founder of the Amadinda percussion ensemble Zoltán Rácz, who is head of the percussion department. Accordingly, the first half of the concert is devoted to two 21 st century works. György Ligeti’s last completed composition, With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles, an absurd and at the same time profoundly human masterpiece written for works by poet and author Sándor Weöres, was finished in 2000 (Amadinda performed at the world premiere), while the Steve Reich Quartet for Two Marimbas and Two Pianos was first presented to the public in 2014. After the interval, the audience has the pleasure of Symphony No. 15 by Shostakovich, in a special arrangement for chamber musicians. Victor Derevienko composed the arrangement for three percussionists, violin, cello and piano of the last symphony by Shostakovich, dated 1971.

“The music of Scriabin, this exalted genius, has always excited me; his mature style is unmistakeably individual,” says Liszt Prize laureate pianist Balázs Szokolay. “A few years ago I was on the jury of a Scriabin competition in Moscow, since when the art and concepts of the remarkable composer who died a hundred years ago have taken up ever more of my time. Perhaps it would have been more convenient to marry his preludes with those of Chopin, since the music of the Polish master proved highly influential in his early period. However, I wanted something a bit more unusual, which is why I chose Debussy instead to pair with Scriabin, but another justification for the programme is that at the beginning of the 20th century Russian and French art were entwined to a remarkable degree, and these two greats created their music at exactly the same time as well as being renowned pianists. It was a fascinating and exciting job placing their miniature piano poetry alongside one another, yet there was still room for a major work from each composer.”

Tickets: HUF 1600 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

FRIDAY 18 MARCH, 19.00

SUNDAY 20 MARCH, 11.00

SOLTI HALL

VOICE, SO CLOSE KLÁRA CSORDÁS & JORY VINIKOUR

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND LITERATURE FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS

Works by Monteverdi, Purcell, Frescobaldi, Händel, J. S. Bach, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Schoenberg, Britten, Bolcom, Weill, Gershwin and Kosma Klára Csordás (mezzo-soprano) Jory Vinikour (harpsichord, piano)

KLÁRA CSORDÁS © VIVIEN GUY

Debussy: Moonlight (L. 75/3) Fauré: Moonlight (Minuet), Op. 46/2 Debussy: Moonlight (L. 86/3) F. Schubert: Wanderer’s Nightsong (D. 224) Wolf: Wanderer’s Nightsong Liszt: Wanderer’s Nightsong Liszt: 123 rd Petrarch Sonnet

The diverse experience of mezzosoprano Klára Csordás, who resides in Paris, is perhaps only surpassed by her artistic openness and curiosity. She launched her career as an opera singer in Vienna before continuing it in Stockholm. Since then she has taken to the stage in New York, Paris, Buenos Aires, Frankfurt and Tbilisi, among other destinations. Not only does her opera and lieder repertoire have space for works and roles created several hundred years apart and representing the most varied of styles, but at the same time she can take on parts in a whole range of languages. Over the course of the years she has worked alongside numerous contemporary composers (e.g. Péter Eötvös and Sofia Gubaidulina), and had a close working relationship with Salvatore Sciarrino and Mauricio Kagel. For this Liszt Academy concert she is accompanied by American harpsichordist and pianist Jory Vinikour, who is equally at home playing Baroque and modern music, and whose solo discs have been twice nominated for Grammys. He has appeared together with famous artists such as Magdalena Kožená and Rolando Villazón, while he recorded the album Music for a While for Deutsche Grammophon in partnership with Anne Sofie von Otter.

Amongst schoolchildren there are those destined for maths, some are good at Hungarian while others are born geographers or historians. Of course, the various subcultures are not totally isolated from one another, and the path way is especially free between them if we are talking about music. Music is a common denominator: it reveals as much about maths as it does about literature, geography or sport. The youth series of the Liszt Academy, that is, the four concerts in the chamber hall arranged in the framework of the Liszt Kidz Academy, venture into the latter four subjects, and on this, the final presentation, it is the moment to examine the linkage between music and literature. What happens to a poem when it is set to music? Does one need a good verse for a good tune, or does a good tune ruin a good verse? How is it possible to think in a literary way in music? This concert for 10–15-year-olds seeks answers to these and similar questions with the help of songs and piano pieces dating from the era of poets of music, the 19th century. Our two guides are Renáta Darázs and Péter Kiss, longestablished chamber partners known for their intellectual prowess.

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Renáta Darázs (soprano) Péter Kiss (piano) Narrator: Gergely Fazekas

PARITY There is no better example of the symbiosis of teaching and concert performing than the “On the Spot” series introducing the departments of the Liszt Academy. On the occasion of the percussionists’ concert, head of the percussion department Zoltán Rácz, Kossuth Prize laureate and founder of Amadinda, and pianist Balázs Fülei, director of the Chamber Music Workshop, spoke about the case for criticism, thoughtful art teaching and the ideal teacherstudent relationship.

In April 2015, Professor Rácz let fly at a well-known critic, who the professor reckons criticized a production without having any basis for such comments. Do you prepare your students for self-defence against critics? ZOLTÁN RÁCZ: I wrote a few choice words of which I am not proud, followed by a longer text, every word of which I avow. I am not calling into question freedom of speech and expression, but I do resent slander. Neither F. M. nor other critics can take advantage of the fact that while fewer than a thousand can buy tickets to a concert, ten times as many can read his words. It is a minimum requirement to be cognizant of the origin and performance history of the work being reviewed. BALÁZS FÜLEI: I think that criticism is a taste-shaping genre, or at least this is what it should be. A sort of guideline on the basis of which the audience, uncertain in its own judgement, comes to a decision about whether what they heard was in fact good or bad. However, criticism is becoming increasingly an advertisement, with campaigns disguised as criticism being organized that influence an entire career. Of course, this sort of thing happened in earlier times, too, but the proportions were different. I am not a great reader of art criticism, but I think that earlier the professionalism was stronger and the marketing character did not dominate. As a matter of fact, I regularly write reviews after department concerts, reflecting on the performance of my students. The texts contain assertions and observations that I truly do believe, and some which I don’t think are true. The task of students is to decide what they can take from the criticism. In other words, whether they believe what is not true, whether or not they take to heart personal remarks, and whether they notice what is truly worth considering. I think the only thing that counts is what is dictated by our judgement. Freedom of speech exists, everyone can say what they want; the artist must do his or her thing. As far as the artists are concerned, the “inner voice” ruthlessly voices the self-criticism; in this, there are no lies.. RZ: It is a very good method, it is just a pity that according to this it has no use. Not even when a production is criticized in such a way that it is compared with another? RZ: How many times did Béla Bartók listen to Mozart recordings? Who’s interested in the recordings? After all, there is the sheet music, the original work, it contains everything. And by the way, I would start Liszt Academy training by teaching students to read sheet music. Today, some classical musicians are practically incapable of finding their way around a score. They play pieces that the audience know by ear, too, and conductors lead works which require the score only as a reminder, even though a re-reading could tell them much more. Simply because we have a different ear. Balázs’s

or my hearing is to a significant extent accustomed to the music of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Thelonious Monk or Miles Davis, which supposes a totally different attitude to that of 100 years ago. It could not be otherwise. John Cage once said to me that percussion music is beautiful because it always sounds different. I think this is true for all music. If somebody is required to copy somebody, then this is ridiculous. FB: It is not necessary to imitate but rather to understand and reformulate within. RZ: I think that music can be learned from composers. We cannot phone up Schubert, but we had been able to phone up Ligeti or now we can get in touch with Eötvös and those who are still with us. Make no mistake, Haydn and Mozart were also contemporary composers in the strictest sense of the word. It is incredibly important for a person to deal with the music of his own age. I think only in this way can our predecessors be understood. FB: In the event of uncertainties in interpretation, I reckon that primarily the composer has to be questioned, and if in no other way, then through the study of co-pieces. The fact is that the answers are there in the oeuvre. This is akin to the prosecutor’s evidence... All this requires the training of thoughtful artists. RZ. Why, is there any other way? I really like reading the scrolling quotes in the top right-hand corner of the home page of zeneakademia.hu. They tell us what the purpose of teaching at the academy is. FB: When meeting for the first time, I always ask students who come to me what they are training for. Almost nobody has an answer. The fact is that in the Liszt Academy these days the majority are just preparing or the next exam, or for a competition, perhaps a concert, and finally for their diploma. However, they should be preparing themselves for something completely different right from the very first moment. RZ: Don’t forget that at the same time, for this two acts of the by now virtually extinct teacher-student relationship are necessary. When a student selects a teacher, this assumes an absolute commitment, and when a teacher accepts a student, the teacher undertakes far-reaching responsibility for him or her. Tamás Vajna

ZOLTÁN RÁCZ & BALÁZS FÜLEI © ANDREA FELVÉGI 63

MONDAY 21 MARCH, 19.30

TUESDAY 22 MARCH, 19.00

FRIDAY 25 MARCH, 19.30

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

MOONLIGHT DANCE JUDIT TÍMÁR & PANNON PHILHARMONIC

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN FOLK EMBASSY HUNGARIAN-POLISH DAY

Griffes: Poem Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire Stravinsky: Chant du rossignol Ibert: Flute Concerto

Márta Sebestyén (vocals) Janusz Prusinowski (violin) Milán Hetényi (vocals) Júlia Paput, Bence Fekete (dance) Hungarian Folk Embassy: András Soós, Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács (violin); Luca Hegedűs (cimbalom); Tamás Orsós (viola); Hanszul Zoltán (double bass)

Judit Tímár (flute) Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra

PURE BAROQUE PURCELL CHOIR & ORFEO ORCHESTRA Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri Purcell Choir, Orfeo Orchestra Conductor: György Vashegyi

The finest symphony orchestras can always boast of having superb soloists – the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra can do just this, thanks to Judit Tímár, among others. The artist, who has been first flautist with the Pécs orchestra since 1997, studied under István Barth, Gyula Csetényi and Zoltán Gyöngyössy, while she perfected her talent as a scholarship-holder at the Conservatorio della Swizzera Italiana, Lugano, under the direction of Mario Ancillotti, first flautist of the Rome radio orchestra. It may appear unusual that after several decades of orchestral work she is just now completing her doctoral studies, but according to one of her favourite fables, that person who constantly cuts down trees does not win the tree-felling contest, but rather the person who occasionally stops to sharpen the blunt axe blade. The programme of the DLA concert of Judit Tímár comprises works from the diverse flute repertoire; the opening piece is a single-movement, French orchestrated flute concerto by a little known American composer who died at the age of 35.

Hungarian Folk Embassy was established by folk musician, historian Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács with the aim of having the orchestra represent Hungary at international cultural forums, primarily in countries of strategic importance to the homeland, through authentic Hungarian folk music. This initiative may well contribute to an informal strengthening of diplomatic relations, not to mention the recognition at a high level of the validity and case for folk music. The other goal of the orchestra is to re-establish a close link between vernacular culture and civil intelligentsia. Such a symbiosis may prove essential for all concerned: this is how the genre of “urban folk music” could survive, established by the intelligentsia relying on peasant culture. The band are convinced that only urbanites utilizing folk culture on a day-to-day basis are capable of providing Hungary with the long-term intellectual background that can become resistant to attempts at cultural unification in the 21st century.

As a young man Johann Sebastian Bach walked 450 kilometres to hear the organ playing of Dietrich Buxtehude. Ironically, it was precisely Bach who obscured the name and the work of the German Baroque composer (b. 1637, d. 1707) for later generations, although he wrote superb music, one example of which is the Latin cantata cycle connected with the afflictions of Jesus, and which – suitably enough – is performed on Good Friday by fine vocal soloists and the Purcell Choir, who play on period instruments. The seven-movement masterpiece created in 1680 is an extremely varied musical composition rich in characters. Conductor and early music specialist György Vashegyi has already drawn the attention of audiences to many works that were lost in obscurity over the centuries; together with his two ensembles founded 25 years ago. To the delight of audiences he explores the Baroque age both in a geographical and stylistic sense, and he is associated with remarkable and important premieres in Hungary. This production is a further shining example of this exciting journey of discovery.

Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 100, 5 200, 6 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

CHURCH MUSIC IN THE 21ST CENTURY This academic year marks a double anniversary for the Church Music Department: the 90th anniversary of the formation of the department in 1926, and the 25th anniversary of its reestablishment in 1990. We spoke with Ágnes Dobszay, current head of the department, about this twin jubilee.

How has the functioning of the Department of Church Music been shaped since its foundation? When, ninety years ago, the department was officially opened, teaching was adjusted to the conditions at the time and not so much to ancient traditions. Basically they trained organist cantor-choirmasters, which in fact is important for us in day-to-day practice. The re-founders relied on Christian liturgical and music tradition of a couple of thousand years, taking into account modern thinking and lifestyle. The current department (which has three core elements) is based on this system: an in-depth knowledge of the liturgy and its potential applications, a conservatory level standard of musicianship and scholarly background. The single most important objective of the department is for these three types of knowledge to be combined in everybody – this is how our system differs from church-music teaching abroad. The merits of your father, László Dobszay, are undisputed in the history of 20th century Hungarian church music. Isn’t this heritage a heavy burden? To a certain extent it is indeed a burden. László Dobszay was a defining figure in efforts to renew the liturgy, he had a full understanding of the associated early music heritage, the theoretical and scholarly background, and this is how he transplanted this into practice. Of course, nobody could compete with this. At the same time, naturally, it is a convenience since he bequeathed not only to me but the entire department a well-grounded, tried-and-tested system that has been working for decades, indeed, centuries, as well as a musical-ecclesiastical way of thinking that for those of us who have studied there or teach there take as completely natural. I certainly could not carry on his legacy on my own, but together with all those colleagues who came after him, perhaps we can continue what he as an individual, together with Janka Szendrei, established. Besides the traditions of past centuries, how much space is there for contemporary music in church music?

ÁGNES DOBSZAY © ANDREA FELVÉGI 66

Contemporary music is a problematic issue everywhere. Our experience is the sooner children come into contact with it at school quite early on the better. If, besides early music, they also learn about works that are accessible, not too difficult and bring them into contact with new sounds, then interestingly they are very receptive to this. Teachers at the Budapest School of Singing have said that children are extremely quick to learn and soon take to simple contemporary works integrated alongside Gregorian

or early polyphonic works. Those brought up in this way are more open to contemporary music later on. Luckily, there are (mainly younger) composers who understand that you can write modern, not too complicated music into the liturgy as well, which can be learned, if not by the youngest pupils, but certainly by our students. We noticed that people did not flee the church, probably because they found the works enjoyable. What does it mean to be a church musician in today’s world and what do you consider are the greatest tasks facing your profession? We have an ideal that could be realized (given the right level of support) and then again, of course, there is reality. There was a huge existential positive to the training launched in 1926: under the terms of the agreement between the Liszt Academy and the Episcopacy, anyone applying for a church post had to have a diploma in church music. Today, we could train a lot more students if we had such an agreement. Church music life is only directed by those people with well-grounded knowledge in the liturgy and music, and they could have an influence on the church schools of their denominations. The main job of a church musician, besides organizing daily liturgical practice, is to convey this type of music material to young people. It is my experience that this gives the children (and through them the parents) an elevated system of values. Those who have nothing to do with religion also receive this sense because it mediates a tradition and values going back centuries. It creates a spiritual community among children, which I believe surpasses the fact that they also receive something great in musical terms. And they never forget this, even if they do not go on to become musicians or they never set foot inside a church again. To send out this message to as wide a circle as possible is the principal task of a church musician. Does this spiritual community exist in the Liszt Academy department as well? I believe it does. Outsiders who come to see us often tell us that here we do not have teachers and students, but rather a professional and friendly community. It’s not only when we swap classrooms that we meet but luckily we have a staffroom where we can all sit down together, every Friday we have lunch together (we call this the departmental meeting) and talk over topical matters. Our students form a community not only with each other but with us as well. We inherited this from the re-founders but we are very happy to continue it. I reckon it would be a good idea for every department. Zsófia Hózsa 67

TUESDAY 29 MARCH, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

WEDNESDAY 30 MARCH, 19.00 THURSDAY 31 MARCH, 18.00

THURSDAY 31 MARCH, 19.30

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE VILMOS SZABADI, GUSTAV RIVINIUS, MÁRTA GULYÁS

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE FRANK PETER ZIMMERMANN & GUSTAV MAHLER JUGENDORCHESTER

Dohnányi: Sonata for Violin and Piano in C-sharp minor, Op. 21 Kodály: Duo, Op. 9 Dvořák: Trio in F minor, Op. 65

Dutilleux: Métaboles Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (BB 114) Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1 (BB 48a) Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

Vilmos Szabadi (violin) Gustav Rivinius (cello) Márta Gulyás (piano) This concert forms part of the Liszt Academy Concert Centre’s series showcasing Hungarian artists and highly acclaimed foreign guest soloists performing popular chamber works. Hungarian audiences are familiar with Gustav Rivinius, to this day the only German musician to have won the globally prestigious Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition. In the more than quarter of a century since, he has worked together with conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Marek Janowski, Valery Gergiev, David Zinman and Alan Gilbert, music director of the New York Philharmonic. Solo and chamber music feature equally prominently in his life. At the Marlboro Festival founded by Pablo Casals, he appeared with the legendary Rudolf Serkin. He has also partnered the Guarneri Quartet and members of the Beaux Arts Trio. Rivinius performs the remarkable Kodály Duo with Vilmos Szabadi, a fixture of the Hungarian music scene for decades. One of chamber music’s best known and most dedicated performers, Márta Gulyás, joins them in the Dohnányi Sonata, written barely two years after the Kodály work, and the Dvořák Trio in f minor that was somewhat overshadowed by the Dumky Trio yet is no less emotionally powerful. Tickets: HUF 3 400, 4 100 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 68

Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin) Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester Conductor: David Afkham

THE STORY OF A MOTHER Gyula Fekete: The Story of a Mother (one-act chamber opera) Libretto written by Zsuzsa Beney based on the work of H. C. Andersen Death: Attila Dolhai Mother: Tünde Frankó Briar: Soma Langer Night: Veronika Nádasi Lake: Anita Lukács Gravedigger: Domonkos Blazsó Stage design: Mária Ambrus Costumes: Mari Benedek Music director: Krisztián Balassa Assistant to the director: András Tucker Music assistants: Anikó Katona, László Szekeres Choreography: Andrea Ladányi Director: Sándor Zsótér Orchestra of the Budapest Operetta Theatre Conductor: Krisztián Balassa Further details on page 52. Tickets: HUF 2 000, 2 500 Organizer: Budapest Operetta Theatre, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2016, is by now a household name which has gone from strength to strength. Founded by Claudio Abbado, you might say its success was pre ordained, yet it is special also because its members hail from all over Europe. Besides the legendary Italian, Mariss Jansons, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Franz Welser-Möst and Herbert Blomstedt have conducted it, and naturally the orchestra features in Europe’s greatest festivals. In this concert the conductor’s podium is taken by the German-born David Afkham (b. 1983), the orchestra’s assistant conductor since 2010, and one-time assistant of both Valery Gergiev and Bernard Haitink. Frank Peter Zimmermann, who plays on a Stradivarius once owned by Fritz Kreisler, is soloist in Bartók’s classically beautiful Violin Concerto. It is characteristic of the German artist that his repertoire features works rarely performed due to their level of complexity, and he has strong ties to Hungarian music: in 2002 he recorded György Ligeti’s Violin Concerto. Tickets: HUF 3 700, 5 100, 6 500, 7 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

BERLIN BHF. – CRYSTAL NIGHT © ANNA TIHANYI

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY APRIL Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior Other FRIDAY 1 APRIL 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

TALENT OBLIGE ANASTASIA RAZVALYAEVA, ERZSÉBET SELELJO & TAMÁS PÁLFALVI Page 74

FRIDAY 1 APRIL 2016, 19.45 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA HAYDN–MOZART PLUS

SATURDAY 2 APRIL 2016, 10.30 GRAND HALL

SECRETS OF MUSIC THIS THE USA! Traditional jazz, blues songs Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, Porgy and Bess – excerpts Gershwin Songs and Etudes Kornél Fekete Kovács (trumpet); László Kovács (piano); Modern Art Orchestra Tickets: HUF 1 900 Organizer: Philharmonia Hungary

SATURDAY 2 APRIL 2016, 19.45 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA HAYDN–MOZART PLUS Haydn: Symphony No. 4 in D major (Hob. I:4) Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat major (K. 207) Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C minor (K. 546) Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major (K. 385, "Haffner") Kristóf Baráti (violin) Budapest Festival Orchestra Conductor: Gábor Takács-Nagy

Haydn: Symphony No. 4 in D major (Hob. I:4) Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat major (K. 207) Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C minor (K. 546) Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major (K. 385, "Haffner")

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500, 4 400, 6 300, 10 500 Organizer: Budapest Festival Orchestra

Kristóf Baráti (violin) Budapest Festival Orchestra Conductor: Gábor Takács-Nagy

SUNDAY 3 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY 70

MONDAY 4 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO IN 1 PIANOPERA JÁNOS BALÁZS CONCERT SERIES Wagner–Liszt: Tannhäuser Ouverture – Concert Paraphrase Wagner–Liszt: Izolde’s Love Death Donizetti–Liszt: Réminiscences de Lucia di Lammermoor Verdi–Liszt: concert paraphrase on Rigoletto Puccini–Balázs János: Gianni Schicchi – "O mio babbino caro" Mascagni–Balázs János: Rustic Chivalry – Intermezzo Mozart–Liszt: Réminiscences de Don Juan János Balázs (piano)

BUDAPEST STRING ORCHESTRA Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500, 4 400, 6 300, 10 500 Organizer: Budapest Festival Orchestra

JÁNOS BALÁZS

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95 ("Serioso") Beethoven: Romance in G major, Op. 40 Beethoven: Romance in F major, Op. 50 Brahms: Sextet in B-flat major, Op. 18

Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

TUESDAY 5 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

WE ARE CHILDREN DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA WE CREATE Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 (BB 117) Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68

Péter Csaba (violin) Budapest String Orchestra Conductor: Péter Csaba

Barnabás Kelemen (violin) Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Ádám Medveczky

Tickets: HUF 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 Organizer: Budapest String Orchestra

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200, 3 800, 4 700 Organizer: Danubia Orchestra Óbuda

WEDNESDAY 6 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

SATURDAY 9 APRIL 2016, 11.00 ROOM XXIII

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHOIR

LISZT KIZD ACADEMY JAZZ-PLAYGROUND FOR 6–10 YEAR-OLDS

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 ("Reformation") Barber: Prayers of Kierkegaard, Op. 30 Kodály: Psalmus Hungaricus, Op. 13 Gyula Rab (tenor) Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Hungarian Radio Choir (Choirmaster: Zoltán Pad) Hungarian Radio Children’s Choir (Choirmaster: László Matos) Conductor: Gergely Vajda Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Hungarian Radio Music Ensembles

THURSDAY 7 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO STEFAN VLADAR PIANO RECITAL Haydn: Variations in F minor (Hob. XVII:6) Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 ("Appassionata") Schubert: Sonata No. 20 in A major (D. 959) Tickets: HUF 2 000, 2 500, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

Page 74 SATURDAY 9 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

BAROQUE SOPRANOS JULIA LEZHNEVA & LA VOCE STRUMENTALE HÄNDEL IN ITALY Page 76 MONDAY 11 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

ROMANTICISM CONCERT OF THE GYŐR PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Dezső Ránki (piano) Győr Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Kálmán Berkes Organizer: Győr Philharmonic Orchestra

THURSDAY 12 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL CONTEMPORARY FOLK MUSIC WORKS BY BARTÓK KODÁLY & SZOKOLAY FOR PIANO, RECORDER AND VOCALS Andrea Rost (soprano) Balázs Szokolay (piano) Balázs Szokolay Dongó (recorder, bagpipe) Saint Ephraim Male Choir Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 000, 3 200, 3 900 Organizer: Budapest Spring Festival

BILL FRISELL

WEDNESDAY 13 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL BRANDENBURG PROJECT Page 76

SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE KELLER, PERÉNYI, VÁRJON I. COMPLETE BEETHOVEN PIANO TRIOS Page 78 SUNDAY 17 APRIL 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL ORONTEA Page 78

SUNDAY 17 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE KELLER, PERÉNYI, VÁRJON II. COMPLETE BEETHOVEN PIANO TRIOS Page 82 MONDAY 18 APRIL 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL ORONTEA Page 78

STEFAN VLADAR 71

WEDNESDAY 20 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MONDAY 25 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

ENDRE HEGEDŰS ORCHESTRAL PIANO RECITAL

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 ("Fate") Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11

Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Carlo Montanaro

Endre Hegedűs (piano) Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Conductor: Gábor Hollerung

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 500, 6 000 Organizer: Hungarian National Philharmonics

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500, 4 500 Organizer: Stúdió Liszt

THURSDAY 21 APRIL 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC BALÁZS ISTVÁNFI & ANDRÁS NÉMETH MENTÉS MÁSKÉNT TRIO

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS LÁSZLÓ BARANYAY PIANO RECITAL FRENCH EVENING

Page 82

Page 83

FRIDAY 22 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL KRISTÓF BARÁTI & MOZARTEUMORCHESTER SALZBURG Mozart: Symphony in C major (K. 338) Mozart: Violin Concerto in G major (K. 216) Mozart: Violin Concerto in D major (K. 218) Mozart: Symphony in D major (K. 504, "Prague") Kristóf Baráti (violin) Mozarteumorchester Salzburg Conductor: Ivor Bolton Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 200, 4 500, 5 900 Organizer: Budapest Spring Festival

SATURDAY 23 APRIL 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL LISZT EVENING OF LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Page 82

LÁSZLÓ BARANYAY

THURSDAY 28 APRIL 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

VOICE, SO CLOSE INGRID KERTESI, GABRIELLA ÁCS & EMESE VIRÁG MASTER AND STUDENT OF BEL CANTO Page 83

GUIDED TOURS

EVERY DAY AT 13.30 IN ENGLISH, WITHOUT REGISTRATION INCLUDING A 15 MINUTE MINI CONCERT Tours last around 50 minutes. A guide from the Liszt Academy shows groups around the ground floor and first floor foyers, the Grand Hall and the Solti Hall. Pre-arranged guided tours are also available for groups of 12-30 people in Hungarian, English, German, Italian, French, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. Registration for groups: turizmus@zeneakademia.hu Further information: zeneakademia.hu/en/guided-tours Ticket purchases: Liszt Academy Ticket Office (1061 Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tĂŠr 8.) The Liszt Academy reserves the right to make changes to guided tours.

FRIDAY 1 APRIL, 19.00

SATURDAY 9 APRIL, 11.00

SOLTI HALL

ROOM XXIII

TALENT OBLIGE ANASTASIA RAZVALYAEVA, ERZSÉBET SELELJO & TAMÁS PÁLFALVI Händel: Water Music – Suite No. 2 in D major (HWV 349) Alvars: Concertino for Harp and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 34 Dubois: Saxophone Concerto László Dubrovay: Trumpet Concerto Anastasia Razvalyaeva (harp) Erzsébet Selejlo (saxophone) Tamás Pálfalvi (trumpet) Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra (artistic director: János Rolla)

ANASTASIA RAZVALYAEVA & ERZSÉBET SELELJO © FRUZSINA BICZÓ

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY JAZZ PLAYGROUND FOR 6–10 YEAR–OLDS Kristóf Bacsó (saxophone) Márton Fenyvesi (guitar) Narrator and percussion: András Dés

Since 2013 the Liszt Academy Career Office has been active in paving the way for the performance careers of the academy’s most talented students and providing them with opportunities to become involved in Hungarian and international classical music. Gifted young musicians are admitted to the programme only after a rigorous pre-selection procedure and after performing in closed concert before a jury headed by Zoltán Kocsis. Once admitted, these selected artists are helped to shape their repertoires and concert programmes and establish and maintain contacts with the media, concert organizers and artist agencies. Tamás Pálfalvi, Anastasia Razvalyaeva and Erzsébet Seleljo are all sponsored by the Career Office and have enjoyed increasing recognition in music circles. In their spring concert, in the Talent Oblige series, they each present a remarkable work accompanied by the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra.

Ticket: HUF 2 800 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Ticket: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SATURDAY 9 APRIL, 19.30

WEDNESDAY 13 APRIL, 19.30

GRAND HALL

GRAND HALL BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL THE BRANDENBURG PROJECT

BAROQUE SOPRANOS JULIA LEZHNEVA & LA VOCE STRUMENTALE HÄNDEL IN ITALY Works by Telemann, Händel, Vivaldi and Corelli Julia Lezhneva (soprano) La Voce Strumentale Conductor: Dmitry Sinkovsky

JULIA LEZHNEVA © ULI WEBER

A new soprano star, Julia Lezhneva, hails from a chilly and distant Russian city, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, approximately 10,000 km from Moscow which is really part of the Far East. She is only in her twenties, yet she is already spoken of as the new Cecilia Bartoli. She has an angelic – or perhaps more accurately – crystalline voice, amazing and flawless technique, and near mesmerizing emotional profundity. Young she may be, but Julia Lezhneva has already taken to the stage with the greatest early music formations, and she can thank legendary performers such as Richard Bonynge, Carlo Rizzi and Ileana Cotrubas for her classical schooling. Kiri Te Kanawa herself named the artist her protégé, while John Eliot Gardiner said quite simply that the purity of Lezhneva’s coloratura and voice were unequalled. Julia Lezhneva is one of the most entrancing performers of Baroque vocal music, and for this event she brings with her a similarly worldclass ensemble playing on period instruments. La Voce Strumentale was founded in 2011 by dazzling violinist Dmitry Sinkovsky, a regular guest of the best early music ensembles. Tickets: HUF 4 300, 5 900, 7 600, 9 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major (BWV 1047) J. S. Bach–Steven Mackey: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major (BWV 1047) J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major (BWV 1050) J. S. Bach–Uri Caine: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major (BWV 1050) Håkan Hardenberger (trumpet) Uri Caine (piano) Bill Frisell (guitar) Swedish Chamber Orchestra Conductor: Thomas Dausgaard Founded in 1995 and more than 500 records, the Swedish ensemble, Scandinavia’s number-one chamber orchestra, launched a challenging undertaking: in the coming three years they are asking selected contemporary composer-performance artists to produce one-off arrangements of the Brandenburg concertos written by the immortal Bach 300 years ago. Born in Frankfurt, American Steven Mackey began in rock and has now become a regular guest of major contemporary music festivals. Uri Caine drew attention to himself as a jazz and classical pianist, first and foremost with his marvellous crossover productions: his creation shaped from Verdi’s Otello was nominated for a Grammy, but he has also created dramatic arrangements of Wagner, Mahler, Beethoven, Schumann and Mozart works. The evening promises to be especially exciting due to the performing artists, since, alongside Uri Cain, we can hear legendary American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. Tickets: HUF 1 500, 3 100, 3 900, 4 900 Organizer: Budapest Spring Festival, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

THE NIGHTINGALE OF SAKHALIN Julia Lezhneva was still a young girl when she received Cecilia Bartoli's Vivaldi aria CD as a present at the turn of the Millennium. Today she possesses probably one of the most exciting voices and personalities of the post-Bartoli generation. She will be giving an aria recital at the Liszt Academy.

A “typical American career” is how we accurately used to describe a lightening-fast explosion into the professional world. But these days you don’t necessarily have to be born in the New World (or head that way) for a career to be catapulted skywards. Julia Lezhneva is still only twenty-six but she took her first, slightly uncertain steps in the Far East when, as an infant, she was enrolled into a music school in Yuzhno-Sakhalin on the Sakhalin island in the Pacific Ocean. Then came Moscow and afterwards a scholarship that took her to Cardiff, followed by such distinguished teachers as Kiri Te Kanawa, the tenor Deniss O'Neill and Yelena Obrazcova. And not least in the evolution of Lezhneva's career was the role of one of the most important features that rule our modern day lives: the internet. Or more precisely YouTube, where a video of the seventeen year old Lezhneva's triumphant performance at the 2007 Obrzcova singing competition was uploaded. The distinguished French conductor Marc Minkowski came across it, discovering this poetically young singer for himself – and for us. Minkowski cast the Russian soprano in his recording of Bach's Mass in B minor and in 2011, conducted her in her first solo recording which explored arias by Rossini. And in 2012, he was musical director of the Salzburg production of Handel's Tamerlano, featuring Placido Domingo, Bejun Mehta and in the role of Asteria Julia Lezhneva. This genuine coloratura virtuoso singer developed remarkably. Radiating vitality from her every pore, she soon outgrew her status of “promising talent” and was soon established as one of the most exciting performers of 18th and early 19 th century repertoire. Just like her former idol Cecilia Bartoli, who of course is still going strong, Lezhenva feels equally at home in the Baroque universe as she does in the worlds of Mozart and Rossini. And like Bartoli, Lezhneva has constructed her repertoire and career with imposing consciousness and restraint. Budapest audiences have been blessed to encounter this charming soprano on several occasions, most recently last spring, alongside Max Emanuel Cenčić, in a performance at the Vígszínház of the opera Hasse Siroe. This will be her debut in the grand hall of the Liszt Academy, and for the first time in Hungary, she will give a solo aria recital, accompanied by the period instrument La Voce Strumentale group. Julia Lezhneva will perform Händel and Vivaldi arias under the title of Händel in Italy. And who knows, perhaps there will some a young girl in the audience who will be touched for a lifetime and feel encouraged to take up a similar career having encountered this charismatic personality with such a superb voice. Ferenc László

SATURDAY 16 APRIL, 19.30

GRAND HALL

SUNDAY 17 APRIL, 19.00 MONDAY 18 APRIL, 19.00

SOLTI HALL BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL ORONTEA Antonio Cesti: Orontea

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE KELLER, PERÉNYI, VÁRJON I COMPLETE BEETHOVEN PIANO TRIOS Ludwig van Beethoven: Trio in E-f lat major, Op.1/1 Trio in G major, Op.1/2 Trio in C minor, Op.1/3 Trio in B major, Op.11 András Keller (violin) Miklós Perényi (cello) Dénes Várjon (piano) It may not be an overstatement to claim that the tonal aesthetic of the piano trio is as close to perfection as you could get in chamber music: it is not by chance that such works are an important part of Beethoven’s oeuvre, from his first opus to his final public appearance in which he reportedly played the B major trio dating from 1811. Here, a mature analytical side and joie de vivre are revealed in parallel. The violin, cello and piano parts in Beethoven’s trios blend together to create a single, expressive unity, while at the same time presenting a lively reward for all three instrumentalists. It is Beethoven who, in contrast to Haydn, say, first endowed every line with soloistic qualities. These qualities will be in abundant evidence thanks to three brilliant artists: violinist András Keller, cellist Miklós Perényi and pianist Dénes Várjon. Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 100, 5 200, 6 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 78

Orontea: Emőke Baráth (soprano) Alidoro: Gyula Rab (tenor) Philosophy: Lusine Sahakyan (soprano) Silandra: Imai Ayane (soprano) Creonte: Attila Erdős (bass) Aristea: Dávid Szigetvári (countertenor) Gelone: Ákos Ambrus (bass) Hungarian translation: Ágnes Romhányi Choreography: Eszter Lázár Musical assistant: Mónika Baja Director: András Almási-Tóth Aura Musicale Conductor: Balázs Máté One of the most popular Italian operas of the 17 th century and the masterpiece of a Franciscan friar debuted 360 years ago. Cesti’s first opera was Orontea with the title role an Egyptian queen; it was an immediate box office hit, and in the wake of its premiere in 1656 it was regularly produced for the next more than 30 years. This was in large part down to the fact that its libretto and great music combine elements of tragedy and comedy in a masterful way (it is still such an entertaining and uplifting masterpiece today for this very reason). In the prologue preceding the three acts, allegories of Philosophy and Love wrangle over which has a greater impact on humanity; is the soul ruled by duty or passion, the mind or the heart? The easily comprehensible and yet utterly captivating story provides a pithy response to this dispute. Tickets: HUF 1 500 Organizer: Budapest Spring Festival, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

EMŐKE BARÁTH

LJUBLJANA – DOM © SÁRI EMBER

SOLOIST CHAMBER MUSICIANS You’d be hard-pressed to mention a classical instrumental genre in which Beethoven did not reign supreme. The piano trio is no exception. It is thought of by many as the non plus ultra of chamber music. What makes Beethoven trios so special and how do they challenge performers? We quizzed Dénes Várjon about the series of Beethoven’s complete piano trios.

We heard you recently perform Beethoven in several concerts. Not long ago, in connection with a performance in the Liszt Academy of the composer’s entire piano concertos, you said that from the aspect of your musical career Beethoven is at the moment the most relevant composer. What exactly did you mean and how is this relevance manifest? It is true that at the moment Beethoven is an extremely important composer in my life – perhaps the most important alongside Schumann. I’ve always admired him, but in the past three or four years he has become of defining significance for me. I’m playing a huge amount of his work, lots of piano sonatas and virtually all his chamber works, not to mention the piano concertos. Three years ago, when after a long break I first returned to the Marlboro Festival in the US, one of the works that I dealt with over four whole weeks was Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70. During this month my relationship with the composer deepened considerably, and I remember I spent much time listening to the string quartets as well. I was captivated by the diversity of Beethoven and the astounding development apparent in the unbroken progression from the Piano Trios, Op. 1 – which are perfect pieces, revealing the reserves and character of the young composer in their entirety – to the late works. I discovered his earlier works relatively late; initially I was more interested in the so-called “middle period”. Now I feel very close to the early works, for example, the Piano Trios, Op. 1, the Piano Concerto in B-flat major, or the Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 7. It is possible to discern in these works an incredible diversity, each one is its own separate world. Beethoven’s piano trios frequently demand a level of technical preparation similar to that of the piano concertos. Which genre represents the greater challenge? From a pianist’s point of view the Beethoven trios are extremely demanding works, although it is likely that violinists and cellists would say the same about their own parts. But I think it is important to emphasize that in general composers wrote the piano parts in their chamber music compositions with exactly the same demands as in, for instance, their piano concertos. So chamber works, contrary to the generally held belief, are in no way easier than concertos. Beethoven always approached the instrument with the same generosity and all his works provide pianists with incredible opportunities. Do similar aspects of origin have any significance from the viewpoint of the performance and musical interpretation? The origins of a work are always extremely interesting and this also goes for the background to the composer’s dedications. In the case of the works dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, this gesture is all the more relevant – it is enough to consider the “Les Adieux” Sonata. In general I think that an

awareness of every piece of information, letter and primary historical document serves to intensify the performer’s relation to the given work, which then makes its presence felt in a performance. What place do Beethoven’s trios occupy in the literature of piano trios? In the trio genre, the quality of Beethoven’s output is even great and he innovated (albeit with multiple links to the past). I think Haydn’s influence is felt more strongly than Mozart’s in Beethoven, and I also feel in concert programmes that Haydn and Beethoven works interact well with each other, whereas I wouldn’t necessarily say the same about Mozart and Beethoven. Of course, this is all very subjective. I feel that the musical language of the Beethoven trios is rooted in and developed from Haydn works, quickly finding its own way. Besides this, it is also interesting to observe how strongly Beethoven influenced later composers; I sometimes feel he carried within him and prefigured fragments of the music of certain composers who came after. It is enough to consider the “Schubert sound” of the Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 70, or focus on the frequently perceptible influence that Beethoven had on Schumann. To my ear, for example, the Piano Sonata in A major, Op. 101 unambiguously points in the direction of Schumann’s music. Many consider the genre of piano trio one of the culminations of chamber music. What is the reason for this and what makes the genre so special? It is a great joy and at the same time a challenge to play a piano trio. In this formation the role of the three instruments is in a special equilibrium: all three performers have to fill the roles of both “soloist” and “chamber musician” so from this aspect it is very different to a string quartet, for example. In spring 2016, you will form a trio in the Liszt Academy together with András Keller and Miklós Perényi. How does the joint concept come about in connection with the performance of works when we are talking about such a serious enterprise? I have been playing music with András Keller and Miklós Perényi – in the most varied of formations – for decades. We have had countless joint concerts, sonata recitals, piano quartets, quintets and a few trio concerts as well, so we know each other very well. Of course, András and Miklós play together a lot without me. I am very much looking forward to both the concerts and the rehearsals. I hope it will be a very exciting period for all concerned. Anna Belinszky DÉNES VÁRJON © LISZT ACADEMY / BALÁZS MOHAI 81

SUNDAY 17 APRIL, 19.30

THURSDAY 21 APRIL, 19.00

SATURDAY 23 APRIL, 19.30

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC BALÁZS ISTVÁNFI & ANDRÁS NÉMETH MENTÉS MÁSKÉNT TRIO

COMPLETE WORKS LIVE KELLER, PERÉNYI, VÁRJON II. COMPLETE BEETHOVEN PIANO TRIOS

It may not be an overstatement to claim that the tonal aesthetic of the piano trio is as close to perfection as you could get in chamber music: it is not by chance that such works are an important part of Beethoven’s oeuvre, from his first opus to his final public appearance in which he reportedly played the B major trio dating from 1811. Here, a mature analytical side and joie de vivre are revealed in parallel. The violin, cello and piano parts in Beethoven’s trios blend together to create a single, expressive unity, while at the same time presenting a lively reward for all three instrumentalists. It is Beethoven who, in contrast to Haydn, say, first endowed every line with soloistic qualities. These qualities will be in abundant evidence thanks to three brilliant artists: András Keller, cellist Miklós Perényi and pianist Dénes Várjon.

Is it possible to combine a sensitive interaction of Baroque music, medieval musical practice (frequently unusual to the modern ear) and the rustic sounding tonalities of Hungarian folk instruments? Plenty of folk music formations have already given a positive response to this question, of which two quite outstanding ensembles – a duo and a trio – are guests of the Acoustic, Authentic series. The duo of Balázs Istvánfi and András Németh was founded in the Folk Music Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in 2010, where they were studying. Right from the beginning they attempted to achieve a sort of “progressive bourdon music tonality” on their instruments. Members of the Mentés Másként Trio have been making music (primarily Hungarian folk music) together since 2005. Their performances are permeated by creative experimentation drawing on a deep understanding of folk singing and dance music. Members of the trio – as collectors, performers and music teachers – have been on study tours of several Hungarian-inhabited regions to learn more about, in particular, the music traditions of the Moldavian Csángó Hungarians. Inevitably, the stage puts folk music, which has left its original functions behind, in a new light.

Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 100, 5 200, 6 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Ludwig van Beethoven: Trio in D major, Op.70/1 Trio in E-f lat major, Op.70/2 Trio in B-flat major, Op.97 ("Archduke") András Keller (violin) Miklós Perényi (cello) Dénes Várjon (piano)

Balázs Istvánfi (bagpipes), András Németh (hurdy-gurdy) Mentés Másként Trio: Tünde Ivánovics (vocals), Géza Fábri (plucked string instruments), Dániel Lipták (violin)

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL LISZT EVENING OF LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Ferenc Liszt: Festklänge Totentanz (Dance of Death) Esztergom Mass Marcell Szabó (piano) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra and Alma Mater Choir (Choirmaster: Csaba Somos) Conductor: Gergely Ménesi The Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra and Alma Mater Chorus, under the baton of Gergely Ménesi, make their own contribution to the Budapest Spring Festival with an impressive Liszt concert. At first glance it may not be obvious, but the structure of the concert follows the overture-concerto-symphony form commonly found in the 19th century, naturally with characteristic “Liszt” traits. The upbeat symphonic poem, the rarely performed Festklänge (festive sounds), was originally performed as the overture to a Schiller drama in Weimar, directed by the composer himself in 1854. Totentanz, structured on the medieval last judgement Dies irae, is a virtuoso piano concerto, while the mass in the second half of the concert, the grandiose Esztergom Mass written for the inauguration of the Basilica of Esztergom in 1856, is really a “choral symphony” that makes use of thematic transformation and Wagnerian music-drama techniques to combine all this into one of the most beautiful church music pieces of the age. Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700 Organizer: Budapest Spring Festival, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL, 19.00

THURSDAY 28 APRIL, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS LÁSZLÓ BARANYAY SOLO RECITAL FRENCH EVENING Works by Couperin, Rameau, Debussy and Ravel

VOICE, SO CLOSE INGRID KERTESI, GABRIELLA ÁCS & EMESE VIRÁG MASTER AND STUDENT OF BEL CANTO

László Baranyay (piano) László Baranyay, professor at the Liszt Academy for more than four decades, one of the great Hungarian pianists and a person with a remarkable educational background, is 70. His art draws on the legacy of Bartók and Russian pianistic traditions. He graduated under the guidance of Imre Ungár, himself a student of István Thomán, Bartók’s professor. In the course of his years spent in Moscow, he studied with the son of Heinrich Neuhaus. Baranyay honed his art with numerous other great artists of the 20th century such as György Sebők, Annie Fischer, András Mihály and Géza Anda. “I have had a close connection with turn-of-the-century French music from my secondary school days, delighting ever since to listen to, play and teach works by Ravel and Debussy,” the pianist says about the programme. “In my eyes there is a huge difference between these two composers: Debussy is more colourful and has a richer emotional range, Ravel is leaner yet his effects are unbelievably multifaceted – the music of both masters is extremely attractive. Ravel paid his respects to the great French Baroque predecessors with an entire cycle (Le tombeau de Couperin), and Debussy with his work Hommage à Rameau, and this is where the idea arose of devoting an entire evening to works by the four composers.” Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Works by Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Bellini and Arditi Ingrid Kertesi, Gabriella Ács (soprano) Emese Virág (piano) Ideal tonal formation, brilliant embellishments, agile and perfectly balanced vocals – the culture of bel canto is one of the most attractive trends in the history of opera, the popularity and premium of which is once again on the rise. Together with central arias and duets by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and the youthful titan following in their footsteps, Giuseppe Verdi, this concert also features compositions by Puccini, the person who renewed and crowned the Italian operatic tradition, as well as the little known 19th century artist Luigi Arditi. “I have always tried to make my voice sound as an instrument,” says Ingrid Kertesi, who after collecting numerous prizes was awarded the title Artist of Merit in 2015. This exceptional soprano has taught for many years and this concert sees her take to the stage with one of her students, the young Gabriella Ács, in the company of the attentive Hungarian piano accompanist Emese Virág. “Whenever I sing I am extremely happy. I would like to show you this happiness.” So runs the creed of Ingrid Kertesi which she shares with her talented students just as she has shared the refinement of her bel canto style.

INGRID KERTESI

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 83

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY MAY Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior Other SUNDAY 1 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

THE CREATION CONCERT OF CONCERTO BUDAPEST Haydn: The Creation (Hob. XXI:2) Emőke Baráth (soprano), Zoltán Megyesi (tenor), Krisztián Cser (bass) New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir (Choir master: László Norbert Nemes) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller Tickets: HUF 3 200, 4 200, 5 600, 6900 Organizer: Concerto Budapest

TUESDAY 3 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

TALENT OBLIGE KÁLLAI STRING QUARTET

TUESDAY 3 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

THURSDAY 5 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA WE HOPE

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO ALEXEI VOLODIN PIANO RECITAL

R. Strauss: Metamorphosen Mozart: Requiem (K. 626)

Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75 Mendelssohn-Rachmaninoff: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Scherzo Medtner: Fairy Tale in C-sharp minor, Op. 35/4 Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28

Klára Kolonits (soprano) Gabriella Balga (alto) Gyula Rab (tenor) Krisztián Cser (bass) Kodály Choir Debrecen (Choir master: Zoltán Pad) Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Máté Hámori Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200, 3 800, 4 700 Organizer: Danubia Orchestra Óbuda

WEDNESDAY 4 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000, 8 000 Organizer: Jakobi Concert

FRIDAY 6 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

PURE BAROQUE GÁBOR BOLDOCZKI & CAPPELLA GABETTA Page 87

KEN-ICHIRO KOBAYASHI & HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

SATURDAY 7 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 Mozart: Requiem (K. 626)

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE PÉTER NAGY, CLAUDIO BOHÓRQUEZ, TANJA BECKER-BENDER

Beatrix Fodor (soprano), Bernadett Wiedemann (mezzo-soprano), István Horváth (tenor), András Palerdi (bass) Hungarian National Choir (Choir master: Mátyás Antal) Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Ken-Ichiro Kobajashi

Page 90

SATURDAY 7 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC DANCE HOUSE DAY Page 90

Page 84

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 500, 6 000 Organizer: Hungarian National Philharmonics

SUNDAY 8 MAY 2016, 11.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND DRAWING FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS Page 92 KÁLLAI QUARTET

MONDAY 9 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

FRIDAY 13 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

THURSDAY 19 MAY 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL

NEW LISZT FERENC CHAMBER CHOIR CONCERT IN MEMORY OF THE END OF WORLD WAR II

JUBILEE CONCERT OF THE 120-YEAR-OLD BUDAPEST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA

KEN-ICHIRO KOBAYASHI & MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Page 92 TUESDAY 10 MAY 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL

ARIA EXAM

Page 92

TUESDAY 10 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS BORIS BERMAN PIANO RECITAL Page 93

Liszt: Les Préludes Weber: Clarinet Concerto in E-flat major, Op. 74 Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 Gábor Tóth (clarinet) Budapest Technical University Orchestra Conductor: Dániel Erdélyi Tickets: HUF 1 000, 2 000, 2 500 Organizer: Budapest Technical University Symphony Orchestra Foundation

TUESDAY 17 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 Kodály: Háry Suite, Op. 15 Kodály: Dances from Galánta Zoltán Fejérvári (piano) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: MÁV Symphony Orchestra

FRIDAY 20 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

JAZZ IT! CHARLES LLOYD & JASON MORAN Page 96

Haydn: Symphony No. 52 in C minor (Hob.I:52) Mozart: Zaide – "Ruhe sanft mein holdes Leben" (K. 344) Mozart: Bella mia Fiamma (K. 528) Suk: Serenade in E-flat major, Op. 6 SAM HAYWOOD

Polina Pasztircsák (soprano) Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra WEDNESDAY 11 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR THE GRAND HALL JOSHUA BELL & SAM HAYWOOD Page 93

THURSDAY 12 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

HERE AND NOW AMADINDA PERCUSSION GRUP

Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 200, 5 500, 6 900 Organizer: Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

WEDNESDAY 18 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

SATURDAY 21 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE ILONA PRUNYI, LÁSZLÓ FENYŐ, ÁDÁM BANDA

ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS BUDAPEST

Page 94

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

WEDNESDAY 18 MAY 2016, 19.30 SOLTI HALL

Gábor Farkas (piano) Zugló Philharmonics Budapest Conductor: Kristóf Baráti

Page 94

FRIDAY 13 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

CHOIR OF THE BELARUS STATE ACADEMY OF MUSIC Page 94

JASON MORAN

MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA ZOLTÁN RÁCZ & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Page 96

Tickets: HUF 2 100, 2 300, 2 700 Organizer: Zugló Philharmonics Budapest 85

SUNDAY 22 MAY 2016, 16.00 GRAND HALL

SUNDAY 29 MAY 2016, 10.00 SOLTI HALL, GRAND HALL

YEAR CLOSING CONCERT OF THE HUNGARIAN RADIO CHILDREN’S CHOIR

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY GREAT LISZT KIDZ DAY FOR 6–15 YEAR-OLDS Page 101

Pentecost and wedding folk plays Contemporary choir pieces Works of Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Britten, Kodály, Bartók, János Decsényi, Péter Tóth, Miklós Kocsár and Gyula Fekete Zsuzsanna Arany (piano) Hungarian Radio Children’s Choir Conductor: László Matos, Klára Brebovszky Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Organizer: Hungarian Radio Music Ensembles

TUESDAY 24 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

SUNDAY 29 MAY 2016, 11.00 GRAND HALL

UNDERSTANDABLE MUSIC DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK MARC BOUCHKOV

FRIDAY 27 MAY 2016, 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26 Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35

MOZART EFFECT DÉNES VÁRJON & CONCERTO BUDAPEST I K. 449-451

Marc Bouchkov (violin) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Péter Csaba

Page 100

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: MÁV Symphony Orchestra

WEDNESDAY 25 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

VOICE, SO CLOSE ANDREA MELÁTH & KÁLMÁN DRÁFI SONG CYCLES FROM THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Bartók: Cantata profana (BB 100) Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Narrator and conductor: Gábor Hollerung Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 700, 3 200 Organizer: Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

SUNDAY 29 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

OPERA EXAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM BY BRITTEN Page 101

FRIDAY 27 MAY 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

OPERA EXAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Page 101

TUESDAY 31 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR THE GRAND HALL KRISTÓF BARÁTI & RICHARD GOODE Page 102

Page 100 THURSDAY 26 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE GAUTIER CAPUÇON & ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DU CAPITOLE DE TOULOUSE Page 101

SATURDAY 28 MAY 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK Wagner: The Flying Dutchman – Ouverture Harlap: Memoirs – Premiere Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in D major, Op. 60 KRISTÓF BARÁTI

Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Conductor: Roberto Paternostro Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Organizer: Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok 86

TUESDAY 3 MAY, 19.00

FRIDAY 6 MAY, 19.30

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL PURE BAROQUE GÁBOR BOLDOCZKI & CAPPELLA GABETTA

TALENT OBLIGE KÁLLAI QUARTET Mozart: String Quartet in C major (K. 465, "Dissonance") Schubert: Quartet Movement in C minor (D. 703) Mendelssohn: String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13

Corelli: La Follia, Op. 5 /12 Vivaldi: Concerto for Trumpet, Violin and Strings in B-f lat major, Op. 12/16 (RV 548) Vivaldi: Concerto for Trumpet and Strings in D major, Op. 3/9 (RV 230) Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Violins and Cello in G minor (RV 578) E. F. Dell’Abaco: Concerto a piu instrumenti, Op. 5/6 J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major (BWV 1048) Torelli: Trumpet Concerto in D major (G. 28)

Kállai String Quartet: Ernő Kállai, Géza Szajkó (violin); Kálmán Dráfi (viola); István Balázs (cello)

Gábor Boldoczki (trumpet) Cappella Gabetta

The string quartet is one of the most sensitive of the chamber music genres, and perhaps the only setup to which musicians frequently “contract” themselves for a lifetime. Looked at in stringquartet terms, the Kállai Quartet are mere babes, having formed only in 2009 (at that time under the name Nyári Quartet). Even so they have already achieved an enormous amount. Among their many competitive results the following are outstanding: first prize at the Weiner Leó National Chamber Music Competition, special prize at the 21st International Johannes Brahms Competition Pörtschach, Austria, besides which they have represented the Liszt Academy at important events such as the Kyoto International Festival and the opening ceremony series of the reconstructed music palace on Liszt Ferenc Square. The repertoire of the quartet spans Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven through Schubert, Brahms and Debussy to Dohnányi, Weiner, Bartók and Kodály.

We are in for a special meeting at the recital by Gábor Boldoczki and Cappella Gabetta. The world-famous Hungarian trumpet player recorded material for his latest album (Tromba Veneziana) together with this ensemble, and a large part of the concert is selected from these same works. “For me, Vivaldi means sunlight; I love Italy, its wines, its cuisine, the Mediterranean lifestyle,” the soloist says, explaining why he chose Antonio Vivaldi, who wrote only one trumpet concerto. However, after studying the vast oeuvre of the “red priest” who died 275 years ago, Boldoczki wrote his own transcriptions. The other participant at this special meeting is the chamber orchestra of the similarly world-famous cellist, Sol Gabetta, which mainly specializes in Baroque music performances and regularly plays with leading artists on period instruments. The outstanding musicians of the ensemble come into the spotlight also as soloists in the duet concertos.

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 4 900, 6 300, 7 600, 9 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

GÁBOR BOLDOCZKI © MARCO BORGGREVE

DANCE HOUSE? GET TOGETHER! A private dance club evening was held in the Book Club on Liszt Ferenc Square on 6 May 1972. At first sight nothing strange in that, except that the participants were not dancing waltzes, tangos or sambas. Instead, the young people used Hungarian folk dances, until then choreog raphed exclusively for stage, for their own entertainment and as a way of dancing socially. The event would have far-reaching consequences. As Ferenc Sebő (who attended the dance as a musician) writes: “Not only did the buds of a new type of entertainment take shape here, but a lively, clarifying debate about folk dance and its staging and other functions was launched.” One of the unforeseeable consequences was that forty years after the initiation of this newest folk music movement, it received significant international acknowledgement when in 2011 the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recorded the dance house (táncház) method, a Hungarian model for the transmission of intangible cultural heritage, in the Best Safeguarding Practices register. But what prompted all this? Is this four-decade process some sort of genteel mischief on the part of the urban intelligentsia, or later proof of the inexhaustible vitality of folk traditions? Were there intellectual precedents to the Liszt Ferenc Square “cultural hooliganism”, or did a strange twist of fate lift up a momentary whimsy to great heights? It was a long and winding road before the Sebő-Halmos duo could “launch” the dance house movement. At that time the concept did not even exist. Neither was the dance house combined with dance tuition universal. The first wave of folk music movements is associated with two Hungarian pioneers of modern folk music research, Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. This, however, began to lose impetus by the early 1950s. In the words of Bálint Sárosi: “[Kodály and Bartók] were well aware that peasant music is closely tied to the peasant way of life; with a fundamental change in the way of life, the associated music will also inexorably slide into obscurity. They also recognized that starting a movement among peasants designed to maintain folk music would be futile because the peasants were trying to free themselves of their old ways of life along with all its associations. Preservation of folk music – or as much as was successfully recorded – is only possible in the more cultivated strata of society, where its value was taught and the effort required to learn and disseminate it is accepted.” This was followed by the second great wave of the folk music movements sparked by the national folk song contest Röpülj Páva (Fly, Peacock!), organized by Hungarian Television in 1969-1970. The competition can be considered its direct antecedent since the factual broadcasting of folk traditions immediately captured the imagination of young urbanites who, again recalling the thoughts of Bálint Sárosi, “... were tired of the folk song specimens used for school experiments, sample folk songs which became predetermined, worn to death in public use, hollowed out and encrusted with clichéd praises...” © LISZT ACADEMY / RÓBERT SZEBENI SZABÓ 88

In the meantime, there were important movements in other areas of culture which helped the dance house movement to blossom. One such was the scouting movement, where the bard scout took shape under the influence of the rural research activities of ethnographers, which replaced the North American Indian romanticism of the original English concept with the romanticism of folk culture. From the late 1930s, folk art knowledge also appeared in the profile of adult education centres established for the further education of the peasantry and village intelligentsia. Several hundred people attended these boarding courses running all year round. At the beginning of the 1960s, the only institution which could fulfil demands related to folk dance and (in part) folk music was the Dance Department of the Institute of Popular Education. They released folk music recordings, organized film loans, screening services and folk dance courses until the end of 1964. By this time, the department was closed down as anything to do with folk art was forced into the background and the film archive and work of collecting were transferred to the Academy of Sciences. “The interest of the new seventies’ generation and the early period of the dance house movement was a surprising, out-of-the-blue event for me,” György Martin remembered in 1981. According to Ferenc Sebő: “It was no surprise that this still-living tradition, modern in its roots, triggered an extraordinarily strong affection in us. It required no ideology to find it beautiful and worthy of learning. The perfect sound of instrumental ensembles […] of the 18th century living with the mannerisms of public music-making was good as it was. […] The heretical idea came to us that it should be learned as it is, with the thorough observation of the rules and operational mode of the tradition. The practice proved the concept correct: […] Once in possession of the necessary “grammar” and an increasingly broad “vocabulary”, one could finally attain a kind of language, and this provided the experience of self-expression even in the early period of study. And if, in that place, working communities shaped this language, here the situation was reversed: mastering the language carefully selected from the entire tradition made the organization of new communities possible among urban, or more accurately, optional circumstances.” On reading lines put to paper in 1983 (and as a sort of epilogue), the insight of Bálint Sárosi is simply astonishing: “The best singers, musicians, dancers of the new movement […] are rapidly socialized and turn professional. […] Along with professionalism, it is a given that they have to meet all types of audiences, they have to constantly refresh their programmes and their appearances must be impactful. […] However, the passive, and, as a consequence, less and less knowledgeable audience does not react to nuances; they have to be influenced by easily perceivable externalities: with exotically sounding pieces, virtuosity, interesting instruments... […] The concession made to a public that is not sufficiently expert and unable to discern obviously weakens the power of the movement and leads to decline. After all: there are no such things as perpetual movements.” Mátyás Bolya 89

SATURDAY 7 MAY, 19.00

SATURDAY 7 MAY, 19.30

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC DANCE HOUSE DAY

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE PÉTER NAGY, CLAUDIO BOHÓRQUEZ, TANJA BECKER-BENDER

The fruit of the close professional relationship between Tanja BeckerBender and Péter Nagy is two recordings of violin-piano sonatas by Hindemith and Respighi. The German violinist attended the Salzburg Mozarteum and Guildhall School of Music before completing her studies at the Juilliard School (she was first violinist of the Juilliard Quartet and has recorded the 24 caprices of Paganini. Claudio Bohórquez, of Peruvian-Uruguayan) extraction, born in Germany, is one of the most promising talents of his generation, who has achieved successes at top international competitions; in 2000, for example, he won several prizes at the first Pablo Casals Competition organized by the Kronberg Academy, as well as being loaned (for two years) the former instrument of Pablo Casals. Head of the keyboard programme of the doctoral school of the Liszt Academy, Péter Nagy, is totally committed to chamber music as well as being a much sought-after musician. He has worked together with artists of the calibre of Zoltán Kocsis, László Polgár, Miklós Perényi, Leonidas Kavakos, Kim Kashkashian, Boris Pergamenschikow and Ruggiero Ricci

Is it possible to base the concept of a stage production on the latest results of folk music research? Are the dog-eatdog battle of entertainment and the rigour of science irreconcilable twins? The Liszt Academy Folk Music Department has already proved itself in this area because the programme Forgotten Szeklerland that debuted last year was both a totally unforgettable concert experience and an authentic picture (from a folk music perspective) of this world of deep-rooted music. This time, the concert on Dance House Day concentrates on all of the Hungarianspeaking territories, utilizing the Anthology of Hungarian Folk Music as its primary guide. The series launched on the initiative, and as the brainchild, of György Martin presents Hungarian folk music by main region, in a total of seven albums published between 1985 and 2002. Despite its chequered fate, this series is the most complete sound recording spanning the entire verticum of folk music to date. The latest edition in DVD-ROM format is an updated version of the huge undertaking started more than 25 years ago, with unified appearance and data provision, and enhanced with studies, maps, photographs and an English translation. Matching the anthology’s music-geographical approach, the concert presents – in seven parts – the “dialects” of Hungarian folk music, the genres, song types and customs characteristic of the given areas, in a performance by the cream of the department’s singers and instrumentalists. Before the concert gets underway, there will be a ceremony presenting the Béla Halmos Award.

Tickets: HUF 4 500, 5 400 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 600 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Piano and Cello in E minor, Op. 38 Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 78 Piano Trio in B major, Op. 8 Péter Nagy (piano) Claudio Bohórquez (cello) Tanja Becker-Bender (violin)

TANJA BECKER-BENDER © UWE ARENS

SUNDAY 8 MAY, 11.00

MONDAY 9 MAY, 19.00

TUESDAY 10 MAY, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY MUSIC AND DRAWING FOR 10–15 YEAR-OLDS

NEW LISZT FERENC CHAMBER CHOIR CONCERT IN MEMORY OF THE END OF WORLD WAR II

Mozart: Minuet in A major (K. deest 12) Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op. 22 (excerpt) Ligeti: The Sorcerer's Apprentice Debussy: Etude György Kurtág: Games (excerpts) Cage: 4’33’ – 1 st Movement

Monte: Super flumina Babylonis Ingvar Lidholm: De profundis Poulenc: Un soir de neige Madetoja: De Profundis, Op. 56 Kodály: Norwegian Girls John August Pamintuan: De profundis Kodály: Lament Nystedt: Jerusalem, Op. 145 Byrd: Quomodo cantabimus

István Lajkó (piano) Narrator: Zsuzsanna Weiszburg Amongst schoolchildren there are those destined for maths, there are those good at Hungarian, there are born geographers or historians. Of course, the various subcultures are not totally isolated from each another, and the pathway is especially free between them if we are talking about music. The fact is that music is a common denominator: it reveals as much about maths as it does about literature, geography or sport. The youth series of the Liszt Academy, that is, the four concerts in the chamber hall arranged in the framework of the Liszt Kidz Academy, venture into the latter four subjects, and this time the question of how art and music are linked is examined. Is it possible to draw with music? Can we hear what we can see? What influence did the great painters have on the great composers? Is it possible to put an optical illusion to music? This concert for 10–15-year-olds seeks answers to these and similar questions with the help of Junior Príma Prize winning pianist István Lajkó and narrator Zsuzsanna Weiszburg, who recently graduated from the Liszt Academy. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 92

New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir Conductor: László Norbert Nemes

ARIA EXAM The resident chamber choir of the Liszt Academy, under the baton of internationally-renowned choral conductor László Norbert Nemes, perform nine remarkable choral works by composers of different nationalities. Finn Leevi Madetoja, who was a student of Sibelius and died in 1947, as well as Swede Ingvar Lidholm ( born: 1921), both have compositions setting Psalm 130 to music, while Norwegian Knut Nystedt (who lived to the age of 99 and left behind a volume of fine choral works when he died in 2014) is represented by his setting of verses from the Book of Revelations. Francis Poulenc wrote his masterpiece Un soir de neige at Christmas 1944, in German-occupied Paris, after the poem by Paul Éluard. Zoltán Kodály’s contributions are Norwegian Girls written in 1940 and the moving Lament in memory of victims of the global war. Also there is a church work by Philippino John August Pamintuan who has won huge international acclaim for his choral works. Tickets: HUF 1 300, 1 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Opera students of the Liszt Academy MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Kálmán Szennai There are few things that show better what a special position the Liszt Academy occupies in Hungarian higher education than the aria examination organized every May. Whereas the exam results of most universities are unlikely to be noted beyond a small circle of professors and students, the aria exam of the Department of Vocal and Opera Studies is open to everyone: it is as much about being a test of students and teachers as an special aesthetic experience for anyone interested in the future of Hungarian artistic singing willing to visit the Liszt Academy to hear these young talented artists. Students present in a live event open to the general public arias they have studied over the course of the academic year, with orchestral accompaniment and, for the first time, in the fully renovated Grand Hall. Free tickets available at the ticket office of the Liszt Academy. Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

TUESDAY 10 MAY, 19.00

WEDNESDAY 11 MAY, 19.30

SOLTI HALL

GRAND HALL

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS BORIS BERMAN PIANO RECITAL

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR THE GRAND HALL JOSHUA BELL & SAM HAYWOOD

Beethoven: Variations in F major, Op. 34 Debussy: Images – 1 st Book Debussy: Estampes Prokofiev: Sonata No. 5 in C major, Op. 135 Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75 (excerpts) Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major, Op. 83

Vitali: Chaconne Beethoven: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, Op. 47 ("Kreutzer") Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, Op. 13

Precise mind, warm heart, extraordinary virtuosity and astoundingly rich musicality. Boris Berman is not merely a stunning pianist but a truly remarkable musician as well, a person who never play-acts on the stage, instead devoting his amazing technique to the expression of miniscule musical details. With selfless commitment, Berman always endeavours to provide interpretations of works that are in full accord with the style of the given composer, in the most authentic way possible, with flawless technique and yet with his own trademark expressivity. Born in Moscow, the pianist would be hard put to deny the influences of the great Russian school of piano playing with his breath-taking technique. He lived in the Soviet Union between 1948-1973 before emigrating to Israel. He heads the piano department of the Yale School of Music and is one of the most sought-after piano professors in the United States. Concert audiences in nearly fifty countries on six continents know him as soloist and chamber musician, while he is also active in studios (he was first to record Prokofiev’s complete piano works). After playing the world’s greatest concert halls, he now gives a solo recital in front of a domestic audience in the Academy of Music, Budapest.

Joshua Bell (violin) Sam Haywood (piano)

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 6 300, 8 200, 11 500, 14 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

It frequently happens at concerts given by big-name soloists that the “piano accompanist” appears in tiny script, somewhere at the bottom of the poster, generally totally overshadowed by the star attraction. However, there is no such superior-subordinate relationship between Joshua Bell and Sam Haywood, with the American violinist and British pianist appearing as completely equal chamber partners. “I was looking for an excellent pianist who would be a perfect match, and my cellist friend Steven Isserlis suggested Sam Haywood. He is a wonderful musician, modest and extremely candid.” This is how Bell described his chamber partner. Joshua Bell needs little introduction: renowned for his passionate playing, inquisitiveness and multifaceted musical interests, the musician is talked of as being one of the most significant violinists of our day. He is a soloist and chamber player who is constantly on tour, music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. His Liszt Academy evening with Sam Haywood on the stage of the Grand Hall takes a classical turn: Beethoven and Fauré sonatas sandwiched between two virtuoso hits.

JOSHUA BELL © LISZT ACADEMY / BALÁZS MOHAI

THURSDAY 12 MAY, 19.30

FRIDAY 13 MAY, 19.00

WEDNESDAY 18 MAY, 19.00

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

CHOIR OF THE BELARUS STATE ACADEMY OF MUSIC

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE ILONA PRUNYI, LÁSZLÓ FENYŐ, ÁDÁM BANDA

HERE AND NOW AMADINDA Ligeti: Car Horn Prelude Lukas Ligeti: Pattern Transformation Couperin–Dukay Barnabás: Le Tic-Toc Choc, ou Les Maillotins Ravel: Sonatine Ligeti: With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles Elliot Cole: Postludes Gordon Stout: Sedimental Structures Gordon Stout: Afternoon Footprints Augusto Marcellino: Remeleixo (Choro No. 9) Ross Edwards: Reflections Gordon Stout: Route 666 Amadinda Percussion Group: Károly Bojtos, Aurél Holló, Zoltán Rácz, Zoltán Váczi Guest: Gordon Stout (marimba) “It is a falsehood that there is a divide between contemporary culture and the audience!” So runs one sentence typical of the Amadinda philosophy published on the cover of the percussion ensemble’s first album. In setting up the formation in 1984, Zoltán Rácz, Zoltán Váczi, Aurél Holló and Károly Bojtos undertook something that others refused when they gave performances in Hungary of key 20th century percussion pieces: “We saw before us a totally uncultivated area, we had a vision and sufficient strength to realize it, so we just stepped into the vacuum,” said Zoltán Rácz in an interview about the core aspirations of Amadinda. In the 30 years since then the ensemble have unpacked their unique percussion repertoire in more than 30 countries on four continents, including at the Berlin Filharmónia, the Vienna Konzerthaus, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Taipei’s National Concert Hall, Dallas’s Meyerson Symphony Center and New York’s Carnegie Hall. Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 100, 5 200, 6 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre 94

Works by Belarus and western composers, folk-song arrangements Choir of the Belarus State Academy of Music Conductor: Inessa Bodyako It could be a group of friends or interstate relations—whatever the case, choral singing brings people together with an energising force and allows participants and audiences to share in an exchange of values. The Choir of the Belarus State Academy of Music was honoured in 2010 for its choral activities for “contributing to the development of peace and friendship through choral music and the establishment of friendly relations within the world choral brotherhood” at the Chorus Inside Festival. The academy’s choral conducting department established the choir more than 50 years ago. Viktor Rovdo directed the ensemble for 40 years. Under his watch it became a professional choir and participated in international competitions while steadily gaining a redoubtable reputation. Since 2007 their choirmaster has been Inessa Bodyako, a former student of Rovdo. She has taken them to such prestigious concert halls as the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Cracow Academy and the Grand Hall of the Latvian Music Academy. At present the Minsk chorus are actively involved with 20–21st century music; their concert in the Liszt Academy features contemporary works by Belarussians and other composers. Free tickets available at the ticket office of the Liszt Academy. Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Beethoven: Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 5 Beethoven: Twelve variations on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" from Mozart’s opera Magic Flute, Op. 66 Mendelssohn: Trio in C minor, Op. 66 Ilona Prunyi (piano); László Fenyő (cello); Ádám Banda (violin) Ilona Prunyi, who celebrated the 50 th anniversary of her professional career in 2014, was once characterized by Annie Fischer as follows: “She belongs among the exceptional representatives of Hungarian music life, and her virtuosity is quite remarkable.” The name of Ilona Prunyi is associated with the start of the Dohnányi renaissance in Hungary, although a special place is reserved in her extraordinarily broad repertoire. For this recital she is partnered by tried and tested members of the younger generation just starting out on a career. The two popular Beethoven opuses are performed with László Fenyő, who came to Europe-wide attention as winner of the 2004 Kronberg International Pablo Casals Violoncello Competition and between 2001 and 2012 he was solo cellist with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Ádám Banda, winner of the Szigeti-Hubay International Violin Competition organized in 2007 and holder of the Hubay special prize, renowned for his profound and crystal clear interpretations, joins the two artists for the performance of the magical trio by Mendelssohn composed in 1845. Tickets: HUF 3 400, 4 100 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

2014. SZEPT. 4. ( THURSDAY ), 19.30

2014. SZEPT 6. (SATURDAY ), 20.30

2014. SZEPT 7. (SUNDAY ), 18.00

GRAND HALL

Hianyzik a tartalom. Hianyzik a tartalom. Hianyzik a tartalom. Jegyárak: 3 900, 5 400, 6 900 Ft Rendező: Filharmónia Magyarország Koncert és Fesztiválszervező Nkft.

Jegyárak: 4 900, 9 500 Ft Rendező: Art Quarter Budapest

Jegyárak: 7 990, 8 990, 9 990 Ft Rendező:100 Tagú Cigányzenekar Kulturális és Közművelődési Közhasznú NEUE ORDNUNG V Egyesület © GÁBOR GERHES 95

WEDNESDAY 18 MAY, 19.30

FRIDAY 20 MAY, 19.30

GRAND HALL

JAZZ IT! CHARLES LLOYD & JASON MORAN Charles Lloyd (saxophone, tárogató) Jason Moran (piano)

Why are we scared of contemporary music? And what can we do not to be scared of it? Take Steve Reich: he reckons there’s no cause for fear if musicians who play such works do so joyously and skilfully. Zoltán Rácz, one of the most accomplished interpreters of Reich, thinks along the same lines, eschewing any talk of the divide between contemporary culture and the public. Zoltán Rácz conducts the Symphony Orchestra of the Liszt Academy in three exciting 20th century works: Stravinsky’s Symphonies written for 24 wind instruments, Ligeti’s iconic Violin Concerto, and after the interval, Reich’s The Desert Music for chorus and orchestra. After the performance of Music for 18 Musicians (November 2013) – considered to be one of Reich’s most brilliant pieces – with near hypnotic and novel sound experiences, we can be certain that Desert Music will have at least the same elemental impact on the audience in the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy.

Charles Lloyd’s associations with Hungary are numerous and everexpanding. Once the Memphis-born saxophonist had received “food for thought” from benchmark figures on the avant-garde jazz scene in Los Angeles (including Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson) in addition to blues inspirations, he became artistic leader of the Chico Hamilton band, and it was his decision to invite into the group guitarist Gábor Szabó, perhaps one of today’s most accomplished Hungarian jazz musicians. Lloyd’s composition Forest Flower became famous with him. During the 1960s Charles Lloyd was one of the first jazz musicians to use the tárogató wind instrument in his music, and it continues to be heard in his recordings and concerts to this day. During a Palace of Arts concert in 2012, Mihály Dresch, Mihály Borbély and Miklós Lukács appeared as surprise guests alongside Lloyd. Lukács, on cimbalom, became a founding member of the Charles Lloyd touring orchestra, and they played the Wild Man Dance Suite to global acclaim. Jason Moran has been a partner of the legendary saxophonist since the hit quartet recording Rabo De Nube (2008), and in 2013 the two of them cut a duo album (Hagar’s Song). The astonishingly multifaceted, inventive pianist, who was a student of Jaki Byard, has worked together with Cassandra Wilson, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Christian McBride, Wayne Shorter and Marian McPartland.

Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 3 100, 4 300, 5 400 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA ZOLTÁN RÁCZ & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments Ligeti: Violin Concerto Steve Reich: The Desert Music Synergy Vocals András Keller (violin) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Zoltán Rácz

CHARLES LLOYD According to Ben Ratliff, reviewer for the New York Times: “Follow the career of Charles Lloyd, and you see a map of great jazz across half a century.”

By Lloyd’s own admission, the music of this jazz great, who is performing at the Liszt Academy at the age of 78, was largely defined by the fact that he was born in Memphis, Tennessee, thus blues had an elemental impact on him. Meanwhile he found himself particularly attracted to the cultures of the Far East – following, as he puts it, the traditions of the “wild yogis”. Even as a young musician he jammed together with Howlin’ Wolf and B. B. King, while he counted jazz trumpeter Booker Little as his best friend. In 1956 Lloyd turned his eye to Los Angeles, winning a place at the department of classical music of the University of Southern California, thereby further enriching his music vocabulary. He says he feels most at home in avant-garde jazz, and once again built up experiences alongside legendary artists such as the recently deceased Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson. In 1960, the 22-year-old Lloyd became music director of the Chico Hamilton orchestra, and it is thanks to Lloyd that guitarist Gábor Szabó, the most widely known Hungarian jazz artist, won a place in the ensemble. By the mid-1960s the saxophonist with remarkable improvisational, compositional and instrumental capabilities was a popular guest musician alongside greats of the east coast jazz scene such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Cannonball Adderley. Jack DeJohnette was drummer, Cecil McBee played double bass, and Keith Jarrett was on piano in Lloyd’s own quartet that took on iconic status. Lloyd finally won world fame when in 1966 he appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival; the album Forest Flower that was born out of that concert became one of the multi-million, biggest selling recordings in jazz history and a constant feature on radio stations. In the wake of this he started getting requests to play with mega stars like Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Grateful Dead. The influence of oriental cultures played a large part in the success of Forest Flower, and Lloyd turned towards these traditions when for a time he withdrew from the public stage to rejuvenate, spending time in meditation and spiritual exercises. He returned to the stage in 1981 when there was an opportunity to work together with the astonishingly gifted pianist Michel Petrucciani. This special meeting of minds spawned two albums and numerous concerts. Towards the end of the 1980s he put together a new quartet with Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson and started releasing more albums. Since the 1980s, Charles Lloyd and his bands with varying line-ups have released with record label ECM albums of extremely high quality, on which we can hear him play in the company of John Abercrombie, Brad Mehldau, Zakir Hussain and Jason Moran, while the last recording by drummer Billy Higgins before his death was with Lloyd. The album Wild Man Dance recorded in 2015 attracted particular attention, one interesting feature of which is that Lloyd returned to Blue Note to publish it (of note for Hungarians is the fact that one of the guest artists of the quartet comprising Gerald Clayton, Joe Sanders, Eric Harland and Lloyd is cimbalom player Miklós Lukács).

Barbara Bércesi 97

TUESDAY 24 MAY, 19.30

WEDNESDAY 25 MAY, 19.30

GRAND HALL

MOZART EFFECT DÉNES VÁRJON & CONCERTO BUDAPEST I K. 449-451 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto in E-flat major (K. 449) Piano Concerto in B-flat major (K. 450) Piano Concerto in D major (K. 451) Dénes Várjon (piano) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller

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VOICE, SO CLOSE ANDREA MELÁTH & KÁLMÁN DRÁFI SONG CYCLES FROM THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY Debussy: The Songs of Bilitis Britten: A charm of Lullabies, Op. 41 Debussy: Two Works for Piano Ravel: Chansons Madécasses Mahler: Children’s Death Songs Rachmaninoff: Two Etudes for Piano Bartók: Village Scenes (BB 87/a) Andrea Meláth (mezzo-soprano); Kálmán Dráfi (piano); Miklós Perényi (cello); Béla Drahos (flute)

“These works are among the very best, most beautiful, purest pieces of music of all time! Approach them with humility!” So advised András Schiff concerning Mozart’s piano concertos. The Liszt Academy’s audience already familiar with the tight-knit pairing of Dénes Várjon and Concerto Budapest directed by András Keller will already have witnessed what Schiff was talking about. Their Beethoven piano concerto cycle was met with great acclaim. Now in just two concerts they will play all Mozart’s works composed in the early months of 1784, his most creatively intensive. In this first concert we’ll hear Mozart’s first three piano concertos. The dramatic tone of the Piano Concerto in E-flat major, a huge success in the composer’s lifetime (it was probably written to dazzle Barbara Ployer, a talented and attractive student) dissolves into a cheerful rondo, which is the ideal preparation for the airy, verging on the gossipy Piano Concerto in B-flat major. The evening winds up with the rousing Piano Concerto in D major, the perfect finale for this concert.

Recipient of the Liszt Prize and several Artisjus awards, Andrea Meláth heads the Liszt Academy’s Department of Vocal Studies. She is a committed and erudite interpreter of 20th century music, as is quite evident from the programme, which contains several treats. Debussy’s song cycle to erotic verses by Pierre Louÿs; Britten’s series based on the works of English and Scottish poets (William Blake, Robert Burns, Robert Greene, Thomas Randolph and John Phillip); lines by Évariste de Parny, 18th century author of the first French prose, set to music by Ravel; and Mahler’s cathartic Friedrich Rückert adaptation. Bartók’s Slovak folk song adaptations lend a sense of familiarity, and the perfect dramaturgy is provided by piano pieces by Debussy and Rachmaninoff inserted between the vocal works. Head of Piano Department at the Liszt Academy Kálmán Dráfi (a one-time pupil of Annie Fischer) switches from accompanist to soloist for the latter works.

Tickets: HUF 3 700, 5 100, 6 500, 7 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

THURSDAY 26 MAY, 19.30

GRAND HALL

FRIDAY 27 MAY, 19.00 SUNDAY 29 MAY, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE GAUTIER CAPUÇON & ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DU CAPITOLE DE TOULOUSE Berlioz: Roman Carnival Dutilleux: Cello Concerto Debussy: La mer Stravinsky: The Firebird – suite Gautier Capuçon (cello) Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse Conductor: Tugan Sokhiev

“Sensation of the year” is how the Society of French Music Critics called a concert series by Tugan Sohiev at the helm of the Toulouse national orchestra in 2005. The legendary André Cluytens, Georges Prêtre and Michel Plasson were doubtless hard acts to follow, but on the heels of big successes, the orchestra named Sohiev as guest conductor in the same year, and in 2008 as its music director. He won international acclaim with his performances of French and Russian music; his Budapest concert selects from the most important works of these two schools. After works by three emblematic figures of French music, it is the turn of Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird suite, which has Russian roots yet French tonality. Soloist is leading French cellist Gautier Capuçon, 35, who performs the composition of French composer Henri Dutilleux (b. 1916), completed in 1970, inspired by the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich. Tickets: HUF 4 900, 6 300, 7 600, 9 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

OPERA EXAM Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Director: Máté Szabó Featuring opera students of the Liszt Academy Conductor: Dominic Wheeler Opera Exam productions brought to the stage under the direction of András Almási-Tóth are, as he puts it, capable of rendering an early, pure form of opera to the audience. There are no constraints and a single guiding principle: the joy of playing and discovery. Contrary to the world of grand opera, the Opera Exams are not subject to production or box office constraints, giving the director and the performers a free hand to accept the inescapable risks that are the hallmarks of truly exciting performances while dealing with the works with the greatest artistic freedom imaginable. In 2016, Benjamin Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream is being staged. With its wonderful elements, stimulating twists and turns and moments of profound humanity, it represents the perfect platform for the realization of richly imaginative ideas and fulfilment of performer abilities. Two worlds meet in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: human and fairy, reality and fantasy mix with each other not only in the tale by Shakespeare but also in the constantly morphing, incredibly diverse musical parts of the opera by Britten. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Hungarian State Opera, Liszt Academy Concert Centre 101

SUNDAY 29 MAY, 10.00

TUESDAY 31 MAY, 19.30

LISZT FERENC SQUARE SOLTI HALL GRAND HALL

GRAND HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR THE GRAND HALL KRISTÓF BARÁTI & RICHARD GOODE Mozart: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat major (K. 454) Brahms: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 78 Janáček: Sonata for Violin and Piano Beethoven: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 96 Kristóf Baráti (violin) Richard Goode (piano)

This is the second time the Liszt Academy is organizing its series of children’s day programmes, and it is no secret that the idea is to establish a tradition for the future: on kids’ day the Art Nouveau building throws open its doors to younger and older children and, naturally, their parents and grandparents. Among the programmes running from 10 am to 2 pm are matinee concerts for 10-15 year-olds as well as activities to keep younger ones occupied and happy. Outside, on Liszt Ferenc Square, there are handicrafts, a children’s dance house organized by the Folk Music Department, plus a brass band comprising Liszt Academy students, whilst inside the building there is a musical treasure hunt and guided tours. Admission to all the programmes is free of charge. Full details can be found on the website of Liszt Academy from March.

Until recently, audiences have mainly heard Kristóf Baráti (who, according to the largest classical music event database Bachtrack.com, was the world’s most sought-after violinist in 2014) as a soloist. Last season the violinist debuted at Carnegie Hall and gave two concerts under the baton of Valery Gergiev in St Petersburg. In the summer he participated in the most prestigious music festivals where, after countless solo concerts, he focused on chamber music. Baráti has found the ideal partner in Richard Goode, known for piano playing of remarkable expressivity and huge emotional force. A leading performer of classical and Romantic music, demand for this American pianist is shown by the fact that he has appeared in no fewer than five concerts in Carnegie Hall in the 2014–2015 season alone. We will be witnesses to the meeting of two exceptional artists in this sonata recital, which, irrespective of whether they are playing Mozart, Brahms, Janáček or Beethoven sonatas, is guaranteed to be a momentous event in the life of the Liszt Academy.

All programmes free Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 100, 5 200, 6 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY GREAT LISZT KIDZ DAY FOR 6–15 YEAR-OLDS

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CONCERT CHRONOLOGY JUNE Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior Other FRIDAY 3 JUNE 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

MOZART EFFECT DÉNES VÁRJON & CONCERTO BUDAPEST II K. 452–456 Page 105 SUNDAY 5 JUNE 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC ESZTERLÁNC BAND FEAT. MIHÁLY DRESCH

SUNDAY 12 JUNE 2016, 19.00 SOLTI HALL

JAZZ IT! BG 5 – BILLE GERGŐ QUINTET FEAT. MIHÁLY BORBÉLY Page 106

SUNDAY 12 JUNE 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERT OF THE EUROPEAN DOCTORS ORCHESTRA CHARITY CONCERT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AT THE HEIM PÁL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1 (BB 48a) Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 Katalin Kokas (violin) European Doctors Orchestra Conductor: Christopher Morris Whiting Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Organizer: Foundation for the Development of Heim Pál Children’s Hospital

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CEU 25 CENTRAL EUROPEAN MUSICAL OUTLOOK Bach-Weiner: Toccata for Orchestra in C major (BWV 564) Chopin: Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 21 Copland: Lincoln Portrait Janáček: Sinfonietta, Op. 60 Xheni Rroji (piano) Budapest Philharmonic Society Orchestra Conductor: Leon Botstein Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 800, 2 500 3 300 Organizer: CEU

OPERA EXAM ELEGY FOR YOUNG LOVERS PRODUCTION OF THE ARMEL OPERA COMPETITION

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR

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Mozart: Symphony No. 34 in C major (K. 338) Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 8 in C major (K. 246, "Lützow") Bartók: 4 Hungarian Folk Songs (BB 99) Bartók: Cantata profana (BB 100) Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir Piano soloist, conductor: Zoltán Kocsis

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SATURDAY 25 JUNE 2016, 17.00 GRAND HALL

SUNDAY 28 JUNE 2016, 19.00 THÁLIA THEATRE

THURSDAY 9 JUNE 2016, 19.30 GRAND HALL

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 Organizer: Philharmonia Hungary

LEON BOTSTEIN

KATALIN KOKAS

FRIDAY 3 JUNE, 19.30

SUNDAY 5 JUNE, 19.00

GRAND HALL

SOLTI HALL

MOZART EFFECT DÉNES VÁRJON & CONCERTO BUDAPEST II K. 452-456 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Quintet in E-flat major (K. 452) Piano Concerto in G major (K. 453) Sonata for Violin and Piano in B-flat major (K. 454) 10 Variations for Piano (K. 455) Piano Concerto in B-flat major (K. 456) Dénes Várjon (piano); Gerda Rózsa (oboe); Csaba Klenyán (clarinet); Bálint Tóth (horn); György Lakatos (bassoon) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller (violin)

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC ESZTERLÁNC BAND FEAT. MIHÁLY DRESCH Mihály Dresch (fuhun, saxophone) Anna Szilágyi, Andrea Navratil, Noémi Sturcz (vocals) Eszterlánc Band: Attila Mihó (violin); Dénes Juhász (violin, recorder); Attila Császár (viola); Róbert Liber (double bass)

The second concert of the joint Mozart series of Dénes Várjon and Concert Budapest (conductor: András Keller) features (in chronological order) works of Mozart written in the spring and summer of 1784. Mozart dedicated the Piano Concerto in G major to his Viennese student, Barbara Ployer. The Sonata in B-flat major was written for Regina Strinasacchi, a much celebrated violinist of her time. On one occasion Mozart noticed that this famous fellow composer Christoph Willibald Gluck was sitting in the auditorium, so he surprised him with a cheerful improvisation on an aria written by Gluck, and later on he noted down his series of variations. The Piano Concerto in B-flat major was written for the blind pianist Maria Theresia Paradies. The work is a masterful blend of passion, beauty and sorrow. However, the Piano Quintet in E-flat major may represent true inspiration for us since Mozart – in a letter written to his father – considered it to be the best thing he had written in his life.

Eszterlánc is a string group that developed along the lines of old peasant bands. Its repertoire mainly draws on traditional folk music of the Transylvanian Plain (Mezőség). Mezőség singers and musicians are frequently invited to join them in concerts and recordings. The driving force and permanent member of the formation (established: 1998) is Attila Császár, who always has a good ear for selecting his companions from those who are most intimate with the musical traditions of this part of the world. Recorder player and saxophonist Mihály Dresch is a regular guest musician of the band and has featured on several Eszterlánc albums already. Through his instruments Dresch takes hold of the music of the Transylvanian landscape with such naturalness that, based on these recordings, music ethnographers of the next century may ponder deeply before making hard and fast statements about musical authenticity.

Tickets: HUF 3 700, 5 100, 6 500, 7 900 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 500 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

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SUNDAY 12 JUNE, 19.00

TUESDAY 28 JUNE, 19.00

SOLTI HALL

THÁLIA THEATRE

OPERA EXAM ELEGY FOR YOUNG LOVERS PRODUCTION OF THE ARMEL OPERA COMPETITION JAZZ IT! BG 5 BILLE GERGŐ QUINTET FEAT. MIHÁLY BORBÉLY Gergő Bille (trumpet, flugelhorn); Márton Almássy (tenor saxophone); Bence Bécsy (guitar); Márk Miskolczi (bass); Ágoston Szabó Sipos (drums) Guest: Mihály Borbély (saxophone)

BG 5

The trumpet and flugelhorn player, who is occasionally heard on the cornet as well, not only heads up his own band but he is also a regular guest soloist with the Balogh Tamás Quartet and has appeared alongside Elsa Valle and the Gábor Winand quartet. However, Gergő Bille, talented both as a composer and performer, really feels at home with BG5. The band launched in 2013 at the Liszt Academy, and since 2014 the five of them – including Márton Almássy, Bence Bécsy, Márk Miskolczi and Ágoston Szabó Sipos – are regulars on the Budapest jazz scene. The start-up band follows one of the basic line-ups of bebop and post-bop (trumpet, tenor saxophone, guitar, bass, drums), although their music styles range far beyond these trends: they are into groove-based music, funk, hiphop, drum and bass, they are attracted to Afro-Cuban rhythms; and they don’t shy away from experimentation along avantgarde jazz lines either. The vast majority of their broad repertoire comprises their own compositions. Ticket: HUF 1 200 Organizer: Liszt Academy Concert Centre

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Hans Werner Henze: Elegy for Young Lovers Opera students of Liszt Academy Kim Boram (baritone) Pannon Philharmonic Conductor: Gergely Vajda Director: András Almási-Tóth The Liszt Academy is taking part in the 2016 edition of the Armel Opera Competition as a partner institution for the first time. In the 2015 competition, South Korean baritone Kim Boram was chosen for the lead role of the production, staged by András Almási-Tóth, together with vocal department students of the Liszt Academy and the Pannon Philharmonics conducted by Gergely Vajda in the Thália Theatre. Almási-Tóth selected the work Elegy for Young Lovers (1961, lead role at the premiere sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) by Hans Werner Henze, who created one of the most prolific and successful opera oeuvres of the second half of the 20th century, and which – unfortunately – is rarely performed in Hungary. The opera written to the libretto of W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman is set in the Austrian Alps in 1910; it revolves around a poet called Gregor Mittenhofer, who with calculating cold-heartedness manipulates those around him and draws their unhappy fates into the service of his own art. Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 500, 1 800 Ft Organizer: Armel Opera Competition, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

CONCERTS AT THE OLD ACADEMY OF MUSIC LISZT MUSEUM MATINÉE CONCERTS

9 JANUARY

11.00

Gabriella Gyökér (piano) and her singing students

23 JANUARY

11.00

Yvette Mondok (soprano) & István Lajkó (piano)

30 JANUARY

11.00

Members of the Budapest Philharmonic Society Orchestra

6 FEBRUARY

11.00

Katalin Frideczky (piano) & Mátyás Büki (violin)

13 FEBRUARY

11.00

Emese Virágh (piano)

27 FEBRUARY

11.00

Judit Rajk (alto) & László Borbély (piano)

5 MARCH

11.00

Péter Nagy (piano)

12 MARCH

11.00

Schola Regina Choir

2 APRIL

11.00

Bruno Vlahek (piano)

9 APRIL

11.00

Schola Academica

16 APRIL

11.00

Maurizio Moretti (piano)

23 APRIL

11.00

National Széchényi Library Choir

30 APRIL

11.00

Péter Bársony (viola) & his students

7 MAY

11.00

Daniele Lazzari (guitar)

4 JUNE

11.00

Ádám Zsolt Szokolay (piano)

11 JUNE

11.00

Semmelweis Quartet

Tickets: HUF 1 300 (students and concession ticket: HUF 650)

ENCOUNTERS WITH FERENC LISZT JOINT CONCERT SERIES OF THE FERENC LISZT SOCIETY AND LISZT ACADEMY

27 JANUARY. 18.00 ”GRAVE IS THE CRADLE OF FUTURE LIFE” TRANSCENDENT PIANO MUSIC OF THE LATE LISZT Zsuzsanna Esztó, Renáta Konyicska (piano) Introduction: Zsuzsanna Esztó

24 FEBRUARY. 18.00 LISZT AND THE OPERA Andrea Meláth (mezzo-sopano) Katalin Alter, Ferenc János Szabó (piano) Students of Singing and Piano Departments Introduction: Ferenc János Szabó Tickets: HUF 1 800 (students and concession ticket: HUF 900)

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OPENING TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC After the Liszt Academy reopened, diploma concerts and opera exams became an integral part of the concert programme offered to the general public. In the On the Spot and the Talent Oblige series, professors and Academy students stand side by side on the stage. So how come university concerts are getting more and more publicity?

Since its reopening in 2013, the Liszt Academy has functioned not only as an educational institution but also as an independent concert organizer. Events associated with university tuition can profit greatly from the new Liszt Academy Concert Centre because professional event organizers and communications experts are on hand to help implement key programmes. “When during the reconstruction of the Liszt Academy the decision was made to position itself as a concert organizer as well, an integral part of the concept was to put on events organized by the Concert Centre, linked to university teaching and attracting the attention of the general public. “This means we can organize these concerts in a professional way and they receive a greater level of publicity than previously,” cultural director of the Liszt Academy András Csonka explains. In 2014, a total of 429 public concerts and more than 600 other university programmes were arranged at the Liszt Academy. The majority of department concerts, doctoral concerts, lectures, workshops and courses are closed to the public and only appear on the website dedicated to Liszt Academy teaching (lfze.hu). At the same time, the majority of university concerts organized in the Grand Hall, the Solti Hall, and the Old Academy of Music Chamber Hall are open to everybody (with a free registration ticket), while an entry fee is charged for major concerts and series as well as performances featuring world stars. The departments themselves organize most events related to their teaching. For many years now the Composition Department and the Musicology Department have arranged the Early Music History series as well as the Tuesday Afternoon Musicology and Composer Forum programmes. The Doctoral Concerts and Chamber Music Workshop concert series, and particularly the diploma concerts, receive more publicity and support, but the independent series and festivals of the Liszt Museum also appear in the Concert Centre’s offering. Two outstanding events are the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra series and the On the Spot series. Here professors and students, masters and pupils, take to the stage together. The general public have the opportunity to be dazzled by concerts in the Talent Oblige series featuring students backed by the Liszt Academy Career Office: in the forthcoming concert season they can be seen in a variety of chamber formations. Jazz It! concerts also regularly showcase the ensembles of professors and gifted students. Péter Merényi

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DIPLOMA CONCERTS IN THE GRAND HALL 18.03.2016

23.05.2016

08.06.2016

29.03.2016

29.05.2016

10.06.2016

26.04.2016

02.06.2016

11.06.2016

28.04.2016

04.06.2016

02.05.2016

06.06.2016

Márton Takáts (piano) Dóra Kokas (cello) Dávid Fretyán (horn) Mihály Demeniv (accordion) Laura Kónyáné Puskás (choral conducting) & Orsolya Sivák Nyakas (soprano)

Shóji Haraguchi (conductor) Eszter Karasszon (cello) István Balázs (cello)

Zsolt Tassonyi (conductor) Bálint Kruppa (violin) Judit Sutyák (clarinet)

Sára Deák (violin) Panni Hotzi (piano) 07.06.2016

Andrea Bóni (violin)

For detailed programmes and further diploma concerts, as well as free university events, please visit: zeneakademia.hu/en/programs/university

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LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY YOUTH PROGRAMMES IN THE LISZT ACADEMY Every child is born with music in them. There is not a single infant who would not be stirred by the music of Mozart or Bach. Or maybe Katy Perry, depending on what they hear at home. Naturally, the youth programmes of the Liszt Academy are not intended to acquaint young and old with the values of pop culture, but instead with the three worlds of music that define the academy’s teaching and concert life: classical music, folk music and jazz.

The Liszt Kidz Academy is in its third year, meaning that it is capable of feeding itself, is potty trained and sleeps throughout the night. Now let’s talk through some numbers: we’ve held more than 50 group sessions and nearly 20 informative concerts in the Solti Hall and Grand Hall, we have organized a Grand Liszt Kidz Day and built the Liszt Academy out of 20,000 LEGO bricks. We’ve also gradually expanded our repertoire in that last year we tried out what it would be like to install the Jazz Playground programme under the direction of András Dés in the Liszt Kidz home, and the idea stuck: we have planned three Jazz Playgrounds in the Liszt Academy for spring 2016. Something else that is new is our music drama teaching programme launched with selected schools, and since we will be arranging the Grand Liszt Kidz Day on Children’s Day for the second time, this not only way we have built up experience in this area; we have also established a tradition. The group occupations continue to be targeted at 6-10 year-olds, but here, too, we have come up with a novelty: children get a stamp collecting book and if they manage to collect the required number of rubber stamps they receive a present. As for the informative concerts for 10-15 year-olds, we are going back to our first season and sprucing up the series examining the relationship between music and school subjects. First, because we really loved it; second, because we worked a lot on it (and it was only held once) and finally because those children who heard the series two years ago are now adults… well, older, anyway (concert dates are shown on the opposite page and details are given on earlier pages of the Concert Magazine). What has not changed is what we believe in. We continue to believe that music is not purely for entertainment but that it has something to teach us about basically who we are, which is why you can never be too young to start finding out about it. As Shakespeare put it: “The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved by concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; the motions of his spirit are dull as night, and his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music." - The Merchant of Venice Between 6 February and 21 May 2016, we are holding group Liszt Kidz sessions in the Liszt Academy building on Liszt Ferenc Square from 10 am every Saturday. These programmes are for children aged between 6 and 10. Parents cannot take part in the programmes; however, they are welcome to attend the dress rehearsal for that evening’s concert (subject to the approval of the artists). Further details: http://zeneakademia.hu/junior Tickets: HUF 900

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LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY FOR 10–15 YEAR–OLDS CONCERT SERIES IN THE SOLTI HALL

31 JANUARY 2016 MUSIC AND MATHS 28 FEBRUARY 2016 MUSIC AND SPORT 20 MARCH 2016 MUSIC AND LITERATURE 8 MAY 2016 MUSIC AND DRAWING 29 MAY 2016 BIG LISZT KIDZ DAY FOR 6–15 YEAR–OLDS JAZZ PLAYGROUND FOR 6–10 YEAR–OLDS 6 FEBRUARY 2016 5 MARCH 2016 9 APRIL 2016

THE LISZT ACADEMY PRESENTS: THE CULTURAL DIRECTORATE The Cultural Directorate, the event organizer of the Liszt Academy led by András Csonka, is now in its third year. It is unique in the world of Hungarian music life, as it is responsible for both the Concert Centre and the entire university’s events.

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When the Liszt Academy building in Ferenc Liszt Square reopened not only were it interiors refurbished but its organizational structure was rejuvenated as well. Most concerts and events had been organised externally in the past. In autumn 2013, however, an important change took place: the Cultural Directorate stepped in to contribute 300-400 concerts each year to Budapest's music life. The Liszt Academy still accepts externally organized concerts, and yearly concerts, including university events, now number 1,100. One of the main objectives of the Cultural Directorate is to guarantee the opportunity for students to perform. This is why it created the On The Spot series in which students are given the chance to experience performing on the stage of the Grand Hall. The Careers Office helps launch the careers of young artists who are still at university: a professional jury picks four or five talented individuals each year, who are then represented and promoted for the next five years, helping to launch their careers as performers. This connects with the Talent Oblige series in which additional talented students also perform. András Csonka holds professional consultations with the rector before inviting foreign and Hungarian performers and productions. The planning and booking of concerts usually happens two years in advance, though contracts are only signed later. The basic principle of selection is determined by the Academy's artistic profile, which is distinct from other independent concert venues. Chamber music and the individuality of programmes and line-ups is stressed. The guiding principle is that the Liszt Academy's own talents and teachers and the work of the university should be properly represented. In the case of folk music, the emphasis is on an authentic style of performance. With jazz, it is on acoustic chamber jazz formations and solo piano. Although everyone in the Cultural Directorate works as a team, tasks are assigned individually. Two people deal with documenting events and coordinating new projects, while six have the duty of organising the events with another individual focussing purely on business tasks, the relationship with the audience and financial affairs. The duties of each concert organiser are extremely diverse: they must draw up contracts and liaise with the artists, communicate technical conditions to the AVISO Studio, coordinate rehearsals, and assume responsibility for the entire concert, from the hostesses to the handing over of bouquets. Each week, the team sits down for an operational meeting with the other divisions in the Liszt Academy who are responsible for practical matters, to discuss all that needs to be done regarding ongoing events. On the day of the concert, everyone is on their feet from morning until late in the evening, and if they have done their jobs well, the audience can concentrate fully on enjoying the cathartic power of music. Zsuzsanna Könyves-Tóth

LISZT ACADEMY AMONG THE BEST – AGAIN The Liszt Academy, celebrating the 140 th anniversary of its foundation, collected another two important prizes in autumn 2015: a Red Dot Design Award went to Lisztery, a 40-second spot summing up the ars poetica of Liszt Academy’s concert centre (the Academy’s second such award). Further, the Design Management Prize certificate of merit was given in recognition of the Academy’s new image accompanying its reopening two years ago.

It is unique in domestic terms, and rare indeed even among multinational corporations, for the jury of the Red Dot Communication Design Award (the “Oscar” of prizes within the global communications profession) to honour the communications activities of the same institution in two successive years. Following last year’s award for the Liszt Academy image renewed in autumn 2013, this time the spot entitled Lisztery that debuted in January 2015—and which just a few months later picked up a respected Silver Hugo prize as best in category at the Chicago Film Festival – was ranked among the best of nearly 7,500 entries at the competition judging global communications trends. Imre Szabó Stein, Liszt Academy communications director, emphasized that the value of the award was all the greater since it was achieved with a true “no frills” production: the total budget for the spot, which has been aired on several Hungarian TV channels as well as the BBC, Mezzo and YouTube, was just over 4 million forints, or 13,000 euros. “We wanted to have a go, and prove that it is possible to come up with a competitive creative work built on a striking concept using classical film techniques but, given that this is a state institution, made on an absolutely low budget. It is commonly recognized that the Liszt Academy organizes its concerts with a far more modest budget than the Opera House or Müpa Budapest. Not only is it challenging to achieve such an outcome on a low budget but it is right to do so,” the head of communications said. Through the Design Management Award launched in 2009, the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office and the Hungarian Design Council recognize enterprises and institutions which see the potential in design as a way of implementing their long-term goals. The prize recognizes the design-driven approach and the consistent use and professional design management to increase an organization’s effectiveness and competitiveness. In 2015, Hello Wood was awarded this prestigious Hungarian accolade. The six-person jury bestowed certificates on a further four organizations, including the Liszt Academy. During the awards ceremony in September 2015, the certificate was presented to Imre Szabó Stein and Béla Lengyel, managing director of Allison Advertising, the creative agency of the Liszt Academy. Following the awards ceremony Imre Szabó Stein noted: “This recognition is very important to us in that after having been presented with numerous prizes by the creative and communications industry, this time the new corporate image of the Liszt Academy has been recognized by prominent experts in the field of fine and applied arts. We are especially glad that, following the Silver Hugo Award, which our new image film won at the Chicago International Film Festival this spring, and the second Red Dot Award, we have now become leading lights in our own country.” 113

2016 AUTUMN – PREVIEW 27 SEPTEMBER 2016

2 NOVEMBER 2016

9 NOVEMBER 2016

25 NOVEMBER 2016

29 NOVEMBER 2016

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QIAN ZHOU, VILMOS SZABADI & ERNŐ FEHÉR GERGELY ITTZÉS & HIROKO SASAKI BERTRAND CHAMAYOU, PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE & ORCHESTRE DES CHAMPS-ELYSÉES JORDI SAVALL & CONCERTO COPENHAGEN LÁSZLÓ FENYŐ & PHILHARMONIA QUARTET BERLIN

30 NOVEMBER 2016

PÉTER BÁRSONY, PÉTER FRANKL & ILDIKÓ KOMLÓSI

22 DECEMBER 2016

CONCERTO ARMONICO BUDAPEST

LISZT ACADEMY GRAND HALL

ANNA PROHASKA &

IL GIARDINO ARMONICO Conductor: Giovanni Antonini

23.09.2016

LISZT ACADEMY SOLTI HALL

JAZZ IT! LIEBMAN/ SWALLOW/ NUSSBAUM David Liebman (saxophone) Steve Swallow (bass) Adam Nussbaum (drums)

29.09.2016

SUPPORTER OF LISZT ACADEMY

STRATEGIC PARTNER

PARTNERS OF THE UNIVERSITY

TICKET MAP GRAND HALL

CHOIR LEFT 10 – 19

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

V IV III II I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

M1 M2 M3

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

1 M3 M2 M1

RIGHT 12 – 1

LEFT 1 – 12

7 6

3 2 1

4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6

LEFT 9– 1

118

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1

2 3 4 5 6 6 5 4 3 2

I II III IV V VI

CENTRE-LEFT CENTRE-RIGHT 1–7 1– 7

CENTRE BALCONY

6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 5 4 3 2 1

I II III IV V VI

1 2 3 4

5 5

9 8

8 9

STALLS

6 5 7 1 2 3 4 6 5 1 2 3 4 6 5 1 2 3 4

RIGHT 1–9

12 – 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

BALCONY RIGHT

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

24 – 13

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13

ONSTAGE SEATS: 80 SEATS

24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

STAGE

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

V VI III II I

BALCONY LEFT

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13

1 – 12

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20

24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13

13 – 24

Information on seating arrangements in the auditorium and ticket prices for the given performance can be obtained from the box office and during online ticketing.

RIGHT 19 – 10

TICKET MAP SOLTI HALL

CONTACT, VISITOR INFORMATION LISZT FERENC ACADEMY OF MUSIC 1061 Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8. Central phone number: (+36 1) 462 4600

A Customers can address their inquiries to kozonsegkapcsolat@zeneakademia.hu ZENEAKADÉMIA and we are also available at (+36 1) 462-4600/extension 180. KONCERTKÖZPONT SAJÁT SZERVEZÉSÉBEN. TICKETING The ticket office of the Liszt Academy Concert Centre operates adjacent to the main entrance of the restored Liszt Academy at Liszt Ferenc tér 8. Ticket office general opening times: 10 am – 6 pm Monday-Sunday. Besides these general opening times the ticket office will also be open during concerts, from the hour preceding the start of the performance until the end of the first interval. In the case of afternoon or matinee concerts the ticket office also opens half an hour before the performance.

STAGE A

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

III

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

III

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

VII 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

VII

VIII 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

VIII

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

XII 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

XII

XIII 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 3 2 1

XIV

Ticket office contact details: Tel.: (+36 1) 321 0690 / E-mail: jegy@zeneakademia.hu The staff of the ticket office will be pleased to help if you have any questions concerning Liszt Academy Concert Centre tickets. Further information on ticket purchases is available on the website of the Liszt Academy. Tickets are sold for HUF 500 one hour before concerts organized in the Grand Hall and Solti Hall with a valid student card.

LISZT ACADEMY OPENING HOURS, GUIDED TOURS The main building of the Liszt Academy can be visited via guided tours lasting approx. 50 minutes. Guides speaking Hungarian, English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese are provided by the Liszt Academy. Participants can enter the ground floor and first floor foyers, the Grand Hall and the Solti Hall. Tour dates and further information at zeneakademia.hu/en/guided-tours; registration for groups at turizmus@zeneakademia.hu. Tickets: Guided tour in Hungarian: HUF 1 500 Students/concessions: HUF 750 Guided tour in a foreign language: HUF 2 900 Students/concessions: HUF 1450

XIII XIV

M3 M2 M1

M1 M2 M3 LEFT 1–7

RIGHT 7–1

STALLS

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

8 7 6 5 4 3

2 1

8 7 6 5 4 3 LEFT 1–7

RIGHT 8–1

BALCONY

In order to ensure undisturbed teaching conditions, the building is closed to the general public during the day and opens 1 hour prior to the start of concerts.

ACCESS When visiting the building, guests should use the main entrance on Liszt Ferenc Square. The entrance for disabled guests and their companions can be accessed from Király Street. From here it is possible to gain mobility access by lift to the concert halls. 119

IMPRESSUM PUBLISHER:

AUTHORS OF THE CONCERT MAGAZINE:

Dr. Andrea Vigh, President of the Liszt Academy

Anna Belinszky – student at Liszt Academy's Musicology and Music Theory Department Barbara Bércesi – jazz writer Endre Bojtár B. – journalist Mátyás Bolya – folk musician, ethnomusicologist, lecturer of the Liszt Academy Gergely Fazekas – musicologist, senior lecturer of the Liszt Academy Zsófia Hózsa – student at Liszt Academy's Musicology and Music Theory Department Steven Isserlis CBE – British cellist Zsuzsanna Könyves-Tóth – musicologist, member of staff of the Communications Directorate Ferenc László – historian, music critic György Máté J. – jazz writer Péter Merényi – student at Liszt Academy's Musicology and Music Theory Department Balázs Mikusi – musicologist, head of the Music Collection of National Széchényi Library Judit Rácz – cultural journalist Tamás Vajna – cultural journalist Dániel Végh – member of staff of the Communications Directorate

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Imre Szabó Stein

MANAGING EDITOR: Gergely Fazekas

ENGLISH PROOFREADER: Robert Szente

PUBLISHING MANAGER: Ágnes Varga

Concert reviews by Anna Belinszky, Barbara Bércesi, Mátyás Bolya, Gergely Fazekas, Ferenc László and Tamás Várkonyi.

TRANSLATORS: LAYOUT: Allison Advertising Ltd. Gergő Cuba

PRINT PRODUCTION: High Voltage Ltd.

PRINTING: Keskeny és Társai 2001 Ltd.

James Stewart, Nicholas Jenkins

PHOTOS AND ARTWORKS: Sári Ember, Andi Galdi Vinko, Gábor Gerhes, Harry Gruyaert, Judit Marjai, Matt Stuart, Lenke Szilágyi, Anna Tihanyi With particular thanks to the leader of MOME Photography Department, Ábel Szalontai (DLA) photographer.

ARCHIVE AND CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY, ARTISTS PORTRAITS: Published by the Communications Directorate of the Liszt Academy in 2 000 copies. The organizer retains the right to modify programmes.

FINALIZED: 15 October 2015 120

Ellen Appel, Uwe Arens, Ferenc Balassa, Sándor Benkő, Fruzsina Biczó, Krisztián Bódis, Marco Borggreve, Felix Broede, Panos Damaskinidis, György Darabos, Dorothy Darr, Tamás Dobos, Bill Douthar, István Fazekas, Gábor Fejér, Andrea Felvégi, Matthew Ferguson, Balázs Glódi, Vivien Guy, Péter Herman, Harald Hoffman, Gábor Kasza, Jimmy Katz, Jonathan Keenan, Nikolaj Lund, Lisa-Marie Mazzucco, Clay Patrick McBride, László Mudra, Jim Rakete, Steve Riskind, Ewa-Marie Rundquist, Keith Saunders, Monika Schulz, Barnabás Szabó, Róbert Szebeni Szabó, Dezső Sziklai, Michael Tammaro, Zoltán Tuba, Uli Weber

TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNMATCHED PAIRS

CONCERTS IN JANUARY

MUSIC AND WALLS

TOWARDS COMPLETENESS

CONCERTS IN FEBRUARY

32 37 40

“MAGIC IS THE ESSENCE OF OPERA” – INTERVIEW WITH PIIA KOMSI KURTÁG “I LOVE DOING NEW THINGS” INTERVIEW WITH ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER

CONCERTS IN MARCH

LET BARTÓK BELONG TO EVERYONE!

FROM DESK TO STAGE – INTERVIEW WITH GYULA FEKETE

DIALOGUE OF TRADITIONS

PARITY – INTERVIEW WITH ZOLTÁN RÁCZ AND BALÁZS FÜLEI

CHURCH MUSIC IN THE 21ST CENTURY INTERVIEW WITH ÁGNES DOBSZAY

CONCERTS IN APRIL

THE NIGHTINGALE OF SAKHALIN

SOLOIST CHAMBER MUSICIANS

CONCERTS IN MAY

DANCE HOUSE? GET TOGETHER!

CHARLES LLOYD

104

CONCERTS IN JUNE

108

OPENING TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

110

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY

112

THE LISZT ACADEMY PRESENTS: THE CULTURAL DIRECTORATE

113

LISZT ACADEMY AMONG THE BEST – AGAIN