Liszt Academy Concert Magazine 2019/2 by Zeneakadémia

Musical instruments have a soul too, not just metaphorically, but also in reality. The little sound post inside the string instruments that brings the sound played by the musician to life is called the soul. This is how the soul of the music is played, a vital element of the performer’s fantasy. The harp’s strings are often compared to the strings of the soul, its resonance to the surge of emotions. We musicians filter the music through ourselves, conjuring colours and feelings from the instrument. Is this freedom or responsibility? How far can we detach ourselves from the notes, and how much can we add to them? Where are the limits of the performer’s fantasy? We at the Liszt Academy give considerable thought to these questions as we are a committed school that protects our talents and takes care of them. We aim at teaching our students everything we can about how to release their artistic fantasy and how to relate to the compelling professional commitments. In our Autumn-Winter concert programs, you can see and hear the effect with which we are doing this. We provide repeated opportunities for our students and teachers in our concert halls, starting with the concert of the School for Exceptional Young Talents in October. The best guest maestros will conduct the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra this season as well: both Gergely Vajda and Pinchas Steinberg await the audience with a special delicacy. In December our Vocal and Opera Studies students have scheduled The Magic Flute, and we also do not forget about our competition winners: Cosima Soulez-Larivière, known from the Bartók World Competition in November, is performing together with Dina Ivanova in a chamber concert. The chamber ensemble formed by Liszt Academy graduates will salute Péter Eötvös, our world-famous composer on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The Academy, being a concert venue of international reputation, contributes significantly to building the nation’s image: world-class musicians love to perform with us when they come to Hungary. The Evgeni Koroliov piano recital, the Maxim Vengerov violin concerto or the JeanEfflam Bavouzet connoisseur piano solo promise unparalleled experiences. The King’s Singers will present their English Tudor concert during the evening with an exceptional theme. Besides the numerous world-famous performers, they will be the ones who bring the miracle of artistic fantasy closer to us in the surrounding golden laurel grove sets, in our beautiful concert halls, which by themselves are spectacular spaces of creating fantasy.

READ THE QR CODE TO HEAR AN EXCERPT FROM BACH’S FANTASIA IN C MAJOR PERFORMED BY CHRISTOPH BOSSERT ON THE RENOVATED ORGAN AT THE LISZT ACADEMY.

Dr. Andrea Vigh President of the Liszt Academy 1

Last year we conducted a survey among our audience regarding their concert attendance habits and their opinion regarding the Academy. We found out, among other things, that our audience is composed of very dedicated classical music fans, who visit our concerts at least once a month and their primary consideration is the program of the given night, the performer is only secondary. We presumed that the Academy’s core audience is a regular visitor to our concerts. The fact, however, that their primary consideration was the program itself was both surprising and gratifying. This result is somewhat contradictory to the global trend, where the posters of big concert halls and festivals are full of celebrity names rather than the programs. This encourages us to put particular emphasis on the quality and uniqueness of our programs when compiling our series and season tickets and to let our fantasy soar. Various events dominated by the speciality of the program will be available in the second half of 2019. Such will be Bach’s solo instrument composition series, which is rare not only for its selection of world-famous Hungarian performers, but also for its composition. Or the Silent Strings season ticket, the program of which provides more of a handhold for the audience than the name of the performers. We can trust each other based on previous years’ experience: our audience knows that we offer the highest quality even if you have not yet met the artists on a national podium, and we can rely on the audience’s refined taste when we offer special events. The situation is similar to our young talents concerts. It is great to feel the confidence towards them, something we can conclude from the high attendance rates; it means serious support in their launch. We have had various new young artist or chamber formations presented this semester. We also encourage them to mobilise the audience’s fantasy, as they can trust us, and you.

Fantasy – phantasia: our word of Greek origin means, at the same time, the flight of emotions and imagination and turning them into images. Composer and performer fantasy live through the inspired world of music, and the unfettered imagination has influenced the interviews and articles in our concert magazine. 'As the actor sees behind the written text, this is how we look behind the sheetmusic to develop the emotions encoded in the notes, and lead the audience to the soul of music' – our famous conductor points out. This way every recital becomes a continuous storytelling and an extraordinary musical adventure, in which our 'tour guides', when playing their instruments, feel like magicians. The famous Russian piano artist’s 'hands merely transmit, the note is born in the head'. The globally celebrated violin virtuoso talks about the fantastic mystery, about the ability to discover from nothing and imagining adding that, since everyone has a slightly different fantasy, the interpretation of the music also differs which is excellent, as it will always be worth visiting concerts. Nearly all of our interviewees believe that musical fantasy also present during improvisation can soar only if it can move between given frames. 'If I leave a too wide space for my imagination, I will not get the desired results' – so shares the promising young composer his experience adding that fantasy is indispensable during composing, but creativity will only remain fresh if kept in training. On these pages, you can also read how J. S. Bach has written the greatest of all free fantasies and how free imagination became a significant factor first in Liszt’s performing career, and later in his composing style. An ars poetica in line with Liszt’s legacy is also being outlined in the answers of our artist-lecturers – they attribute key importance to the knowledge of traditions, which, enriched with high-level instrumental skills, allows us to formulate our fantasy. Fantasy is also one of the captions featured on the Great Hall’s ceiling’s lead-glass; it is inviting and waiting for those entering music’s empire offering new and new conversations with the Universe.

András Csonka Programme Director of the Liszt Academy

Júlia Torda Director of Communications of the Liszt Academy 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 FANTASIA – A MUSICAL GENRE? 12 CONCERT SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER 19 CLASSICAL MUSIC'S HEALING POWER 22 CONCERT SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER 37 FANTASY OF A LIFETIME 40 CONCERT SCHEDULE FOR NOVEMBER 54 PARITY – FERENC SEBŐ AND KRISTÓF BACSÓ 59 CONCERT SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER 70 FANTASY AND FANTASIA AT THE LISZT ACADEMY 76 FRANZ LISZT AND FREE IMPROVISATION 80 MUSIC'S SOUL IS BEHIND THE NOTES 82 LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY GYULA DERKOVITS: CONCERT Kieselbach Gallery Archives Copyright © 2019 HUNGART

84 CREATIVITY KEPT IN TRAINING 87 LISZT IN AUSTRIA – INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AT THE LISZT FERENC MEMORIAL MUSEUM 90 YOUNG MOZART AND THE FIVE TESTS 92 CONCERT CALENDAR

98 TICKET MAP

FANTASIA – A MUSICAL GENRE? THE FANTASIA CAN HARDLY BE CALLED A GENRE, AS IT IS A RENDITION OF AN INVENTION CREATED ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT. THUS IT IS CLOSEST TO IMPROVISATION, WHICH IS NEVER PUT DOWN IN WRITING.

THE GREATEST FANTASIA OF ALL TIME, COMPOSED BY JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH IN D MINOR, LATER RECEIVED THE TITLE CHROMATIC FANTASIA AND FUGUE. THIS MASTERPIECE SET A MODEL AND STANDARD NEVER TO BE REACHED BY A COMPOSITION OF THIS TYPE.

The art of improvisation is as old as instrumental music. Fantasias recorded on sheet music span from the lute fantasias of Bálint Bakfark to the dazzling Baroque repertoire to a somewhat humbler crop in the Classical period to the virtuoso concert paraphrases of the 19th century. In classifying musical styles, Athanasius Kircher, the great Jesuit polymath of the 17th century, described this 'fantastical style' as a separate category (Misurgia Universalis, 1650) and defined its essence as follows: 'the Stylus Fantasticus is a type of music that is totally free and without restrictions, springing solely from artistic resourcefulness.' In the Baroque, fantasias were always accompanied by fugues: terms that come in pairs such as prelude and fugue, toccata and fugue, and fantasia and fugue are well known to music lovers. The greatest fantasia of all time, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in D minor, later received the title Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue. This masterpiece set a model and standard never to be reached by a composition of this type. All we can do is marvel at the power of Baroque rhetoric, the infinite horizon of harmonies and dissonances, the boldness and almost tangible presence of a creative genius. The free fantasia came into its own in the second half of the 18th century, and is an important facet of the works of Carl Philipp Emanuel, this individualistic son of Bach. C. P. E. Bach’s great free fantasias are among the most unique groups of pieces in musical history. They probably bear the handprint of the famous improviser, at least that is what a letter written by the composer in 1782 suggests: 'My friends strongly insist that [my new series about to be published] contain two fantasias so that after my death people should see what a great Fantast I was.' CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH

BÁLINT BAKFARK WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MASTERS TO RECORD FANTASIAS ON SHEET MUSIC.

Mozart and Beethoven, the most famous improvisers of Viennese Classicism, left behind a relatively small number of written fantasias. Beethoven, who lived on the borderline between two musical periods, composed in a traditional form, yet his works are often loosened up by the spirit of the free thinker with a leaning towards Romanticism. Sonata quasi una fantasia is what he wrote on the title pages of two of his sonatas dated 1800 and 1801. (It is rather telling that about half a century later Franz Liszt described his well-known Dante Sonata as Fantasia quasi Sonata.) If some of Beethoven’s late sonatas – op. 101 and op. 109 – had a subtitle, the word 'quasi' would probably be unnecessary, as these magical pieces are so distant from the firm order of the classic sonata. In the century of Romanticism, the term fantasia may have denoted various types of compositions. (This is nothing new: in the Baroque, 'fantasia' could well mean a free composition as well as a piece crafted in rigorous counterpoint, c. v. Bach’s Three Part Inventions.) Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy or the magnificent Fantasia in F minor for piano fourhands are both cycles of four movements cast in one piece; by contrast, 7

GRAND HALL THE QUINTESSENTIAL FANTASIAS OF THE 19TH CENTURY ARE BRILLIANTLY VIRTUOSO PIECES, MOSTLY PIANO ARRANGEMENTS OF POPULAR OPERATIC TUNES, WHICH SIMPLY OVERWHELMED CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCES.

Schumann’s great fantasia in C major (originally titled Große Sonate!) is composed of three separate movements, while Schumann’s 'fantasia pieces' (Phantasiestücke) are character pieces that reflect momentary impressions and moods. The quintessential fantasias of the 19th century are brilliantly virtuoso pieces, mostly piano arrangements of popular operatic tunes, which simply overwhelmed contemporary audiences. Fantasia, paraphrase or reminiscence were the terms used to title dozens of bravura pieces written by Liszt, Thalberg and others. Music lovers had all of it in one: the beauty of Bellini’s or Verdi’s melodies, the brilliance of technical virtuosity and the personal magic of the performer. After all, Liszt’s rhapsodies are often reminiscent of this type of instrumental fantasy. The fantasia is a rare visitor in the 20th century. A notable example is Arnold Schönberg’s Fantasia (op. 47) for violin and piano; the tradition of improvisation is revived and combined with folk art decorations in Bartók’s masterpiece, Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs. Katalin Komlós

NEW YEAR’S DAY CONCERT THE WORLD CELEBRATES CLASSICAL, FOLK, JAZZ – TALENTS OF THE LISZT ACADEMY

17.00 01.01.2020

RECOMMENDATION OF LADY VALERIE SOLTI, ONE OF THE PATRONS OF THE BARTÃ&#x201C;K WORLD COMPETITION AND FESTIVAL, FOLLOWING THE FIRST, VIOLIN ROUND OF THE CONTEST.

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2019.06.12. 14:57

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY SEPTEMBER Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted Concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior University

MONDAY 9 SEPTEMBER, 14.00, 18.30 TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER, 14.00, 18.30 WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER, 14.00, 18.30

SOLTI HALL BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION PRELIMINARIES AND SEMI-FINAL The history of international music competitions in Budapest dates back to 1933, when the first Liszt competition was organized. Although the event attracted huge interest and the attention of the press, circumstances did not favour the intention to establish a tradition in this regard. The competition was held, but differences of opinion between members of the jury resulted in a scandal when it came to announcing the results, and this certainly played a large part in the fact that there was no continuation of the initiative for many years. True, there was a Bartók competition in 1948, but this was a one-off: in reality, the great competitions only got going again in 1956 with the revival of the Liszt competition. Although the organizers clearly intended this event 12

to be the continuation of the 1933 competition, it was soon linked to the name of Bartók as well: between 1961 and 1986, in essence it operated as the Liszt–Bartók competition. Even though all music competitions organized in Budapest since 1933 are closely associated with the history of the Bartók competition, still the Bartók World Competition and Festival is a fundamentally different enterprise to traditional instrumental contests. Launched in 2017, the series announces an instrumental round every other year, concentrating on those segments of performance art, that is, piano, violin and chamber music, which are of particular importance in the oeuvre of Bartók. Composer competitions are held in the intervening years, and these always relate to the instrumental repertoire of the coming year. In addition, the competition is accompanied by a biannual international scientific conference, thus allowing interested parties the opportunity to examine the Bartók oeuvre from all possible angles. Tickets: Free admission. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER, 18.00

GRAND HALL BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION FINAL

largely with performances of works by Bartók and Liszt make it into the solo final, and now they have to win over the jury with freely selected 19th century works, and one piece by Ravel, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Prokofiev or Stravinsky. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SATURDAY 14 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION GRAND FINAL

Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Zsolt Hamar Only the three very best artists get into the orchestral final of the piano competition. For this ultimate test, the trio can select from five concertos, three piano concertos by Bartók and two by Liszt (A-major and E-flat major).

To a certain extent, this year’s Bartók competition repertoire preserves the tradition of the Liszt–Bartók competition: six competitors who have displayed their expertise in earlier rounds,

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

ANDREI IONIȚĂ

Andrei Ioniţă was born in Bucharest in 1994 and he completed his college studies in Berlin. He won his first international competition at the age of 15, since when he has triumphed on many more occasions, the most prestigious being first prize at the 2015 Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition. He has performed with famous orchestras and conductors all over the world. A Daniel Boico was born in Israel, he grew up in Paris and America, and his master in conducting was the legendary professor Ilya Musin in St. Petersburg, who also taught Valery Gergiev. Tickets: HUF 4 500, 5 000, 5 500 Presented by MÁV Symphony Orchestra

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SUNDAY 15 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

BÉLA BARTÓK

dare to take risks and be yourself. I remember I did not feel the atmosphere to be nerve wracking at the violin round of the Bartók Competition. In fact, it was like giving concerts at a superb venue.' This statement came from Paris-born Cosima SoulezLarivière, winner of the 1st Bartók World Competition and Festival. Naturally, it is not easy to achieve this while what is at stake i. e. a place in the next round, is affected by every single touch of the key, choice of tempo, timbre and potential sudden memory slip, but during the gala concert of the victors – at which the international jury comprising Tamás Vásáry, Kálmán Dráfi, Tibor Tallián, Andrej Korobeinikov, Klara Min, Alexandre Moutouzkine, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, Mūza Rubackitė and Kenji Watanabe are also present – this year’s winners are also sure to experience these precious moments of artistic liberation.

GRAND HALL BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION GALA CONCERT

FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER, 19.00

SUNDAY 22 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

GRAND HALL DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA LIGETI/MOZART/MAHLER

Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 Stravinsky: Petrushka

Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Zsolt Hamar

Andrei Ioniță (cello) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Daniel Boico

'I would advise competitors [...] not to be frightened of becoming vulnerable on stage. Let go of your inhibitions,

This concert is made all the more remarkable by the guest performances of two superb young artists. Cellist

Ligeti: Atmosphères Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Máté Hámori A programme full of exciting challenges: at a single concert, the Danubia Orchestra

Óbuda will demonstrate what they are capable of in three completely different styles – in a kind of musical triathlon. What is more, in three styles that they feel particularly at home with: György Ligeti ranks among the most original composers of the 20th century, and the ensemble are the proud pioneers of this fascinating repertoire in Hungary. A Mozart plays a particularly important role in the orchestra’s season: works by the composer are played in several concerts because his style contains all the core syntaxes of orchestral language. A Mahler is a rare guest with the ensemble, which is why every concert featuring his pieces is cause for celebration. This concert features his 'symphony', the delightful confession of love to human life, considered by many his finest.

DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA

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

MONDAY 23 SEPTEMBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL GALA CONCERT OF EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED VIOLINISTS STUDENTS OF MIKLÓS SZENTHELYI Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 – 2. Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 – Introduction: Grave Ravel: Tzigane Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6 – 2. Adagio espressivo, 3. Rondo. Allegro spirituoso Tchaikovsky: 'Kogda bi zhizn domashnim krugom' – Onegin's Aria from Act 1 of Onegin 13

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 – Overture Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15 Egmont Overture, Op. 84 Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19

MIKLÓS SZENTHELYI

Donizetti: 'Come Paride vezzoso' – Belcore's Aria from Act 1 of L'elisir d'amore Saint-Saëns: Havanaise, Op. 83 Paganini: Moto perpetuo, Op. 11 Tchaikovsky: Sérénade mélancolique, Op. 26 Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6 – 1. Allegro maestoso

Zoltán Mága Jr. (violin), József Lendvai Jr. (violin), Róbert Kuti (violin), Vanessza Korb (violin), Zoltán Bácsy-Schwartz (violin), Dániel Hodos (violin), Csongor Korossy-Khayll (violin), Kristóf Tóth (violin), Krisztián Szenthelyi (baritone) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Miklós Szenthelyi Tickets: HUF 1 900, 3 900, 4 900, 7 900 Presented by Hungarian Virtuosi Artistic Nonprofit Ltd.

Fülöp Ránki (piano) Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Tamás Vásáry Piano concertos and overtures are centre stage in the third, concluding Beethoven series by Tamás Vásáry. This concert features two pioneering concertos (with solo by Fülöp Ránki) written in his youth. And that the transitional nature is barely noticeable in these works is partly due to the fact that, contrary to general belief, Beethoven did not attempt to overstep his predecessors, and he did not want to question, but rather integrate their achievements. But can the tradition be dissolved in such a characteristic and subjective musical language as Beethoven’s, or is the personality itself dissolved in the tradition? His later works provide the answer to this question.

Conductor: Robert Christian Bachmann, Yoon Kuk Lee This year, the Szeged-Csanád Diocese is organizing the 12th St. Gellért Festival in connection with the feast day of martyr St. Gellért, the first bishop of the diocese. During the series of concerts (21-30 September 2019), there are performances of works that serve to further enrich the already progressive music life of Szeged and that rate as genuine classical music rarities. The well-established festival promises to be an artistic, cultural and musical experience for the new generation of music lovers as well. The founders consider it their mission to support

TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER, 19.30 WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL 12TH ST. GELLÉRT FESTIVAL ENCOUNTER OF HUNGARY AND SOUTH KOREA Erkel: National Anthem National Anthem of the Republic of Korea Mozart: Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major, K. 365 Albinoni: Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 (transcription for soprano, cello and orchestra) Mendelssohn: Symphony No 4. in A major, Op. 90 ('Italian')

FÜLÖP RÁNKI 14

Ahyoung Kim (vocals) Misi Boros, Su Yeon Kim (piano) St. Gellért Academy Orchestra

THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL CONCERTO BUDAPEST

SOLTI HALL TALENT OBLIGES ÉVA SZALAI, ESZTER KARASSZON & ZSÓFIA STASZNY THE UNKNOWN CHOPIN

SU YEON KIM

young Hungarian talent, which is why youthful artists debut on stage not only as part of the Orchestra of St. Gellért Academy, but in solo roles, too. During the festival, the Orchestra of St. Gellért Academy present themselves to a Budapest audience at the Liszt Academy. Music fans can be a part of the musical meeting of Hungary and South Korea on the 'cultural pilgrimage'. Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by Szeged-Csanád Diocese

Bartók: Dance Suite, BB 86a Dohnányi: Variations on a Nursery Tune, Op. 25 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Zoltán Fejérvári (piano) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller

Yatsuhashi Kengyō: MIDARE Lauber: Four Medieval Dances, Op. 45 Saint-Saëns: Le carnaval des animaux Ney Rosauro: Marimba Concerto No. 1 Poulenc: Sextet, Op. 100 Akutagawa: Triptyque

Orchestra of Tokyo University of the Arts

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 500, 6 000, 7 000 Presented by Hungarian Radio Art Groups

GRAND HALL HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL HOSTED BY THE LISZT ACADEMY ORCHESTRA OF THE CONSERVATORY OF TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

The Conservatory of Tokyo University of the Arts places equal emphasis on Western classical and traditional Japanese music in its teaching. The orchestra of the Conservatory provide ample proof of their expertise in different styles with a broad programme for this guest appearance at the Liszt Academy. In addition to popular works by Saint-Saëns and Poulenc, exotic melodies unfamiliar to the ear of Budapest audiences are performed on traditional Japanese instruments. But these are not the only novelties from the gifted young Tokyo students: Lauber’s Four Medieval Dances from the 1920s and contemporary Brazilian composer Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto are rare visitors to European concert halls, while the work for string orchestra by 20th century Japanese composer Yasushi Akutagawa is played for the first time in the Liszt Academy. Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

An episode in the life of an artist – this is what Berlioz subtitled his Symphonie fantastique debuting in 1830, and this could well be the title of this concert: episodes from the lives of three artists. Béla Bartók’s Dance Suite, initially received a lukewarm and puzzled reception, added to which the overwhelming success of the Kodály composition presented at the same time, Psalmus Hungaricus, overshadowed the Bartók piece. Ernő Dohnányi reaped one of his greatest triumphs, both as composer and pianist, when in Berlin on 17 February 1914, he debuted Variations on a Nursery Tune, still his most popular work. The work revolves around a French tune, the English equivalent of which is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The perfect blending of musical humour and virtuosity can be enjoyed with solo by Zoltán Fejérvári, winner of the 2017 Montreal International Piano Competition.

ZOLTÁN FEJÉRVÁRI

Tickets: HUF 2 200, 3 100, 3 900, 4 800, 5 900, 7 500 Presented by Concerto Budapest

Fryderyk Chopin: Introduction and Polonaise, Op. 3 ('Polonaise brillante') Six Polish Songs Rondo in E-flat major, Op. 16 Allegro de concert, Op. 46 9 Polish Songs, Op. 74 – 3. Smutna rzeka (The Sad Stream), 6. Precz z moich oczu! (Out of my sight!), 8. Śliczny chlopiec (Handsome lad), 13. Nie ma czego trzeba (There is no need), 16. Piosnka litewska (Lithuanian Song), 10. Wojak (The Warrior) Grand Duo on themes from Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable

ÉVA SZALAI, ESZTER KARASSZON, ZSÓFIA STASZNY

Éva Szalai (piano), Eszter Karasszon (cello), Zsófia Staszny (vocals) 'Unknown Chopin' – one might well be surprised on first hearing the title of the concert on 27 September. After all, the oeuvre of the Polish maestro is far from unknown in Hungary, and the 2010 commemorative anniversary was not the first time attention had been drawn to him. Solos by the 'poet of the piano' have been a core element of concert programmes for nearly a century and a half, although the vocal and chamber compositions of his oeuvre have in fact been somewhat neglected in favour of the large number of polonaises, mazurkas, waltzes and nocturnes. The chamber recital by Éva Szalai, Eszter Karasszon and Zsófia 15

Staszny reveals specialities such as the finest parts of Nineteen Polish Songs in an authentic, Polish-language performance, as well as Liszt arrangements for piano of these songs; Polonaise brillante for cello and piano; plus lesser-known gems of solo piano works such as the Rondo in E-flat major and Allegro de concert; the programme closes with an operatic paraphrase, Grand Duo, written to themes of a Meyerbeer opera. Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL CONCERTO BUDAPEST Dohnányi: Symphonic Minutes, Op. 36 Bartók–Serly: Viola Concerto, BB 128 (transcription by Tibor Serly for cello and orchestra) Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

László Fenyő (cello) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller Ernő Dohnányi intended Symphonic Minutes to be stage music for his wife and pantomime artist, Elza Galafrés, yet it became a concert hall work right from the very beginning, in 1933. A 'I am very glad to be able to tell you that your Viola concerto is ready in draft, so that only the score has to be written, which means a purely mechanical work, so to speak. If nothing happens I can be through in 5 or 6 weeks.' This is from a letter by Béla Bartók dated August 1945 to William Primrose, commissioner of the work, although the optimism proved tragically unfounded. The Viola Concerto was finally completed by Tibor Serly, who created the cello variation as well, which we hear with solo by Hungarian cellist László Fenyő, who ever since his triumph at the 2004 International Pablo Casals Violoncello Competition has toured 16

LÁSZLÓ FENYŐ

the world. Finally, this Friday recital promises to be a witches’ Sabbath and, of course, a ball thanks to Berlioz’s Symphony fantastique. Tickets: HUF 2 200, 3 100, 3 900, 4 800, 5 900, 7 500 Presented by Concerto Budapest

SATURDAY 28 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL CHAMBER MUSIC – TUNED FOR GRAND HALL KRISTÓF BARÁTI, GUSTAV RIVINIUS & MÁRTA GULYÁS BRAHMS RECITAL

prizes Kristóf Baráti has made his mark in this area as one of the artistic directors of the Kaposvár International Chamber Music Festival (Kaposfest). German cellist Gustav Rivinius has achieved his credentials as founder of four chamber music formations and as player in other chamber ensembles. Pianist Márta Gulyás, also a Liszt Prize laureate, as professor (as well as department head for many decades) of the Chamber Music Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, not to mention the fact that she is professor of chamber music at the Madrid Royal Conservatory. A There are three works from the Brahms oeuvre, thus the audience can enjoy compositions by the composer who, following the death of Schumann, revived the genre of chamber music. Tickets: HUF 2 900, 3 900, 4 900, 5 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in G major, Op. 78 Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in F major, Op. 99 Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87

Kristóf Baráti (violin), Gustav Rivinius (cello), Márta Gulyás (piano)

This is a meeting of three brilliant musicians, for whom chamber music represents an integral part of their art. Hungarian violinist and holder of the Liszt, Bartók–Pásztory and Kossuth

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 – Overture Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15

Péter Frankl (piano) Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra (concertmaster: János Pilz, artistic director: Károly Botvay)

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER, 11.00

SOLTI HALL LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC – FROM THE BARN TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS GUSTAV RIMINIUS, MÁRTA GULYÁS, KRISTÓF BARÁTI

Dances of János Bihari Ensemble (artistic directors: Andrea Lévay and György Ágfalvi, director: Sándor Boross) Moderator: Dániel Mona

SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER, 11.00

GRAND HALL UNDERSTANDABLE MUSIC DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK MAGICAL JOHN WILLIAMS John Williams: Harry Potter Suite

Works by Lajtha, Weiner, Bartók and Kodály, and their Folk Music sources

Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok, Moderator and conductor: Gábor Hollerung

Ágnes Herczku (vocals), Péter Kiss (piano), Róbert Lakatos (violin), Máté Vizeli (violin, viola), Tamás Szabó (viola), Péter Háry (cello), Márton Timár (double bass), Mátyás Egervári (cimbalom, gardon, drums)

John Williams is the most significant figure in modern film music, added to which he created a totally new genre: concert works composed from the melodies of effects appearing in film music excerpts. Two outstanding examples

in his oeuvre are scores he penned for the Star Wars and Harry Potter series. Although he is best known for working on Star Wars, the popularity of which exceeded all expectations, perhaps the most significant and captivating work in his oeuvre is associated with Harry Potter. John Williams’s compositional approach can be most accurately compared to that of Wagner’s leading motif technique, with characteristic motifs and musical characters for the lead characters and storylines of the film series, from which the composer worked up mini symphonic poems. The diversity of genres in the Harry Potter music is breath-taking: from Romantic to contemporary, from jazz to music parodies, nearly everything can be discovered in it, and with Williams’ compositional technique it demonstrates all the compositional bravura of the classical grand masters.

Works on the Budapest Strings’ programme date from the end of Beethoven’s early period: the two C major pieces, the symphony and piano concerto, were presented at his first major Vienna composer’s evening (academy) in 1800. This concert was far more than an average Viennese recital and its significance can be likened to the Mozart academies of 15 years earlier, as the music aficionados of the imperial capital would have been well aware of: Beethoven’s new works were awaited with keen excitement. Perhaps there is no need to explain to Budapest’s friends of music why the appearance of Péter Frankl can be looked forward to with exactly the same heightened sense of excitement. One can observe in his play both the noble traditions of music-making, and the playfulness of the ever-curious musician always ready to surprise, and to be surprised. In other words, the mere presence of Péter Frankl is guarantee in itself of a red-letter event.

Tickets: HUF 2 300, 2 700 Presented by Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok PÉTER FRANKL

MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL BUDAPEST STRINGS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Tickets: HUF 2 800, 3 800, 4 800, 5 800 Presented by: Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra 17

CLASSICAL MUSIC'S HEALING POWER INTERVIEW WITH PIANO ARTIST AND BARTÓK WORLD PIANO COMPETITION JUROR ANDREI KOROBEINIKOV. BORN IN MOSCOW, THE 33-YEAR-OLD ARTIST, WINNER OF SEVERAL WORLD COMPETITIONS IS NOT ONLY RESPECTING TRADITION AND THE COMPOSER’S INTENTION, BUT ALSO BELIEVES MUSIC MAKES YOU A BETTER PERSON; THEREFORE MUSIC BELONGS TO ALL.

WE PIANISTS ARE AS RELATED TO OUR INSTRUMENT AS TO LIVING HUMANS. WE GET TO KNOW THEM, AND WE PLAY THEM DIFFERENTLY WHEN WE FIRST MEET THAN THREE HOURS LATER.

You said during our talk before the interview that the piano is such a many-sided, potent instrument, that you almost feel like a magician when you play it. The piano is an admirable instrument, has been developing technically for several musician generations, and has a continuously enriching repertoire. It differs from other instruments, and even from the orchestra, as it unites two factors: on one hand, most of the time only one person plays it, so an individual performance is born, while on the other hand, a piece of orchestra-like music is performed by it. When I play Beethoven’s 'Hammerklavier' for example, I experience how man talks with God and the universe. The pianist has the whole world in his hands, literally. Pianists, who were also composers, shaped the history of piano technique the most; they created their own style. Each composers’ hands play differently, resulting in different impressions. This is the reason why we pianists are as related to our instrument as to living humans. We get to know them, and we play them differently when we first meet than three hours later. As if we resonated with the instrument, the impression of which is like a living organism or like a hypersensitive instrument. Many live details, the variation of the hands and keys angle result in a different sound. That is why my teacher once said that my hands should be free and active, since the sound is born in my head; my hands merely transmit it. The art of the most celebrated pianists proves this clearly. How much does this 'live sound' speak about the past? The piano technique keeps changing. Yes, it does, what’s more is that even the piano manufacturers change a lot nowadays. More and more of these newly produced pianos appear in concert halls. These are, as I would say, sportier than the old ones. Their sound is more powerful, penetrating, and harder, but perhaps less subtle or refined. The best example for the latter is the Bechstein models made until the Second World War, when the American Airforce bombed the Berlin factory. According to certain views and rumours, the reason for the air force to destroy the factory was that the rival Steinway could become monopolistic, which is what actually happened after the World War. The Bechstein piano was made for small and medium-sized halls; beautiful shades can be brought forward. Pianos produced in the last ten years are much more 'ordinary', and offer less diversity. I do hope this tendency stops and even reverses itself.

ANDREI KOROBEINIKOV 18

Listening to your thoughts, my impression is that you don’t like big concert halls. It is not precisely so. I do perform in big concert halls, but playing strong and loud is not so difficult. If the piano is good and interesting, you can make a lot of good sounds with it. There is a lot of audience demand for robust and penetrating sound. Refinement and subtlety – these are scarcer in life; we don’t encounter them that often in other areas either. It is the same with pianos and interpretations, there is a need for the balance in both. We live in the days of an athletic type of technique. Perhaps this is so because there are numerous international competitions and the competitors perform many loud pieces, and they appear less interested in the soft, subtle techniques. Chopin and Beethoven do require the fortissimo, but also subtle playing. Yamaha bought the Bösendorfer piano manufacturer. When I asked in Vienna whether the unique Bösendorfer sound would be kept, I was told that it was not likely, as Yamaha is interested in conquering the Chinese market, where the approximately one million pianists are more interested in the more ordinary, so-called general pianos. I don’t oppose the Chinese style, but the know-how is here with us in Europe and America. Traditions cannot be disregarded in music or especially in music.

WE LIVE IN THE DAYS OF AN ATHLETIC TYPE OF TECHNIQUE. PERHAPS THIS IS SO BECAUSE THERE ARE NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND THE COMPETITORS PERFORM MANY LOUD PIECES, AND THEY APPEAR LESS INTERESTED IN THE SOFT, SUBTLE TECHNIQUES. 20

Are traditions important to you? Yes. It is not compulsory to keep all the traditions, but it is necessary to know them. Otherwise, we do not understand literature, nor those people who were brought up with these traditions. Knowing traditions is a part of education. I am often told that I go against traditions when I play, but it is not true. I aspire to face the author directly, to understand him. When I learn a new piece, I never listen to how others play it. I study the composer’s intention; I don’t care how others have played it in the past 200 years. The composer dictates to me. My duty is to convey the composer’s will to the audience. The cleaner the approach towards a piece, the better. It is crucial to understand what the essence of a tradition is, and what has just been added to it over the decades, or centuries. Of course, it is also important to understand why a piece was played in a certain way. For example, why and how was Bach played in the Baroque. On the other side, every time I play Bach, I always consider that I play for a contemporary audience. Shakespeare is also not acted in it’s medieval, Old English version; the greatness is when it can address the present audience. As if I was the composer’s ambassador or guide. I cannot remain merely an illustrator. What do you think of the future of the piano as a fundamental instrument in the middle of the trending electric sound? It hurts to see how an increasing number of people buy electronic instruments and do not understand the wonder and the need for the wooden instrument. The need for the abovementioned 'live sound' is disappearing. However, it seems to me that even this trend can be reversed. Today’s world is so technique centred. You can pick a moderate musician, do the recording that can later be edited and improved to be better than the original was. However, meanwhile, you lose the artistic value.

'THE COMPOSER DICTATES TO ME. MY DUTY IS TO CONVEY THE COMPOSER’S WILL TO THE AUDIENCE. THE CLEANER THE APPROACH TOWARDS A PIECE, THE BETTER. IT IS CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ESSENCE OF A TRADITION IS, AND WHAT HAS JUST BEEN ADDED TO IT OVER THE DECADES, OR CENTURIES.'

At the same time, you can notice that people buy fewer records, or if they do, they do it at concerts as gifts with autographs. They prefer to go to a concert to be part of the live music experience. Fifteen years ago many people preferred studio recordings over live performances. Today this has changed. The experience of personal performance can mean renewal. How much can all this apply to classical music attracting an ageing audience?

It was mainly in Germany that I experienced the audience consisting mainly of pensioners. They are the ones who buy the expensive tickets. Attending concerts is also trending in higher classes of society. When I played Schumann’s D-dur Fantasie, it crossed my mind that this is a young, love piece, and perhaps that audience of Musikverein would prefer to listen to a calmer piece. In Russia the age of the audience is mixed. Although the problem there is that young people come, but because of performers’ cold, so-called academic approach, they listen but find it foreign and don’t come again. During one of my train travels, my neighbour was a 21-year-old Russian coder. He told me he listens to pop music and that he is not interested in classical music. I invited him to come to my concert the next day. I got him and his girlfriend two tickets, and he kept saying how he couldn’t promise they would come. I played Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2, and I thought it would be a good introduction to the world of classical music for them. I spoke to him afterwards, and I saw his surprised and enthusiastic look. That is why I believe in live performance, in the power of personal presence. If we do it well, we manage to attract the unconvinced. The classical works can also bring renewal for those not competent in music – as if I were a doctor who cures. Those who experience this miracle will come to another concert for sure. For this not to be the privilege of only those who come to a concert by chance, but to be a pastime for a large number of people, society should help establish the tradition. They should embrace the case of classical music so that it can accompany the lives of many. This is not the exclusive club of a few, but life itself, just as in literature or theatre. The state’s supportive approach is of crucial importance. Classical music helps you live, even if many people don’t understand it as well as professional musicians do. It is not by chance that children are taught the piano even today, regardless whether they will live off it or not, since their motoric movements improve, understanding symbolics make the brain more wrinkled, and they become smarter. Music makes us a better person; it softens our hearts and pierces to the bottom of our soul. Pianists are lucky, because the offer is so rich, that whatever we pick we can play a masterpiece.

Júlia Torda

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY OCTOBER Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted Concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior University

TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL JUDIT RAJK, DÓRA PÉTERY & PŘEMYSL VOJTA CHAMBER RECITAL – MYSTERIA RELIGIOSA

JUDIT RAJK, PŘEMYSL VOJTA, DÓRA PÉTERY

Liszt: Sancta Caecilia Liszt: Rosario (transcription by Eberhard Kraus) – 1. Mysteria Gaudiosa, 2. Mysteria Dolorosa, 3. Msyteria Gloriosa, 4. Pater Noster Saint-Saëns: Prelude and Fugue in E major, Op. 99/1 Liszt: Le Crucifix I-II-III. Liszt: Christus Oratorio, Part Three: Passion and Resurrection – O filii et filiae Saint-Saëns: Offertoire pour orgue et cor chromatique Saint-Saëns: Gloria Patri Ducommun: Sonata da Chiesa pour cor et orgue Arvo Pärt: Es sang vor langen Jahren ('Motet für de la Motte') Arvo Pärt: My Heart’s in the Highlands Naji Hakim: Suite Rhapsodique (with eastern alternatim vocals) 22

Judit Rajk (alto), Dóra Pétery (organ), Přemysl Vojta (horn) Featuring: Oszkár Varga (violin), Dénes Ludmány (viola), Schola Academica and Female Choir of the Church Music Department of the Liszt Academy (artistic director: György Merczel) Contrary to the majority of his piano works, the organ music of Ferenc Liszt was not conceived in the spirit of consummate, virtuoso keyboard skills. Instead, the profound religiousness apparent from his teens, and from closer up the intimate relationship with Catholicism, are reflected in these works. The same goes for the series of church compositions defining his middle and late creative period, in which solemnity is rare – it is far more common to identify elements of devotion. This is what places the music of Liszt on a shared platform with the meditative compositions of the great contemporary composer Arvo Pärt. His works have recently generated increasing interest in Hungary. This is the occasion to examine two pieces from his oeuvre from a new angle. A The programme is complemented from the side of Romanticism by works of Saint-Saëns, and on the 20th-21st century side by compositions of Hakim and Ducommun. Soloists are experienced in performing liturgical, religious works. Singer Judit Rajk and organist Dóra Pétery are frequent chamber partners. They both teach at the Church Music Department of the Liszt Academy, and the works on display suit their common musical language. They are joined by star horn player Přemysl Vojta from the Czech Republic, one of the leading hornist of his generation. In 2010 he was awarded with first prize in the International ARD competition. He was a Principal Hornist of the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra and now holds the same post in the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900, 4 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL KONZI CONCERTS FOLK MUSIC & JAZZ DEPARTMENT ON THE PODIUM To the memory of Zoltán Kallós: Anna Jánó’s songs from Gerlén collected by Zoltán Kallós String orchestral folk music from Kalotaszeg Oláh dances from the South Great Hungarian Plain on Hurdy-Gurdy Compilation of South Great Hungarian Plain folk music from the heritage of Imre Magda Folk songs from Magyarbőd – vocal polyphonic music Bagpipe songs from the Bakony Merriment in Bogyiszló – excerpts from the collection of László Lajtha

Anna Keczeli-Mészáros, Eszter Surányi, Zsuzsanna Vakán (vocals), Szonja Mészárovics, Noémi Thoma (vocals, zither, cobza), Dorina Wéber (vocals, zither, hurdy-gurdy), Nimród Kiss, Borbála Töreky (zither, cobza), Radna Lászlófi (zither, cobza, tambura), Ábris Ilonczai (violin), Katalin Aczél, Luca Bódi, László Brunner, Virág Pirbus, Szabolcs Szilágyi (violin, viola), Botond Tóth (viola, viola tambura), András Valjer (double bass)

Claudia Raquel: Castagno Claudia Raquel (vocals), Gáspár Thorpe (guitar), Áron Csikós (drums), Nikola Bugarcic (bass), Bálint Kun (percussions) Jazz piano and folk violin, jazz singing and hurdy-gurdy, cimbalom and jazz guitar – even though classical music represents the core of professional and artistic training at the Bartók Conservatoire (Konzi), education offers much more than acquiring just the basic works of the European musical repertoire. Improvisational imagination and the rethinking of traditional music structures play a large part here, in both traditional and experimental forms. Furthermore, students and their teachers are constantly seeking ways of filling the various expressive forms – as applied to either the classical heritage or each other – with fresh, new content. The combined concert of these two relatively new courses, jazz and folk music, founded in 2014, bears witness to how written and unwritten, archaic and modern music cultures can have such an inspirational impact on each other. Tickets: HUF 1 200 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Washington who commissioned the work for their 30th wedding anniversary. The composer wrote the concerto, deriving from his neoclassical period, for chamber orchestra; one can clearly sense the inspiration of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos in it. A Mozart’s A major aria beginning Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio! was written for his sister-in-law, the extremely talented vocalist Aloysia Weber, in Vienna in 1783. The original concept was to insert the piece at the end of the first act of the opera Il curioso indiscreto by Pasquale Antossi. The aria requiring extraordinary technical abilities was written for Catarina Cavalieri, one of the most celebrated singers of her day. A The subtitle of Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote is 'Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character, for Orchestra'. The composer selected a classical model and variation structure for the story of the dolorous knight, yet even so he turns everything upside down using extreme modes of expression. In the work, the Don Quixote theme is evoked in the cello solo, and the Sancho Panza motif comes from the bass clarinet, tenor tuba and solo viola.

WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER, 19.30

Ábris Ilonczay Quintet: Ábris Ilonczay (violin), Bence Regő Borbély (drums), Norbert Beján (piano), Tihamér Szereceán (bass), Csaba Pethő (guitar) Tamás Förhétz Quintet: Tamás Förhétz (guitar), Bence Regő Borbély (drums), Norbert Beján (piano), Dávid Ruben Cséffán (vocals), Ruben Gerendás (bass) Gáspár Thorpe Quartet feat. Castagno

Stravinsky’s Concerto in E-flat major was inscribed Dumbarton Oaks after the estate of the Bliss couple from

Bartók: Hungarian Sketches, BB 103 D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in E major, K. 380 D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in C major, K. 159 Chopin: Étude in A-flat major ('Harp'), Op. 25/1 Chopin: Étude in G-flat major, Op. 10/5 Chopin: Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9/1 Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat major ('Heroic'), Op. 53 Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467

Ingrid Fuzjko Hemming (piano) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Mario Kosik

FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER, 18.00

SOLTI HALL BÁRDOS 120

Stravinsky: Concerto in E-flat major ('Dumbarton Oaks') Mozart: Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio! – Concert Aria, K. 418 Mozart: The Abduction from the Seraglio – Konstanze’s Aria Strauss: Don Quixote, Op. 35

Erika Miklósa (soprano), Viktória Kusz (viola), Dániel Helecz (cello) Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Conductor: Guido Mancusi

INGRID FUZJKO HEMMING

Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000 Presented by MÁV Symphony Orchestra

GRAND HALL DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

Own compositions and jazz standards with improvisation

THURSDAY 3 OCTOBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

ERIKA MIKLÓSA

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Presented by Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

Lajos Bárdos: Mert engem szeretsz (Because You Love Me), Preludium (In memoriam Ady 1922), I am the son of Gog and Magog, Hungarian Folk Songs, Kutamén – Three Children Songs, Fa fölött – Pod lipkou, Pelican, Cantemus!, Mily igen jó, A szeretet himnusza (Love Hymn), Adorna thalamum, Ave maris stella, Nyújtsd ki mennyből (Reach Out From Heaven), Jubilate Deo, Ave Maria, Menyecske (Bride), Magos a rutafa ( The Rue Tree is Tall) Palestrina: Missa brevis – Gloria Halmos: Cantate Domino Kodály: Geneva Psalm CL

Haydn: Symphony No. 20 in C major, Hob. I:20 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271 ('Jeunehomme') Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C major, K. 425 ('Linz')

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano) Budapest Festival Orchestra Conductor: Gábor Takács-Nagy

LAJOS BÁRDOS

Viktor Papp (vocals), Péter Tfirst (violin), Márta Nagy, Zsófia Váray-Major (piano) Laudate Children's Choir of Zoltán Kodály Hungarian Choral School Palestrina Choir Győr Magnificat Girl's Choir Conductor: Borbála Sapszon, Tibor Katona, Valéria Szebellédi Lajos Bárdos was born 120 years ago, on 1 October 1899. His life and oeuvre had a major impact on 20th century Hungarian music. He was a distinguished professor of the Liszt Academy, composer, musicologist and enthusiastic apostle of Hungarian folk music. He passed away on 18 November 1986, bequeathing music a rich oeuvre. The Bárdos Society was formed in 1987 in order to cherish his memory, and this assembly organizes regular concerts in his name. The most popular choral works by Lajos Bárdos are performed at this celebratory concert on the 120th anniversary of his birth.

'Whenever I play Haydn or Mozart with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, I feel like I become younger,' says Gábor Takács-Nagy, who this year continues interpreting the limitless symphonic creations of the two masters, this time featuring the expert piano solo of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. The conductor for the evening considers the music of Haydn and Mozart medicine for the soul. He says that no matter how blue he may feel, these two composers have the ability to brighten his mood and even raise his spirits. 'There is an incredible amount of positive energy and vitality in both of them,' says Takács-Nagy, who has been drawn to the two composers since his childhood. It is this joy of life that the two symphonies on the programme, both composed in bright C major, will exude, along with Mozart’s piano concerto. A Haydn sneaked a touch of mischief into the majority of his symphonies. In the case of his Symphony in C major, this is a trick of form: both sections of the two-part finale are types of miniature sonata. A Mozart also included a touch of novelty in his Piano Concerto in E-flat major, which is referred to as Victoire Jenamy (erroneously Jeunehomme) after a woman by that name. Early in the overture, the piano

Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office. Presented by Bárdos Society and KÓTA

FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER, 19.45 SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER, 15.30

GRAND HALL BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA HAYDN – MOZART 24

JEAN-EFFLAM BAVOUZET

descends impatiently upon the orchestra, while in the other two movements, the composer makes us feel like we are listening to an opera. The soloist for the evening will be the French Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, the last musician to be discovered by Georg Solti and a protégé of György Cziffra. He is a return guest of the BFO. Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 7 100, 11 800 Presented by Budapest Festival Orchestra

SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL AT HOME AT THE LISZT ACADEMY NEW LISZT FERENC CHAMBER CHOIR CHORAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir Choir master: László Norbert Nemes Night – a popular topic of Romanticism, whether in painting, poetry or music. Yet through its profound interpretation it also inspired the choral genre: Schumann’s quite extraordinarily tonal two-chorus cycle reveals in a dreamlike manner the mysteries of the starwreathed night. After all, where there is night, there is also light. And this dual symbolism also defines the text and music of artfully woven Renaissance motets, just as the 20th century echoes of these, such as in the compositions of Japanese composer Ko Matsushita, relate in an innovative way to the ancient topos. This uplifting programme features works by Debussy’s contemporaries Delius, Kodály and Poulenc, the Finnish Rautavaara and the generation born in the 1970s: Latvian Ešenvalds, American Whitacre, plus three Hungarian contemporary composers.

of Choirs in 2010. A year later it was performed in Budapest. After this concert, János Malina wrote: the mass 'builds on an extremely exciting, you could say challenging, provocative idea; interjections of a narrator, the wise and disillusioned prophet talking in the words of Ecclesiastes, constantly interrupt the liturgical texts. (...) From a dramaturgical viewpoint it was very fruitful, and it created a situation that flirted directly with the genre of opera.' But this could also be formulated as saying that, similarly to the Romantics, Liszt as well as Brahms, Gyöngyösi has radically reinterpreted the tradition of liturgical music. Tickets: HUF 2 300, 3 200, 3 900, 4 900 Presented by CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival

NEW LISZT FERENC CHAMBER CHOIR

Byrd: O lux beata trinitas Ko Matsushita: O lux beata Trinitas Schumann: Vier doppelchörige Gesänge, Op. 141 – 1. An die Sterne, 2. Ungewisses Licht Cornelius: Drei Chorgesänge, Op. 11 – 1. Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht Barna Szabó: O quanta qualia Ēriks Ešenvalds: Stars Delius: To be Sung of a Summer Night on the Water Rautavaara: Sommarnatten Poulenc: Un soir de neige Eric Whitacre: Water Night Judit Varga: The Night Levente Gyöngyösi: Te lucis ante terminum Kodály: Esti Dal (Evening Song)

GRAND HALL CAFE BUDAPEST CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL CONTEMPORARY ROMANTICISM 3.0 György Orbán: Violin Concerto – (premiere) Bence Kutrik: The Immortal Heart Levente Gyöngyösi: Missa Vanitas

Bence Gazda (violin), Gabriella Balga, Rita Rácz, Eszter Zemlényi, Krisztián Cser (vocals) Kodály Choir Debrecen (choir master: Máté Szabó Sipos) Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Conductor: Gábor Hollerung Levente Gyöngyösi wrote the grandiose oratorical work interweaving the text of the Mass in Latin and parts of the Old Testament for the Debrecen Meeting

of his family who stayed in Poland survived the Holocaust. In many respects his superbly rich oeuvre can be likened to that of Shostakovich, and there is a particular parallel to his older colleague in that as the Avant-garde faded he experienced a true renaissance. Mahler, Bartók and Prokofiev exercised an influence on his style, but he was also interested in Armenian, Polish, Uzbek and East European Jewish folk music. The theme of the concert evokes and carries forward the recording Wartime Consolations by distinguished violinist Linus Roth. Tickets: HUF 2 200 Presented by CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival

Tickets: HUF 1 200 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER, 19.30

LINUS ROTH

GÁBOR HOLLERUNG

MONDAY 7 OCTOBER, 19.30 SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER, 19.30

SOLTI HALL CAFE BUDAPEST CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL WEINBERG 100 Weinberg: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1, Op. 12 Weinberg: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 4, Op. 39 Weinberg: Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes, Op. 47/1 Shostakovich: Unfinished Sonata for Violin and Piano (Hungarian premiere) Weinberg: Piano Trio, Op. 24

GRAND HALL ORCHESTRA OF PROKOFIEV Sergey Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 ('Classical') Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, Op. 10 Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 – excerpts

Marcell Szabó (piano) Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra Debrecen Conductor: Dániel Somogyi-Tóth

Linus Roth (violin), Danjulo Ishizaka (cello), José Gallardo (piano) Born in Poland of Jewish parents, 20-year-old Mieczysław Weinberg fled east to the Soviet Union in 1939. None

MARCELL SZABÓ 25

The opening concert of the second Festival of Russian Music presents the unique and inimitable music of Sergei Prokofiev in two rarely heard masterpieces composed when he was in his twenties, a symphony and a piano concerto, and excerpts from perhaps the composer’s most popular opus, the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 700, 3 500, 4 900 Presented by Festival of Russian Music

TUESDAY 8 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL CONCERTO ARMONICO BUDAPEST CONCERTO ARMONICO/CAFÉ ZIMMERMANN – COFFEE HOUSE MUSIC FROM LEIPZIG

Their task was to perform music in Café Zimmermann at least twice a week. The evening recitals became highpoints of music life in the city and gave Bach the opportunity to perform many works, including cantatas, concertos, suites and chamber pieces. The enormous pedal harpsichord purchased by Café Zimmermann specifically for Collegium Musicum inspired Bach to write his harpsichord concertos. In addition to his own works, Bach and his ensemble performed works by his contemporaries and predecessors as well. This fictive reconstruction of those concerts gives us the sort of programme the musicloving public of Leipzig might have enjoyed one evening along with a coffee: the music of two significant colleagues and two good friends.

for novelties, believing that past values designate valid trends in the present day. 'It can be just as exciting how we can live with the inherited cultural experience of many centuries. Music makes its approach firstly through the senses, and considering its primary impact it is a primitive thing: the pulse races, it sends chills down my spine, I sweat, cry, laugh... One cannot turn this off from the creative process, because without it only dead things can be birthed,' he once said in an interview. Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 500 Presented by Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 1 400, 2 100, 3 500, 4 900 Presented by Concerto Armonico Budapest

Two young women, one from Rome (Clara Iannotta), the other from Belgrade (Milica Djordjević), and two young men from Budapest (Máté Bella, Péter Tornyai) – all four with major competition results and scholarships under their belts. Klangforum Wien, an ensemble of considerable status in global modern music, perform works by young talents and a piece by Enno Poppe belonging to the middle generation as well as Salvatore Sciarrino, lauded today as a classic. The work by the latter was published in 2005 and very quickly, in fact in 2006, was performed at the Arcus Temporum arts festival in Pannonhalma. Archeologia del telefono is a real Zeitstück; nearly a decade and a half ago it appeared as a prophecy but in 2019 it is itself the future realized. Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival, Liszt Academy Concert Centre

WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER, 19.30 CONCERTO ARMONICO BUDAPEST

Telemann: Overture (Suite) in A Major, TWV 55:A4 J. S. Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052 Telemann: Concerto for Four Violins in A major, TWV 54:A1 J. S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066

GRAND HALL CONCERT CELEBRATING THE 70TH BIRTHDAY OF JÁNOS VAJDA Vajda János: Piéces symphoniques Cello Concerto Variations Te Deum

Concerto Armonico Budapest (concertmaster: Gábor Homoki, artistic director: Miklós Spányi)

Ildikó Szabó (cello), Andrea Csereklyei (soprano), Donát Varga (tenor) Cantemus Mixed Choir (choirmaster: Soma Szabó) Budapest Academic Choral Society Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

Collegium Musicum gave an interesting twist to music life in the city of Leipzig in the first half of the 18th century. Georg Philipp Telemann founded the ensemble in 1701 when he was studying law in Leipzig. Later on, from 1729, Johann Sebastian Bach directed the orchestra for many years.

Kossuth Prize composer János Vajda is an artist with universal interests. In his oeuvre, shaped in the spirit of the classical tradition, we find all the important genres from opera to concertos, grand orchestral compositions to oratorios, chamber works to choral pieces. He has always rejected the convulsive search

JÁNOS VAJDA

KLANGFORUM WIEN

THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER, 19.30

SOLTI HALL CAFE BUDAPEST CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL KLANGFORUM WIEN

GRAND HALL JÁNOS BALÁZS PIANO RECITAL MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO IN-1

Máté Bella: Chuang Tzu’s Dream Enno Poppe: Brot Milica Djordjević: Rdja Péter Tornyai: [New composition] (premiere) Clara Iannotta: D’après Salvatore Sciarrino: Archeologia del telefono

Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35 – excerpts Liszt: Transcendental Études – 1. Preludio, 2. Fusées, 4. Mazeppa, 5. Feux follets, 8. Wilde Jagd, 10. Allegro agitato, 11. Harmonies du soir Balakirev: Islamey

Klangforum Wien

János Balázs (piano)

JÁNOS BALÁZS

In 2018, during a tour marking his 30th birthday, János Balázs gave recitals in several important concert halls around the world. He has appeared in the company of Mischa Maisky, Tamás Vásáry, José Cura, Andrea Rost and István Várdai. 'János Balázs plays with refined technique, fine feelings and lyricism, but in the more virtuoso pieces he sometimes allowed himself a little extra fun, adding frightening difficulties to opuses already virtually unplayable for pianists.' (Christian Lorandin) Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000, 8 000, 10 000 Presented by Besszer Koncert

FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL WORKSHOPS OF THE LISZT ACADEMY SCHOOL FOR EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG TALENTS Students of the School for Exceptional Young Talents Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra (artistic director: László G. Horváth)

The development of knowledge and skills, the whole process of becoming an artist, cannot really be fixed to a given age, academic periods and years in schooling. The Liszt Academy has long understood this. And this is precisely why in dedicating particular attention to seeking out and nurturing great music talent it operates the School for Exceptional Young Talents, admitting gifted 10-18-year olds, young violinists, pianists and cellists, or in exceptional circumstances, even children under the age of 10, since the non-standardized process of individual development must be handled with wise flexibility. At this concert, the Liszt Academy presents not trained wunderkinder, but rather youthful talents, musicians of the future taught with devotion and care. Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS

SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER, 18.00

GRAND HALL ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 4 ('Los Angeles') Händel: Israel in Egypt, HWV 54

Mária Lökösházi (soprano), Eszter Danku (alto), Róbert Erdős (tenor) King St Steven Oratory Choir Zugló Philharmonics Conductor: Pál Makovecz Tickets: HUF 2 500, 2 700, 3 100 Presented by Zugló Philharmonics 27

SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL VOCAL MUSIC, SO CLOSE GYPSY SONGS LILLA HORTI, BERNADETT WIEDEMANN Máté Hollós: Căra luma phírav (I Walk the World) Brahms: Zigeunerlieder (Gypsy Songs), Op. 103 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie (Gypsy Songs), Op. 55 Ravel: Tzigane Imre Széchényi: The Three Gypsies Brahms: Vier Zigeunerlieder (Four Gypsy Songs), Op. 112 Liszt: The Three Gypsies László Dubrovay: Gypsy Songs (premiere) György Orbán: Secular Melodies – Gypsy Madrigal (premiere)

LILLA HORTI

Lilla Horti, Bernadett Wiedemann, Katalin Kokas (violin, viola), Emese Virág (piano) Gypsy music? Folk music or popular composed music? What is it in music that we can refer to as typically 'Gypsy'? This inventive recital of songs seeks answers to these questions, in which we come across 19th century recruitmentinspired works as well as contemporary compositions going back to the authentic folk music of the Roma community. Ferenc Liszt outraged the Hungarian public of the day when he identified 'verbunkos' (recruitment music) – he considered to be Hungarian folk music – as Gypsy music. Today, this theory, which does not stand up to scientific scrutiny, is worth rethinking as one of the first musical manifestations of cultural coexistence and multiculturalism, the composed music 'trickle down' of 28

which can be perceived not only in the work of Liszt but many of his contemporaries (Brahms, Dvořák). The panorama is made whole with Ravel’s violin piece Tzigane and modern day compositions from Máté Hollós, László Dubrovay and György Orbán. Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER, 19.30

University, gave concerts, appeared at orchestral recitals across America, and played with the Philadelphia Orchestra and National Orchestra. She learned to play the marimba and gave recitals of Bach works on this xylophone-like instrument. A 'It doesn’t matter whether I take the music to somebody’s home or I play in a concert hall. It’s all the same until the point when the composer pummels my head because I am playing poorly. I love playing.' (Ágnes Jámbor)

SOLTI HALL ÁGI JÁMBOR MEMORIAL RECITAL J. S. Bach: Partita No. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825 Mozart: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 17 in C major, K. 296 J. S. Bach: Preludium and Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 552 Ági Jámbor Songs Schumann: Six Studies in Canonic form (transcription by Claude Debussy) Chopin: Polonaise-Fantasie, Op. 61 J. S. Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002 – 1. Allemande, 2. Double, 3. Courente, 4. Double (transcription for marimba) J. S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012 – 4. Sarabande, 5. Gavotte I, 6. Gavotte II (transcription for marimba) Bizet–Sammut: Carmen Fantasy – 3. Prelude of Act 1

Kristóf Baráti (violin), Katalin Károlyi (vocals), Klára Würtz (piano), Dániel Láposi (marimba) Host: Zsuzsa Kertész Concert pianist, musicologist, Bach researcher and remarkable musician personality Ági Jámbor was born in Budapest in 1909. Her teachers included Edwin Fischer, Zoltán Kodály and Alfred Cort. In 1928, she won the Brahms Prize in Berlin, and in 1937 she received a prize at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. She and her husband emigrated to the US in 1947. She debuted as a concert pianist at the Phillips Gallery. She taught at Washington

KRISTÓF BARÁTI

Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office. Presented by House of Hungarians

Fifteen years later, three of the four musicians – Snétberger, trumpet and flugelhorn player Markus Stockhausen (son of the composer Karlheinz) and bassist Arild Andersen, plus a new drummer Paolo Vinaccia (with whom Snétberger has also worked) – are once more back on stage at the Liszt Academy Grand Hall. The joint concert by Snétberger and friends offers the audience the sort of musical experience that is rare in Hungary: four European jazz masters and refined musicians combine their powers in order to captivate and delight music aficionados. Solo concerts given by the different musicians provide much spiritualintellectual food for thought thus this, a combined concert, simply must not be missed by any feeling and thoughtful person.

everything that his great predecessors – from Bach to Beethoven – condensed in this key: nature, magnificence, the joy of living and the marvel of creation. A The other two works take this joyous theme still further, although with slightly different intonations. One of Ravel’s finest works is his Piano Concerto in G major. A Over the past few years, the grand symphonic poems of Richard Strauss have regularly featured on programmes of the ensemble, this time the audience gets to hear one of his most carefree operas, Der Rosenkavalier, a piece that distils all the turn-of-thecentury charm into notes.

Tickets: HUF 3 900, 4 900, 5 900, 6 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

GRAND HALL HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER, 19.30

DONG HYEK LIM

TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA BRAHMS/RAVEL/STRAUSS

FERENC SNÉTBERGER, MARKUS STOCKHAUSEN

The brilliant Hungarian Roma guitarist Ferenc Snétberger and four of his superb colleagues released their intense and emotionally rich album Joyosa in 2004.

WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER, 19.30

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 500, 6 000, 7 000 Presented by Hungarian Radio Art Groups

THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA APOTHEOSIS OF THE DANCE Ravel: La Valse Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 Ravel: Tzigane R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier ( The Knight of the Rose) - Suite

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 Beethoven: Christ on the Mount of Olives, Op. 85

GRAND HALL JAZZ ITT! SNÉTBERGER, STOCKHAUSEN, ANDERSEN, VINACCIA JOYOSA Ferenc Snétberger (guitar), Markus Stockhausen (trumpet), Arild Andersen (double bass), Paolo Vinaccia (drums)

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

DEZSŐ RÁNKI

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier – Suite

Dong Hyek Lim (piano) Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Máté Hámori Symphony in D major by Brahms is genuinely pleasing music: in it pulsates

Dezső Ránki (piano) Hungarian Radio Choir (choirmaster: Zoltán Pad) Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Tamás Vásáry It is difficult to rank the five piano concertos of Beethoven, but perhaps few would contest that the concerto in G major, blends genre traditions with innovations using remarkable harmony. It is a multifaceted masterpiece, the performance of which requires impeccable taste, wisdom and a sensitivity towards the most minute differences. In short, it requires Dezső Ránki. In the second half of the concert there is a performance of Christ on the Mount of Olives, an oratorio rarely performed, yet, according to many, of critical importance in understanding his oeuvre.

MAXIM VENGEROV

Maxim Vengerov (violin) Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Zsolt Hamar Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 000, 4 500, 5 500 Presented by Hungarian National Philharmonic 29

FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER, 19.00

SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE JÓZSEF BALOG & KÁLLAI STRING QUARTET BARTÓK, BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS

SOLTI HALL JAZZ ITT! JÚLIA KAROSI

Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Bartók: String Quartet No. 2, BB 75 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95 ('Serioso') Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 Nothing is lost, just transformed, goes the saying. This has happened with the Kállai String Quartet, celebrating their fourth birthday this year. They debuted under this name in the Liszt Academy’s Solti Hall in 2015, although in fact they were established as the Nyári Quartet in 2009. The reason for the renaming? A change of first violinist. Despite their relative youth, the Kállai Quartet have made several concert appearances and won prizes at several chamber music competitions with a repertoire spanning the ages from Haydn to the 20th century. The programme tonight also reflects their openness to different eras, since a century separates the composition of the Bartók and the Beethoven piece. Bridging these in time is the Brahms piano quintet performed together with Liszt Prize laureate pianist József Balog.

KÁLLAI STRING QUARTET

Kállai String Quartet: Ernő Kállai, Géza Szajkó (violin), Kálmán Dráfi (viola), István Balázs (cello) József Balog (piano) Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre 30

Illés Szabó, and naturally the Karosi Júlia Quartet, ensure the elegant, classic tone of the evening.

SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER, 11.00

JÚLIA KAROSI

Songs of George Gershwin and Cole Porter

Karosi Júlia Quartet: Júlia Karosi (vocals), Áron Tálas (piano), Ádám Bögöthy (double bass), Bendegúz Varga (drums) RTQ String Quartet: Balázs Bujtor, Erika Kovács (violin), Boglárka Hundt (viola), Béla Gál (cello) Instrumentation: Márton Fenyvesi (George Gershwin Songs), Illés Szabó (Cole Porter Songs) The genre of jazz has much to thank songwriters living in New York in the first two decades of the 20th century: Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and of course George Gershwin. Their catchy hits, composed to classical quality standards, became not only key parts of the Great American Songbook but the jazz canon, too. The fantastic jazz singer Júlia Karosi and her orchestra released Love is Here to Stay in 2018, with which they paid tribute to George Gershwin. The hit album was preceded by a similarly successful series, and as a continuation of this, the new production of the formation debuts on the stage of the Liszt Academy in October 2019, turning the spotlight firmly on the music of Gershwin and Cole Porter. At this recital evoking the atmosphere of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway of the 1920s, the Karosi Júlia Quartet are complemented with the RTQ string quartet led by Balázs Bujtor. Two young jazz musicians, Márton Fenyvesi and

SOLTI HALL LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC – FROM THE SALON TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS Works by J. S. Bach and Schubert, waltzes by J. Strauss Jr., Chopin, Shostakovich and Dohnányi

Jan Vojtek (piano) Dance: Réka Füleki, Csaba Inotai Moderator: Dániel Mona What is music good for? The proper question should rather be, what is it not good for? We sing when happy, serenade when in love, listen to moving music when in sorrow, or join a concert when in need of replenishment. And then there’s dance! There is no dance without music, and the history of music would be poorer without dance. The autumn 2019 programme of Liszt Kidz Academy, the Liszt Academy series for young people, examines the connection between music and dance. Matinees complete with musicians and dancers reveal how dance music was transformed into classical music. In the second concert of the season ticket series, the focus is on the Viennese waltz. Did the famous um-pah-pah beat really come from

Vienna, is it possible to dance to every waltz, and why exactly is Strauss king of the waltz? The 'salon feeling' is ensured by Jan Vojtek, pianist. Ticket: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

composed of two movements was born in the 1960s. This evening the solo is going to be played by well known cellist Ditta Rohmann. A more frequently played compositon is coming up after the break: Brahms’ amazing Symphony No. 4.

TUESDAY 22 OCTOBER, 19.30

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

GRAND HALL MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA GERGELY VAJDA & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Liszt: Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe – symphonic poem Ligeti: Cello Concerto Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

Ditta Rohmann (cello) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Gergely Vajda

Masters of the Orchestra is the series for the symphonic ensemble of current Academy students. The orchestra has been conducted by several distinguished maestros in the past few years, and on this occasion it’s going to be directed by Gergely Vajda, who is also a composer and therefore aknowledged as a contemporary music expert in conducting. First part of the concert consists of Hungarian works: one composition by Ferenc Liszt and one by György Ligeti. An ink drawing by Mihály Zichy inspired the ageing Liszt to compose his last symphonic poem From the Cradle to the Grave. György Ligeti’s avant-garde Cello Concerto

FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL SILENT STRINGS EDIN KARAMAZOV LUTE RECITAL

THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL EVGENI KOROLIOV PIANO RECITAL MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO Rameau: Gavotte and Variations Händel: Suite in D minor, HWV 428 – 5. Air and Variations, 6. Presto D. Scarlatti: Six Sonatas J. S. Bach: Partita No. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825 J. S. Bach: Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826

Evgeni Koroliov (piano)

GERGELY VAJDA

Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000, 8 000, 10 000 Presented by Besszer Koncert

Evgeni Koroliov is a phenomenon of international music who wins over his audience without any 'firework displays' but instead with extraordinary artistic and interpretational abilities, plus a fascinating spiritual comprehension of the works being interpreted. He is particularly attracted to Bach. His CD The Art of Fugue elicited a memorable reaction from composer György Ligeti: 'If I could take with me a single piece of music to an uninhabited island, it would be Koroliov’s Bach recording, because I would listen to it in the midst of starvation and deadly thirst, until my final breath.'

EVGENI KOROLIOV

EDIN KARAMAZOV

Zamboni: Lute Sonata No. 9 Piccinini: Intavolatura di Liuto et di Chitarrone Leo Brouwer: Sonata de los Misterios J. S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (transcription by Edin Karamazov) J. S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 (transcription by Edin Karamazov)

Edin Karamazov (lute) The lute was a popular solo and accompaniment instrument during the Renaissance. The small, easily portable instrument that was suitable for constant polyphonic play enjoyed massive popularity and was to be found in nearly all social classes. It was the indispensable accessory for the musical entertainment of the aristocracy and bourgeois families, and at the same time it was the tool of the trade of itinerant minstrels. In the Baroque period it lived on mainly as an accompanying instrument, but solo works were also dedicated to amateurs and professional artists. The significance of the lute declined in the second half of the 18th century, with J. F. Reichardt complaining in 1805 that 'those familiar with the totally unique fineness and 31

charm of the lute will really be sorry for the fact that this most excellent and fine instrument is pushed completely to the background by the new, rattling music of our age, which […] makes a real racket.' He could have had no idea that in the middle of the 20th century, the lute would undergo a true 'renaissance' in our age that is noisier than ever. A Bosnian lutist Edin Karamazov gained international acclaim as a partner to Sting in his 2008 Dowland album Songs from the Labyrinth, in addition to which he has appeared with such famous classical ensembles and artists as Hespèrion XXI, L’Arpeggiata, Hilliard Ensemble and Andreas Scholl. Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

Jiyeong Mun (piano) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Daniel Boico One work apiece by the two great composers of Romanticism. Chopin was the innovator of piano play and he made the piano effective as a means of communicating emotions and personal messages. A Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony is characterized by youthful dynamism and immense passions, and in this his music is at its most 'Russian' because he incorporates the famous Russian folk song Birch tree in its closing movement. A Jiyeong Mun, soloist of the piano concerto, was born in South Korea in 1995. As a child of disabled parents, learning involved considerable sacrifice but she was so successful that she has enjoyed an international concert career after winning at the Geneva, then Italian 32

JIYEONG MUN

Busoni International Competition. A Conductor Daniel Boico studied in St. Petersburg, so one can state that he 'speaks' the language of the great Russian composers fluently. Tickets: HUF 4 500, 5 000, 5 500 Presented by MÁV Symphony Orchestra

entitled Currents linked performers and composers from Prague via Helsinki to Zurich, while last year the distinguished Guildhall School of Music and Drama joined the inspiring initiative. The string trio was the topic of the most recent workshop and concert. Once again, triple formations lie at the centre of the autumn concert, the piano complemented with violin and cello, or flute and cello. The latest partner institution, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, is sending Trio Espresso to Budapest, where they present a chamber work by Bohuslav Martinů and a new piece by young Hungarian composer Balázs Kecskés D., whereas the Hungarian trio are performing Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor and a new creation by a Latvian student. Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL COMPOSERS PROJECT OF LISZT ACADEMY & JĀZEPS VĪTOLS LATVIAN ACADEMY OF MUSIC Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor N. N.: [New composition] Martinů: Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano Balázs Kecskés D.: [New composition]

Trio Encuentro: Kristóf Tóth (violin), Eszter Agárdi (cello), Henrik Szőcs (piano) Trio Espresso: Katarina Ignatoviča (flute), Tomass Ančs (cello), Laura Balabane (piano) The highly promising cooperation between the departments of composition of European conservatories continues in 2019. Earlier, the project of the Budapest and Vienna music academies

SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL ANGELICA 30 ANGELICA GIRLS’ CHOIR JUBILEE CONCERT Kodály: Wainamoinen makes music Kodály: Two Folksongs from Zobor Miklós Csemiczky: De fonte aquae vitae Gyula Bánkövi: Ave Maria Levente Gyöngyösi: Salve Regina Miklós Kocsár: Ancient God, Great God Liszt: Dante Symphony – Magnificat Hammarström: Kyrie Ēriks Ešenvalds: O salutaris hostia Tegnér: Ave Maria Poulenc: Litanies à la Vierge Noire Rachmaninov: Fourteen Romances, Op. 34 – 14. Vocalise Glazunov: Festive Cantata, Op. 63

Andrea Deák, Eszter Zemlényi (soprano), Anna Molnár (mezzosoprano), Zsófia Réman (flute), Bence Bánkövi, Ráhel Borka (cello), Andrea Vigh (harp), Ágoston Tóka (organ) Gergely Bogányi, Balázs Szokolay, Valentin Magyar, Máté Puskás (piano) Angelica Girls' Choir Conductor: Zsuzsanna Gráf Angelica Girls’ Choir were established under the leadership of Zsuzsanna Gráf, in the spirit of Kodály traditions and under the aegis of Kodályian teaching methods exactly 30 years ago. Since launching at the Városmajor Grammar School in 1989, they have proved to be a true success story, with the ensemble growing into important players not only in Hungarian but international choral life. It would be impossible to list all the prizes, awards, honours and competition successes associated with Angelica Girls’ Choir and their leader. Their mission remains to preserve, nurture and take forward the Kodály-Bartók heritage, as well as to cultivate prevailing Hungarian contemporary music and perform its finest pieces in Hungary and around the globe. The programme of this jubilee recital hallmarks this creed in which we can enjoy marvellous music in an uplifting performance with the collaboration of superb and hugely popular instrumental soloists.

MONDAY 28 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL ALBAN GERHARDT & FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Iveta Apkalna (organ) Featuring: Eszter Karasszon (cello)

ALBAN GERHARDT

Elgar: Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20 Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb:1 Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, Hob. VIIb:2 Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, Op. 48

Alban Gerhardt (cello) Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra (concertmaster: Péter Tfirst) The first concert in the new-look Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra season ticket series invites the audience onto a rollercoaster of emotions. The ensemble want to transmit the experience of how Elgar’s and Tchaikovsky’s romantic serenades, and between them two Haydn cello concertos (totally different in character from one another) resonate in the soul of the orchestra. Their partner this evening is Alban Gerhardt who is debuting in Budapest, and regularly features in the London Bachtrack statistics as one of the ten most indemand cellists in the world. Tickets: HUF 2 900, 4 800, 6 000, 8 500, 12 000 Presented by Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER, 19.30 ANGELICA GIRLS' CHOIR

Tickets: HUF 2 900, 3 900, 4 900, 5 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre, Angelica Foundation

Mendelssohn: Organ Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 65/4 J. S. Bach: Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582 Müthel: Fantasy in F major Pēteris Vasks: Hymnus (dedicated to Iveta Apkalna) Pēteris Vasks: Musique du soir Kalniņš: Fantasia in G minor

GRAND HALL ORGAN IN THE CENTRE IVETA APKALNA J. S. Bach: Fantasia in G major, BWV 572 ('Pièce d’Orgue')

Iveta Apkalna, one of the most significant concert organists today, has been artist in resident of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg since its opening in 2017. In her multihued programmes the Latvian musician blends past with present, keeping in mind that this instrument with a past of several hundred years should appear as a modern medium, providing audiences with an auditive experience only the organ is capable of delivering. A In the first half of the concert we have two fine compositions by Bach as well as a work by Johann Gottfried Müthel, the last student of

IVETA APKALNA

the Baroque master and a composer who spent most of his life in Riga. Furthermore, there is a Mendelssohn sonata associating Bach traditions with Romantic ideas. A Apkalna, as musical-cultural ambassador for her country, performs two compositions by world-famous Latvian composer Pēteris 33

Vasks, one of which is a brand-new work commissioned by Los Angeles Philharmonic on the centenary of the formation of the orchestra. A This exciting programme demonstrating the timbre and character of the organ closes with a work by another Latvian composer, Alfrēds Kalniņš. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL BEETHOVEN SONATAS/1 CONCERT BY KEYBOARD STUDENTS OF THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7 Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 ('Pathétique') Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat major, Op. 22 Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major, Op. 31/3

Imre Dani, Gergő Zoltán Varga , Dorottya Simon, Llorenç Prats Boscà (piano)

'The New Testament of piano literature.' This is how Hans von Bülow characterized Beethoven’s piano sonatas, and drawing a sacred parallel was extremely perceptive, defining the place and role of these 32 opuses in the history of music. The sonatas written between 1795 and 1822, which, according to Charles Rosen, act as a bridge from the microcosmos of salons to the world of concert halls, are essential for all 34

young keyboard instrumentalists. They are now 'eternal exam pieces' even if formally there is no need to prove technical skill and performance maturity with one of the Beethoven sonatas at a concert. Which, of course, is not surprising since even with experienced pianists – who are long past studying for a diploma or even a doctorate – the situation is the same. Four sonatas are performed in both of the two concerts by keyboard students of the Doctoral School. Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC KÁLMÁN BALOGH 60 CONCERT BY THE FOLK MUSIC DEPARTMENT Hungarian Folk Songs collected by Béla Bartók Bartók: Three Hungarian Folksongs from Csík, BB 45b Remembrance to Géza Allaga and Aladár Rácz Couperin: Les rozeaux Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in G major, K. 13 Improvisations on Folk Songs Balkan Folk Music Folk Dances from Gömör and Transdanubia Music from Gyergyó collected by Kodály Folk Music from Bonchida

Kálmán Balogh (cimbalom) Miklós Lukács, Dániel Szabó, András Szalai, Ferenc Zimber (cimbalom), János Gelencsér (cimbalom, violin) Branka Básits, Ágnes Herczku, Ágnes Szalóki (vocals) Csaba Ökrös, Balázs Vizeli (violin), Péter Árendás (viola), Róbert Doór (double bass) Zoltán Juhász (recorder) Gipsy Cimbalom Band: Péter Bede (saxophone), Ferenc Kovács (trumpet, violin, vocals), Frankie Látó (violin),

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

reveal their own artistic advancement through the performance of one of the sonatas.

THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER, 19.00

Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SOLTI HALL BEETHOVEN SONATAS/2 CONCERT BY KEYBOARD STUDENTS OF THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL

KÁLMÁN BALOGH

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 ('Waldstein') Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major, Op. 78 Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a ('Les Adieux') Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

Csaba Novák (double bass), Mihály György (guitar)

Ádám Menyhei, Panni Hotzi, Éva Szalai, Balázs Demény (piano)

Kálmán Balogh last gave a most memorable concert entitled 40 Years on Stage at the Liszt Academy in 2015. Now, on the occasion of his birthday, he presents this more than four decades compressed into a single concert. Retrospectives and summaries always present artists with a great challenge because what was at one time innovative may be clichéd today; quite often, untrodden paths turn, with the passage of decades, into toll highways. Kálmán Balogh created a new style by building bridges between different music styles. His professional knowledge and artistic sensibilities, spiced up with a little 'ethno-taste', have made him a legendary performer worldwide. At the beginning of the concert he evokes Béla Bartók with the assistance of Ágnes Herczku and Zoltán Juhász, as well as classical cimbalom player András Szalai. In the second half the emphasis is on folk music played in its original form. We journey through parts of the Central-Eastern European region where the cimbalom has become part of the music tradition. Fellow musicians and students help conjure up the finest musical moments of the past 60 years.

'I only regret that I cannot complete the Beethoven sonatas,' contemporary reports claim were the words of Leó Weiner on his deathbed, referring to his highly informative published scores of these sonatas. Mention of the Liszt Academy professor of legendary memory, albeit still having a lively impact through his direct or later successors, is an indication of the musical and educational significance of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, and more closely their place and role in education at the Liszt Academy. DLA keyboard students of the Doctoral School of the Liszt Academy of Music provide evidence filling two concert programmes and offering great aesthetic pleasure of precisely this. They meanwhile

THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL BACH IN SOLO ISTVÁN VÁRDAI

six suites in the succession of dance movements, but more importantly, their performance shows an increasing technical challenge from the first to the last. In the final two suites, the composer stretches the boundaries of the instrument to breaking point: the C minor suite is given an unconventional tuning and the D major suite was written for five-string cello. A World-famous cellist István Várdai, in the wake of his CD of Bach suites released in 2017, now presents live these evergreen works that always have something new to say. There is no doubt that, in the person of Várdai, we shall discover the most experienced guide on this intellectual and spiritual adventure. Since the performance time of the entire cello suites is over two hours, the concert starts earlier, at 7 pm, and there will be two intermissions. Tickets: HUF 3 900, 4 900, 5 900, 6 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

ISTVÁN VÁRDAI

Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008 Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012

István Várdai (cello) Bach’s complete cello suites in a single evening – a true marathon for performers and audience alike. Yet perhaps it is exactly this occasion that allows one to become intensely aware, and to marvel at the multiplicity of correlations in this monumental series. The composer himself did not consider the suites as some sort of collection of individual works, but rather a well-planned cycle. We can observe an order spanning 35

FANTASY OF A LIFETIME 'THE MUSIC ACADEMY IS MY FAVOURITE MUSIC HALL IN THE WORLD' – SAID JOSHUA BELL AT THE END OF HIS CONCERT ON 25 FEBRUARY 2019. THE HONOURABLE STATEMENT BY THE GRAMMY-WINNING WORLD-CLASS VIOLINIST IS PERHAPS NOT ONLY DUE TO THE GRAND HALL’S ENCHANTING AMBIENCE, BUT TO THE CONTACT HE HAD WITHIN MINUTES WITH THE AUDIENCE. JOSHUA BELL ALLOWS US TO HAVE A PEEK INTO THE SPIRITUAL RESONANCE, THE JOINT THINKING, WHICH REQUIRE A UNIQUE APPROACH FROM THE MUSICIAN, THE AUDIENCE AND THE COMPOSER.

As a performing artist, you are probably 'inseparable' from fantasy. What do you think of this concept in general? I’ve always been fascinated by fantasy, the amazing mystery that a human being is capable of inventions; an imagination that comes from nothing. I love and respect science because knowledge can determine many things, and certain information can be interconnected. Connecting associations about our knowledge means imagination itself, and fantasy. This incredible fantasy is what impresses me so much about great composers. Our duty as musicians is to bring the notes to life. As each person has a different fantasy, their interpretation of music differs as well. This is great, as this way, people will come to concerts again and again. What makes an exceptional musician is that he does not only perform what he has learnt and practised, but he adds his own fantasy, thus the audience feels the sense of fantasy and storytelling during a performance. In your career, it is an eternal task for you to let fantasy free. Do you think there is a limit to the use of fantasy, if so, where could you draw the line of fantasy in your own art?

'OUR DUTY AS MUSICIANS IS TO BRING THE NOTES TO LIFE. AS EACH PERSON HAS A DIFFERENT FANTASY, THEIR INTERPRETATION OF MUSIC DIFFERS AS WELL.'

JOSHUA BELL LOCATION: CORINTHIA HOTEL BUDAPEST 36

Fantasy and reality are very much linked together, as our imagination is also made of specific rules. If you tell a child to write a story freely, we will probably get something less exciting than if we tell them that every tenth word must rhyme and include certain words. So if you give some concrete guidelines, the result will be more interesting, rules don’t destroy, but strengthen fantasy. I think the concrete rules make the music exciting and I find it particularly interesting to see what the composer does with these rules. If all rules were disregarded, music would have no tonality, like in avant-garde music. Talking about childhood, how do you see things now, have you kept your childhood fantasy? Do you consider it important to preserve childhood dreams? Absolutely! Childhood fantasy is a great gift. Children like to draw and write anything, their imagination is limitless, and we should inspire them to be more to this. However, most schools teach them how to memorize facts. Although quantitative knowledge is indispensable, they lose their innocent imagination at the same time. As musicians, we are encouraged to remain children in some ways, the result of which is that many artists tend to behave immaturely. Preserving infantile soul does not only mean behaviour but also approach: children’s brains are more open, they always want to learn and be amused by the world. As artists, it is also our mission to explore more and more the reality around us. 37

Your career is full of imaginative ideas, I am thinking of the 'The Man with the Violin' project, the film music contributions, the VR recording by Sam Haywood, and many more creative cooperation. Do such projects that exceed the classical music genre cross your career on purpose or by accident?

AS ARTISTS, IT IS ALSO OUR MISSION TO EXPLORE MORE AND MORE THE REALITY AROUND US.

Both statements are true at the same time. As I mentioned before, I am interested in science, especially in technology, and I am always looking for novelties, and others notice it too. This is why Sony PlayStation reached out to me when they wanted to do their first classical VR recording. Probably many artists would have said no, but I enjoy these challenges that are a small part of my career, but a large part of my personality gets expressed in them. A physicist friend of mine organizes the New York Science Festival (World Science Festival – the editor), so I also participated in this festival. I played Bach and Ysaÿe so I could represent music at a science festival. There are artists who keep themselves away from such causes and it doesn’t mean that they are not open. A musician can spend his whole life studying Beethoven’s Sonatas; the important thing is that everyone follows their interest. Musicians’ interests are also diverse, the same instrument often plays differently in the hands of different performers. How much is this difference influenced by the fantasies of the two different artists? Playing an instrument reflects so many things like technique, different schools or different teachers. Here as everywhere else, it all starts in your brain, even before you put your bow on the instrument. I see when someone picks up the violin, how the sound is going to be different from the way I imagined. It is similar to composers, the same sforzando means a totally different approach by Schubert and Bartók, so different musical interpretations are strongly connected to the artists’ imagination. If you let your imagination fly and think deeply: how could you grasp the depth of 'Joshua Bell’s fantasy world', the fulfilment of your personality? I spend most of my time travelling and meeting people, the most meaningful for me is when I meet people who really care about me. Last year for example on my birthday everybody came from all over the world, musicians, family, friends and people close to me. We ate good food, played good music and that was enough for me. If I am surrounded by people with whom I can truly be myself, this is where my personality and thus my fantasy is fulfilled. Anna Unger

The Chamber Music Festival of the Liszt Academy

JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT 14-17 NOVEMBER 2019 ARTISTIC DIRECTORS OF THE FESTIVAL: IZABELLA SIMON AND DÉNES VÁRJON

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY NOVEMBER Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted Concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior University Other SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL FOUR BY FOUR TAKÁCS QUARTET

works – like Mozart’s quartets had been before – which were considered the gold standard, but with cutting edge reflections to Beethoven’s late string quartets as well. A String Quartet No. 6 is Bartók’s final recapitulation of his works in this genre and also the last work he completed in Europe before emigrating to the United States with his wife. A Like Bartók, four former graduates of the Liszt Academy left for the United States to form the chamber ensemble in residence at the University of Colorado in 1983. After second violinist Károly Schranz’s leaving in 2018, András Fejér became the only original member of the quartet founded in 1975. This will be their first concert in Budapest in their current lineup. Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

TUESDAY 5 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC COBZA RENAISSANCE MÁTYÁS BOLYA & FRIENDS

TAKÁCS QUARTET

Haydn: String Quartet No. 32 in C major, Hob. III:39 ('Bird') Bartók: String Quartet No. 6, BB 119 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13

Takács Quartet: Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violin), Geraldine Walther (viola), András Fejér (cello) String Quartet No. 2 in A minor is an important work from Mendelssohn’s late teenage years, composed not solely under the influence of Haydn’s 40

Mátyás Bolya (cobza, lute, zither), Balázs Szokolay Dongó (recorder, bagpipe, saxophone), Bori Fekete (vocals), Attila Buzás (saz, bass prime tambura), Dávid Eredics (bulgarian kaval, clarinet), László Szlama (cobza, zither), Zalán Csenki (cobza) The Cobza Renaissance series was launched in 2017 with the subtitle Rebirth of an instrument in Hungary. The increasingly popular instrument has proven its worth at numerous forums, most recently appearing – successfully – in front of the Liszt Academy Doctoral committee; this is where the idea of the concert arose. Mátyás Bolya is a true pioneer not only in the university department and folk music research but also as an instrumentalist. He has an intimate knowledge of Hungarian folk music but

is also interested in the music of other peoples as well as early music. The style he has developed is unique, being modern and at the same time a kind of reconstruction of earlier styles of playing. His basic genre is folk musicinspired improvised chamber music. The concert is a musical summary of the past 20 years spent performing, along with old and new colleagues.

TUESDAY 5 NOVEMBER, 19.30

an incident once when the young man approached the elderly master for advice and in return received just a few miserly words of praise. From this moment, Wolf penned critiques of Brahms’ works in fierce anger. Now, however, the concert starts with three of his songs and concludes with the Symphony in C minor by Brahms which, immediately after its premiere, some critics (Wolf not being one!) called Beethoven’s tenth. Its closing movement has a soaring melody similar to the Ode to Joy. A Gustav Mahler stands between the two 'warring parties'. He was born in the same year as Wolf (1860) but harboured no hard feelings towards Brahms. He looked kindly on the fact that Brahms once congratulated him on an opera performance, in Budapest, in 1890. At that time Mahler was director here and conducted Don Giovanni. Baritone Thomas E. Bauer sings his Songs of a Wayfarer, and the orchestra also plays the famous Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony.

GRAND HALL ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE ANIMA ETERNA BRUGGE

Tickets: HUF 3 900, 4 900, 5 900, 6 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

MÁTYÁS BOLYA

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Wolf : Nimmersatte Liebe; Lebe Wohl; Der Feuerreiter Mahler: Symphony No. 5 – 4. Adagietto Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68

WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Shostakovich: Moscow, Cheryomushki, Op. 105 – Suite Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14 Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Gary Levinson (violin) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Gergely Kesselyák THOMAS E. BAUER

Thomas E. Bauer (baritone) Anima Eterna Brugge Conductor: Jos van Immerseel The concert reconciles. Hugo Wolf was the sworn enemy of Brahms following

Gergely Kesselyák, who has been conductor of MÁV Symphony Orchestra for many years, has a particular affinity to Russian music and enjoys surprising audiences with unknown works. The great Russian composer of the 20th century Shostakovich is associated with many dramatic, indeed tragic

GERGELY KESSELYÁK

works, and was not averse to the worlds of circus, jazz and operetta, too. His stage work Moscow, Cheryomushki (1959) represents the latter genre, presenting the lives of the residents of a new housing estate, and while it complied with all the political strictures of the time, it also evinced a refined irony. A Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2 dates from a completely different period, the early years of the 20th century. It is a profoundly Russian work. The evening’s violin soloist was similarly born in Russia, whereas the Violin Concerto written by Samuel Barber in 1934 is out-and-out American music.

Roman Rabinovich is an artistic polymath. Graduated from Julliard School, New York, the young pianist is the winner of several important international competitons and has performed in aknowledged venues such as Leipzig’s Gewandhaus and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. He made his debut as a concert musician aged 10, under Zubin Mehta’s baton. He has been engaged to visual arts as a passionate and active fan since his childhood, recently creating mostly digital works of art. Rabinovich has also presented himself as a composer and usually includes his own compositions in his recital programs. At his recital within the framework of the series Black and White Colours, in addition to his piece Capriccio: Clown on a Bicycle, works by several canonised composers can be heard too, as well as delicate curiosities, like the Baroque suite by the most famous Jesuit composer: Domenico Zipoli. Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Tickets: HUF 4 500, 5 000, 5 500 Presented by MÁV Symphony Orchestra

WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS ROMAN RABINOVICH PIANO RECITAL Zipoli: Suite in G minor Debussy: Estampes Satie: Gnossienne No. 1 Roman Rabinovich: Capriccio: Clown on a Bicycle Gershwin: Three Preludes Granados: Goyescas – excerpts Stravinsky: Petrushka

Roman Rabinovich (piano)

ROMAN RABINOVICH

THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL TALENT OBLIGES LÁSZLÓ NYÁRI & MIKLÓS KÖRNYEI CHAMBER RECITAL PAGANINI FOR GUITAR AND VIOLIN Paganini: Sonata Concertata, Op. 61 Paganini: Le streghe – Variation on a Theme of Süssmayr's Il noce di Benevento, Op. 8 (transcription by Miklós Környei) 41

Paganini: Cantabile, Op. 17 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Capriccio diabolico, Op. 85 ('Omaggio a Paganini') Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7 – 3. Rondo à la clochette ('La campanella') (transcription by Miklós Környei) Paganini: Sonata for Violin and Guitar in E minor, Op. 3/6 Paganini: 24 Caprices, Op. 1– 1. E major ('Arpeggio'), 5. A minor, 9. E major ('The Hunt'),13. B-flat major ('The Devil's Laughter'), 14. E-flat major, 20. D major caprice Legnani: 36 Caprices, Op. 20 – 36. E major, 29. F-sharp minor, 7. A major, 15. B minor, 9. E minor, 22. C minor, 2. E minor caprice Paganini: 24 Caprices, Op. 1– 24. Caprice in A minor (transcription by Miklós Környei)

LÁSZLÓ NYÁRI & MIKLÓS KÖRNYEI

Miklós Környei (guitar), László Nyári (violin) The name Niccolò Paganini is generally associated with a single instrument, the violin, whereas it is often forgotten that he was an excellent guitarist as well, and this latter instrument played an important part in his compositional work. In addition to violin pieces that largely defined his oeuvre, he also wrote over a hundred works for guitar, and the instrument appears in virtually all his chamber compositions. A good example, although just symbolically, of the closeness he felt for both instruments is that by the age of 12 he had already composed his first variation series for violin and guitar, and among his first published works together with the 24 Caprices there are also two violin-guitar sonatas. The diversity of the virtuoso Italian instrumentalist is represented at this concert by violinist László Nyári and guitarist Miklós 42

Prokofiev: War and Peace, Op. 91 – Overture Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet – Suite, Op. 64a and Op. 64b – excerpts

by the intended soloist Leopold Auer, and the commissioning theatres were put off by Prokofiev’s opera and ballet music. The opera entitled War and Peace, composed in 1941-1942, is nearly four hours long. The beautiful overture, rich in melodies, evokes peace: it is both heroic and lyrical. A Tchaikovsky sketched out the violin concerto over the course of 11 days in 1878, and then completed it in two weeks. A This evening, Renaud Capuçon will play what is perhaps the most famous and most difficult violin solo in the world. The ballet music to Romeo and Juliet is one of the richest in themes among Prokofiev’s works. Denied a premier, the composer reworked the various movements of his ballet into three suites so that his melodies could still reach audiences.

Renaud Capuçon (violin) Budapest Festival Orchestra Conductor: Lahav Shani

Tickets: HUF 3 000, 5 100, 6 600, 9 400, 15 300 Presented by Budapest Festival Orchestra

Környei. A Together with the Paganini works, the recital includes an homage to 20th century Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and caprices by guitarist-composer Luigi Legnani. Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER, 19.45 FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER, 19.45 SATURDAY 9 NOVEMBER, 15.30

GRAND HALL BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA PROKOFIEV – TCHAIKOVSKY

Three works which at one time were banned, but today are recognised as some of the most famous pieces of music in the world. What a half century ago was considered unplayable from a technical perspective is today part of the standard repertoire. Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto was deemed too difficult

TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER, 19.00

Oszkár Balázs: Eight Trios Oszkár Balázs: Utazás Pentatóniába ( Travel to the Pentatonic Scale) Oszkár Balázs: Three Burlesques Oszkár Balázs: Integration John Cage: Amores Sándor Balassa: Quartetto per percussioni, Op. 18

It is hardly necessary to introduce Amadinda Percussion Group. Several of the members of the group are wellestablished teachers and what is more,

WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER, 19.30

THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA TCHAIKOVSKY / USTVOLSKAYA / MOZART

SOLTI HALL KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/1 – MEMORY CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY Beethoven: String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1 Grieg: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 Liszt: Die Loreley Liszt: Oh! quand je dors Liszt: Mignons Lied Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70

ANDRÁS KELLER

Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 4 in G major, Op. 61 ('Mozartiana') Ustvolskaya: Symphonic Poem No. 1 Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 ('Jupiter')

Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: András Keller

programme, there are three chamber music works Oszkár Balázs composed for his students. After the intermission, in addition to an Oszkár Balázs composition, two other significant works by John Cage and Sándor Balassa are performed, which demand skilled instrumentalists, and were first on the programme of the Budapest Percussion Ensemble and then frequently appeared on the Amadinda programmes as well.

There is always something to be surprised about with the Russians: so much poverty, suffering, longing, and yet so many brilliant creators, so many artistic souls, so many never-heardbefore colours! Tchaikovsky erected tributes to his great idol Mozart in several works: his most fervent desire was to compose the same translucent, unforced music as his great predecessor. A Shostakovich’s student, composer Galina Ustvolskaya, took a completely different path. She did not head west, but rather east: her unique tonalities and unexpected shifts are echoes of her great master as well as the unpredictable irrationality of the Russian landscape (not to mention the Communist era). She was an artist of near genius level who, after gaining popularity in the West, can be heard increasingly in Hungary, too.

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

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

SOLTI HALL AMADINDA PERCUSSION PROJECT HOMMAGE À OSZKÁR BALÁZS

Percussion Students of the Zoltán Kodály Hungarian Choral School, AMI Dunaharaszti and the Bartók Conservatoire (teachers: Benedek Tóth, Károly Bojtos, Aurél Holló) Percussion Students of the Liszt Academy Amadinda Percussion Group

LAHAV SHANI

they have recently combined the classroom and concert worlds through a complex initiative: the Amadinda Percussion Project workshop and concert process. A The current concert pays tribute to Oszkár Balázs, about whom Zoltán Rácz said not long ago: 'If one were to think over how much was packed into the decades of the remarkable career of Oszkár Balázs, then I think it highly likely one would fail because he was active in so many areas. He was a musician, teacher and founder of a school, composer, founder and artistic director of Budapest Percussion Ensemble, jack-of-all-trades in the creation of instruments. Behind this huge variety stood an exceptional personality who throughout his life generously bestowed on us the fruits of his labour, his cheerfulness and perhaps most importantly, his time he dedicated to us. There are things that one fully understands only decades later. The oeuvre of Oszkár Balázs is just such a thing; I understood his greatness only after the passage of many decades.' In the first half of the

AMADINDA PRECUSSION GROUP

Artistic directors: Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon Henning Kraggerud, András Keller, János Pilz (violin), Dénes Várjon, Izabella Simon (piano), Klára Kolonits (vocals), Máté Szűcs, Gábor Homoki (viola), Miklós Perényi, Ditta Rohmann (cello) Kuss Quartet: Jana Kuss, Oliver Wille (violin), William Coleman (viola), Mikayel Hakhnazaryan (cello) This year Izabella Simon, Dénes Várjon and their musician friends set the novel Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb under the spotlight. The book deals with the most exciting questions of the human soul. 'On the train, everything seemed fine' are the opening words of Antal Szerb’s novel. A single sentence, yet it contains numerous central motifs of the work: travel, nostalgia, yearning, change, transience and crisis, even the thought of death. It provides superb raw material for a classical music festival, thus Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon have structured the programme of this year’s kamara.hu around the

KUSS QUARTET 43

curious story of Mihály. Works by four composers of four nationalities are performed at the opening concert, who are linked by an invisible thread: Journey by Moonlight. According to Beethoven’s friend Karl Amenda, the slow movement of the first version of the composer’s string quartet opening the concert depicts the funeral scene of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. The piece by Edvard Grieg is associated with the novel by the motif of pathfinding: the three violin sonatas symbolize the three stages of his life, the final one, the work in C minor, being born in the spirit of the 'widening horizon'. 'Oh that’s the way' Mignon’s cry is repeated in the poem by Goethe and in the song by Liszt. This longing, the In the Deep Night of My Dream and the tempting but deadly Loreley, are also related to the novel. The concert closes with another Italian excursion, Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence. Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA PINCHAS STEINBERG & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ZAK 144 Liszt: Orpheus – symphonic poem Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ('From the New World')

Ingrid Fliter (piano) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Pinchas Steinberg The Liszt Academy – called the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at that time – was founded 144 years ago, in November 1875. The orchestra formed by instrumental students of the Academy welcomes this anniversary with a celebratory concert, evoking, 44

with the first piece of the concert, the founder of the institution. The symphonic poem of Liszt, inspired by Gluck’s opera and an Etruscan vase seen at the Louvre, was premiered in Weimar, in 1854. A Chopin was a barely twenty-year-old youngster when his Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor was premiered. This evening the solo is played by Argentinian Chopinspecialist Ingrid Fliter. A After the break comes Dvořák’s most popular symphony From the New World by the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pinchas Steinberg, principal conductor of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra.

PINCHAS STEINBERG

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

FRIDAY 15 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/2 – NIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY

Henning Kraggerud (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras, Miklós Perényi (cello), Dénes Várjon, Izabella Simon (piano), Andrea Vigh (harp), Klára Kolonits (vocals) Kuss Quartet: Jana Kuss, Oliver Wille (violin), William Coleman (viola), Mikayel Hakhnazaryan (cello) Night is not only dark, but multicoloured. It is full of beauty and secrets; it is both alluring and scary, pleasantly quiet and chillingly silent. We hear the rustling of nocturnal wildlife, bump into ghosts, marvel at the moon and launch into a serenade. No wonder then how so many composers have been inspired by this part of the day. Chopin is one of the principal characters in the second kamara.hu concert. A few songs by his great favourite, Bellini, signal the start of the concert, and then there is a performance of a nocturne (music of the night) by the Pole in an arrangement by Henning Kraggerud. The other grand master of Italian bel canto, Donizetti, is also represented: the harp solo in Lucia di Lammermoor evokes a night-time murder by the lakeside. Chopin’s sonata for cello and piano is linked to Antal Szerb’s novel Journey by Moonlight with its sense of melancholy, nostalgia, hope, dignity and inner strength, whereas in the case of the grandiose chamber work of Schubert, it is the internal exile from society that the composer always experienced that associates it most closely to the novel’s hero. Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Bellini: Fifteen Songs – 6. Torna, vezzosa Fillide, 14. Per pietà bell'idol mio, 15. Ma rendi pur contento Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth (transcription for piano by Henning Kraggerud) Donizetti–Zabel: Solo from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor Chopin: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, Op. 65 Schubert: String Quintet in C major, D. 956

Artistic directors: Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon

HENNING KRAGGERUD

SATURDAY 16 NOVEMBER, 17.00

IZABELLA SIMON

SATURDAY 16 NOVEMBER, 11.00

CUPOLA HALL KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT MAGIC SOUND – UNKNOWN LANDS AND PEOPLE IZABELLA SIMON’S PROGRAMME FOR CHILDREN

CUPOLA HALL KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/3 – FANTASIA CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY Mendelssohn: Concert Piece, Op. 113 Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 Kurtág: Hommage à R. Sch., Op. 15d Mendelssohn: Concert Piece, Op. 114

Artistic directors: Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon Ib Hausmann, Csaba Klenyán (clarinet), Alasdair Beatson, Dénes Várjon (piano), Máté Szűcs (viola)

Editor-host: Izabella Simon Featuring: artists of kamara.hu and Csilla Kőszeghy children's books illustrator In the wake of Babar, the Little Elephant, and three entrancing tales by cellist Steven Isserlis, this year Izabella Simon, editor-programme director of the popular children’s programme of kamara.hu, has herself come up with an exciting story for the Saturday matinée. Exceptional clarinettist Ib Hausmann is on hand to help in the storytelling, more precisely the music-making, and then again maybe it’s the music-making story-telling. In 2015, he amazed his young audience with a snake charmer show. At the centre of the matinée stands one of the problems of Journey by Moonlight, which is set abroad: communication difficulties posed by foreign languages. The characters in the tale don’t understand each other, they cannot speak each other’s language, which is how the programme’s subtitle comes about: unknown lands and people. But what exactly is the 'Magic Sound' in the title that brings these people together – the language common to all? What else but music, which has so much to tell us. Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

ALASDAIR BEATSON

Due to its informal, homely location, the Cupola Hall concert was one of the most special and intimate events of the kamara.hu series last year. This year, Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon have come up with another exciting and varied programme from light Mendelssohn works to intense Kurtág movements in the very same venue. The two concert pieces by Mendelssohn start and end the event. The soloistic works for piano, clarinet and (uniquely in his oeuvre) basset-horn are playful and full of fantasy, not to mention that they were created in return for delicious meals. While some cooked and baked, Mendelssohn composed. A The Schumann work and Kurtág’s Hommage à Robert Schumann sit in the centre of the programme. The former was originally called Evening Songs. Schumann’s famous personalities appear in the sudden and sharp mood shifts, just like with Kurtág, who makes specific reference to Florestan and Eusebius. Motifs

of night and farewell also feature in the six-movement homage that pays tribute to Schumann also in its harmonization. Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SATURDAY 16 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/4 – WANDERING CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY J. S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080 – excerpts Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 Kodály: Hegyi éjszakák I. (Mountain Nights) Liszt: Elegie I Bartók: Twenty-seven Two- and Three-Part Choruses, BB 111 – Letter to Those at Home, Wandering Liszt: La lugubre gondola No. 2 Kodály: Esti dal (Evening Song) Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, BB 115

Artistic directors: Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon Henning Kraggerud, András Keller, János Pilz (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras, Miklós Perényi (cello), Máté Szűcs (viola), Dénes Várjon, Izabella Simon (piano), Andrea Vigh (harp), Zoltán Rácz, Aurél Holló (percussion) Cantemus Children's Choir (conductor: Dénes Szabó)

MÁTÉ SZŰCS 45

The Grand Hall concert of the Liszt Academy’s chamber music festival conjures up virtually all the characters from the Antal Szerb novel Journey by Moonlight. The programme from Bach to Bartók lays out a good few of the complex emotions boiling in the novel’s characters. The Art of Fugue, the musical equivalent of God’s perfection, order and purity, depicts the figure of Ervin. The fairies of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the fairy tale world of the Ulpius siblings appear in the scherzo of the Mendelssohn trio featuring the struggle between darkness and light, while the Bartók and Kodály choirs, alternating with late Liszt works, depict Mihály continuously corresponding with his home or wandering through Italy, Erzsi who gathers secrets by night, János, and many others. Liszt’s works revolve around one of the central themes of the novel, death, and to top it all, Venice is also evoked in La lugubre gondola. Finally, the Bartók piece rounding off the concert hides within it one of the composer’s most beautiful examples of 'nocturne'. Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900, 4 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER, 11.00

GRAND HALL UNDERSTANDABLE MUSIC DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK COLLISION OF FATES Verdi: Rigoletto – Act 4.

Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Moderator and conductor: Gábor Hollerung 46

One of the wonders of opera is that actors are capable of expressing their individual emotions at the same time in a duet, a tercet or quintet. Another marvel, like all dramatic genres, is opera’s ability to stop and speed up the flow of time. This very thing happens in the fourth act of Verdi’s Rigoletto, where the composer portrays the entangled relationships between the five individuals through the heartstopping confrontation of the musical characters typical of the players. Tickets: HUF 2 300, 2 700 Presented by Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER, 11.00

SOLTI HALL KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/5 – MOON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY Webern: Piano Quintet Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21

Artistic directors: Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon Alasdair Beatson, Dénes Várjon (piano), Eszter Karasszon (cello), Gábor Homoki (viola), Orsolya Kaczander (flute), Csaba Klenyán (clarinet), Anna Molnár (vocals) Kuss Quartet: Jana Kuss, Oliver Wille (violin), William Coleman (viola), Mikayel Hakhnazaryan (cello) Conductor: András Keller Webern and Schoenberg, often referred to as the great trail-blazers of the 20th century, take the lead parts in the Sunday matinée concert of the kamara.hu series. However, the works on offer are also tied to the 19th century in several ways. Webern’s single-movement Piano Quintet is in fact a work that longs to break away from Romanticism yet is incapable of doing so, which despite its dissonance is pervaded by the spirit of nostalgia and its predecessors. It hovers

ESZTER KARASSZON

between two worlds, just like the heroes of Journey by Moonlight. Schönberg’s Pierrot lunaire is, musically speaking, a far more forward-looking work. Set to poems of Albert Giraud, the work composed for eight instruments (five musicians) and singer in recitative manner. It touches on numerous extreme and yet related themes that also have resonances with the Antal Szerb novel: love, sexuality, violence, nostalgia for the homeland, religion – and, of course, the moon.

of this year’s kamara.hu concerts, and at the same time inexhaustible topics whether about music, literature or theatre. All the more so if we supplement them with the words travel, longing, nostalgia and death, which most accurately connect the festival programmes to Journey by Moonlight, the novel by Antal Szerb. Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon once again take great interest in researching the connections between the fellow arts; the ideal vehicle for this investigation is the long-established discussion forum arranged in the café of the Liszt Academy. In 2019, the artistic directors invited Kossuth and Jászai Mari Prize laureate actor and director Pál Mácsai, director of the Örkény István Theatre, who is exceptionally familiar with other arts thanks to his painter father and musicologist brother. Kuss Quartet complement the chat about the novel, music and the theatre, playing an early Puccini string quartet, Crisantemi.

Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER, 17.00

CAFE KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT BETWEEN THE THREE OF US CONVERSATION ON THEATRE AND MUSIC Puccini: Crisantemi

Host: Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon Guest: Pál Mácsai Kuss Quartet: Jana Kuss, Oliver Wille (violin); William Coleman (viola); Mikayel Hakhnazaryan (cello) Memory, night, fantasia, wandering, moon, midnight – these are the titles

PÁL MÁCSAI

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Wolf : Um Mitternacht Wolf : Verborgenheit Wolf : Nimmersatte Liebe Dvořák: Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65

Artistic directors: Izabella Simon and Dénes Várjon Alasdair Beatson, Dénes Várjon, Izabella Simon (piano), András Keller (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras, Miklós Perényi, Ditta Rohmann (cello), Ib Hausmann (clarinet), Klára Kolonits (vocals) Midnight… The passing of something, but the beginning of something else. The darkest point of night, but the herald of dawn. A moment, a feeling that can perhaps best be associated with the special philosophy of death of Journey by Moonlight. Death appears in the Antal Szerb novel as a kind of relief, yet even so, the sense of liberation resulting from renouncing suicide concludes the plot. A new beginning – here or in the afterlife. It is not a simple topic, but the closing concert of kamara.hu attempts to provide musical equivalents to these sensitive issues. The answer of Schubert or of Brahms, who concludes his gloomy trio with the musical motto 'free, but happy'. Or even Hugo Wolf, who in his songs makes several references to night and solitude. The concert and the festival conclude with Dvořák, and that is why at the end of the trio written after the death of his mother, and as such wreathed in tragic overtones, he rises above his agonies, exalting himself and the memory of his loved ones.

SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/6 – MIDNIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY Schubert: Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor, D. 821 ('Arpeggione') Brahms: Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114

MONDAY 18 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL ENDRE HEGEDŰS PIANO RECITAL THE AGELESS CHOPIN

ENDRE HEGEDŰS

Fryderyk Chopin: Étude in E major, Op. 10/3 Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 10/4 Étude in F minor, Op. 25/2 Étude in C minor ('Revolutionary'), Op. 10/12 Polonaise No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Op. 44 Mazurka in C minor, Op. 30/1 Mazurka in B minor, Op. 30/2 Mazurka in D-flat major, Op. 30/3 Mazurka in C-sharp minor, Op. 30/4 Polonaise No. 6 in A-flat major, Op. 53 Waltz No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 18 Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38 Barcarolle, Op. 60 Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47 Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22

Endre Hegedűs (piano) Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500, 4 000 Presented by Stúdió Liszt Ltd.

TUESDAY 19 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL JAZZ IT! BILLE GERGŐ QUINTET & KORNÉL FEKETE-KOVÁCS COMPOSER'S EVENING Works by Gergő Bille and Kornél Fekete-Kovács

JEAN-GUIHEN QUEYRAS

Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Gergő Bille (trumpet, flugelhorn), Gábor Lukács (saxophone), Bence Bécsy (guitar), Marci Miskolczi (double bass), Ágoston Szabó Sipos (drums) Featuring: Kornél Fekete-Kovács (trumpet) 47

Martin Schmeding (organ) New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir (choirmaster: László Norbert Nemes)

BILLE GERGŐ QUINTET

Trumpet and flugelhorn player Gergő Bille formed his group in the Liszt Academy Jazz Department, since when they have won first prizes at the Jazz Showcase and Get Closer competitions. The quintet’s repertoire exclusively features their own compositions bearing influences of modern, American jazz as well as various trends in global music such as funk, hip-hop, Latin beats or drum ’n’ bass. All five musicians play an equal part in shaping their own sound; their music runs from mainstream jazz to elusive avantgarde. Their concert (a must-see for fans of modern jazz) is joined by guest artist Kornél Fekete-Kovács, leader of Modern Art Orchestra, legendary instrumentalist, composer and last but not least, brilliant trumpet player. Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Mors et vita, death and life – this is the motto of the concert by Martin Schmeding and New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir. Schmeding is one of Germany’s foremost organists, who has taught in several top-ranking music colleges in his homeland and received the award 'Teacher of the Year 2017’ out of more than 2000 nominees in 250 institutes. The artist, born in 1975, has put together his programme so that the works all revolve around the above topics, seeing one from the other’s perspective – this concept also fits the November period bookended by All Saints’ Day and Advent. The framework is given by requiem compositions, while the work of Zsigmond Szathmáry who is 80 this year, and the pieces, based on an Easter hymn by Charles Tournemire, who died 80 years ago, could be symbols of the eternal struggle between life and death. Max Reger’s monumental chorale fantasia is, according to the composer’s own description, a vision in the first part of which the midnight cemetery appears on the day before Judgement Day, while the finale announces the triumph of resurrection.

TUESDAY 19 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL ORGAN IN THE CENTRE MARTIN SCHMEDING & NEW LISZT FERENC CHAMBER CHOIR REQUIEM – DEATH AND LIFE

Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 – 6. Denn wir haben hier keine bleibende Statt (Robert Schaab's arrangement) Zsigmond Szathmáry: Mors et Vita Reger: Chorale Fantasia 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme', Op. 52/2 Tournemire: Choral-improvisation sur le Victimae paschali laudes (Maurice Duruflé's arrangement) Duruflé: Requiem, Op. 9

MARTIN SCHMEDING

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL SILENT STRINGS MAHAN ESFAHANI HARPSICHORD RECITAL

MAHAN ESFAHANI

Tallis: Felix namque Berio: Rounds Rameau: Les tendres plaintes Rameau: Le lardon – La boiteuse Rameau: L'entretien des Muses Rameau: Les cyclopes Cowell: Set of Four Srnka: Triggering J. S. Bach: Partita No. 3 in A minor, BWV 827

the mid-20th century onwards, the 'smuggling onto the concert podium' of period instruments, including the harpsichord, became a civil right, indeed, new works were written for the instrument earlier considered the imperfect predecessor of the piano. A Mahan Esfahani considers it his mission to have the harpsichord accepted as a solo instrument in ever wider circles. He is fulfilling this task as a performance artist in some of the world’s biggest concert halls, as presenter on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and as teacher at the Guildhall School of Music. The Iranian-American artist proves his commitment to both old and new music not only through this Budapest concert but through his recordings, too. Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DVOŘÁK RECITAL Antonín Dvořák: Carnival Overture, Op. 92 Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord) '...in its time, the clavecin was rarely smuggled onto the concert podium; this thin-sounding tool was a specialized chamber instrument, used solely in chambers, that is, in rooms. So, if somebody objects that through the expansion of the room into a hall the sound also increased proportionately, they must start their objection to disapprove the expansion of the space, through which they would declare that Rameau, Couperin, Scarlatti and Bach are not suitable for concert halls.' Much has changed since Béla Bartók’s 1912 article Performing works written for harpsichord: thanks to the expansion of historical performance practice from

Máté Balogh: Mrs. Trio Dvořák: Piano Trio No. 4 in e minor, Op. 90 ('Dumky')

Oszkár Varga (violin), Flóra Matuska (cello), Imre Dani (piano)

JOSEF ŠPAČEK

then perfected his technique under Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School of Music, and with Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute of Music. Péter Csaba, violinist and conductor born in Cluj-Napoca and long a resident of France, has for decades regularly conducted in Hungary, and has been chief conductor of MÁV Symphony Orchestra since 2012. Tickets: HUF 4 500, 5 000, 5 500 Presented by MÁV Symphony Orchestra

FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE TRIO Y HAYDN RELOADED

Josef Špaček (violin) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Péter Csaba Czech composer Antonín Dvořák has lost nothing of his popularity in the 115 years since his death. His hugely inventive, bright and powerful music is rooted in Czech folk music. All this is true of his violin concerto and although not as well known as the concerto for cello, it is still an excellent piece and shows off the attractions of the violin. The soloist of the concert is the Czech violinist Josef Špaček who although only in his thirties can already boast many international successes. He attended the Prague Conservatory and

Therese Jansen Bartolozzi was one of the most eminent pianists of her day. She lived in London, and this is where she met Haydn. Haydn wrote three sonatas and three piano trios for her: with these works, the composer bade farewell to two genres he particularly loved. A The concept behind the first part of the concert – two newly composed pieces paired with the penultimate trio of Haydn – was developed jointly by Péter Tornyai, Máté Balogh and the performers of the evening. The two new works are closely linked to Haydn: his Trio in E major is performed as though it was the middle section of a grandiose work more than 200 years in the making. After the break there is an evergreen of the trio repertoire: it is as though Dvořák had been thinking of Haydn’s trio since the choice of key for the first dumka (E minor – E major) is a mirror image of the keying of the Haydn composition (E major – E minor). Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL MVM CONCERTS JÁNOS BALÁZS & BÉLA SZAKCSI LAKATOS PIANO RECITAL THE IMPROVISATION János Balázs, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos (piano)

TRIO Y

Péter Tornyai: Piano Trio No. last-but-one Haydn: Piano Trio No. 44 in E major, Hob. XV:28

Two genres and two superb pianists on a single podium. But anyone expecting a duel will be disappointed. However, for those curious as to how classical music and jazz impact one another under the hands of these two fantastic 49

The gifted, 32-year-old Georgian pianist phenomenon Khatia Buniatishvili has been a regular guest of Concerto Budapest. This time she arrives to take the solo part in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The work, which without any exaggeration is dreaded by so many instrumentalists, was written between 1908-09 precisely for performers with the sort of explosive energy and unparalleled technique that she demonstrates. A A little nothing... nobody would dare say this about Buniatishvili’s undertaking, but could about the opening

Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000, 8 000, 10 000 Presented by Besszer Koncert

eight, where she was tutored by Nathasha Boyarsky. Currently she is studying in Germany with Krzysztof Węgrzyn at the Hannover University of Music. Despite her youth she has given numerous concerts in Europe and Asia, and prior to the Bartók World Competition she triumphed at the 2015 Postacchini Competition (Fermo, Italy) and Brahms Competition (Pörtschach, Austria). This time the French-Dutch violinist arrives in Budapest with a programme spanning the ages from the second half of the 17th century to the early 20th century: compositions by two 'Salzburgers', Biber and Mozart, plus Bartók’s fiendishly difficult Sonata No. 2 and Franck’s evergreen Sonata in A major. She is partnered with Russian Dina Ivanova, who won second prize at the Ricardo Viñes and Weimar International Liszt Piano Competition, and third prize at the Liszt competition in Utrecht.

SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER, 19.00

Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

number, because this is the title of the ornithological composition (1964) by Bernd Alois Zimmermann. The chamber orchestra work, in which a prominent role is given to moonlight, comprises seven short movements and closes with a boogie-woogie. Richard Strauss’ Divertimento similarly requires a chamber orchestra apparatus, it is made up of eight movements, each one of which utilizes motifs from François Couperin’s works for harpsichord.

BÉLA SZAKCSI LAKATOS

improvisational musicians, then they are in for a unique experience at the Liszt Academy.

SOLTI HALL TALENT OBLIGES COSIMA SOULEZ-LARIVIÈRE & DINA IVANOVA COMPETITION WINNERS CHAMBER RECITAL Biber: Mystery ('Rosary') Sonatas – 16. Passagalia ('The Guardian Angel') Bartók: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2, BB 85 Mozart: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 18 in G major, K. 301 Franck: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major

COSIMA SOULEZ-LARIVIÈRE, DINA IVANOVA

SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER, 19.30 SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER, 19.30

KHATIA BUNIATISHVILI

Concerto for Viola and a Changing Environment – ten years ago this was the title of the one-movement concerto by Gyula Csapó, created for the brilliant violist Rivka Golani. Csapó has since then reworked his Viola Concerto and this brand-new version will be performed under the baton of Gergely Dubóczky and by globally sought-after artist Gábor Homoki, who is a chamber musician with Hungarian Quartet.

Tickets: HUF 1 000 Presented by Concerto Budapest

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

GERGELY DUBÓCZKY

SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER, 11.00

TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER, 19.30

SOLTI HALL LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC FROM THE ARISTOCRATIC COURT TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS

GRAND HALL HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Tickets: HUF 2 400, 3 500, 4 300, 5 200, 6 400, 7 900 Presented by Concerto Budapest

Cosima Soulez-Larivière (violin), Dina Ivanova (piano)

GRAND HALL CONCERTO BUDAPEST

Cosima Soulez-Larivière debuted successfully in front of a Hungarian audience in September of 2017, walking off with first prize at the 1st Bartók World Competition and Festival. Born in Paris, she has studied music since the age of three. Her talent was spotted early on, she won a scholarship to the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK at

B. A. Zimmermann: Un petit rien R. Strauss: Divertimento after Keyboard Pieces by Couperin, Op. 86 Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

GRAND HALL CONCERTO BUDAPEST – PREMIER I.

Khatia Buniatishvili (piano) Concerto Budapest Symphonic Orchestra Conductor: András Keller

Gábor Homoki (viola) Concerto Budapest Conductor: Gergely Dubóczky

Camilla Hoitenga (flute) Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Su-Han Yang

SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER, 22.00

Gyula Csapó: Viola Concerto (premiere of the revised, 2019 version)

Kodály: Variations on a Hungarian Folksong 'Felszállott a páva' ('The Peacock ') Stravinsky: The Firebird – Suite Alex Nante: Flute Concerto (world premiere) R. Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Op. 28

Works by Charpentier, Feuillet, Händel and others

Simplicissimus Chamber Ensemble (artistic director: Zsombor Németh) Dance students of the Hungarian Dance Academy (coreographer: Rita Széll) Moderator: Dániel Mona

In 2018-19, young Taiwanese musician Su-Han Yang took part in the conductor mentoring programme run by the Péter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation. He graduated from the Hanns Eisler College, Berlin, and currently lives in the German capital. In 2015, he studied at the Riccardo Muti Opera Academy, and in 2017 he won the 10th International Grzegorz Fitelberg

Competition for Conductors. The programme of his Budapest concert is a true test of conductor aptitude and virtuosity because he is also conducting a flute concerto the composer of which, a 27-year-old Argentinian, he met at last year’s Eötvös Foundation programme. Alex Nante was born in Buenos Aires and is considered one of the most influential figures of his generation. He has lived in Paris since 2014 and completed his musicology studies there. His works have won several prizes, including the French Les Inouïes Gold Medal for Four Pieces for Flute and Piano (2015). Among his orchestral works, Fulgor (South Korea, 2010), Tres Sueños Lúcidosa (Argentina, 2013) and Île de Créations (France, 2015) each picked up first prizes.

CAMILLA HOITENGA

Tickets: HUF 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000 Presented by Hungarian Radio Art Groups

WEDNESDAY 27 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL KING'S SINGERS ROYAL BLOOD Henry VIII: Pastime with good company Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine – Civitas sancti tui Byrd: O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth, our Queen Britten: Choral Dances from the Gloriana Weelkes: As Vesta was from Latmos Hill descending Tomkins: When David heard Purcell: I was glad Bennett: The seasons of his mercies, Greensleeves (transcription by Bob Chilcott), Lamorna (transcription by Goff Richards), The Oak and The Ash (transcription by Gordon Langford), Bobby Shaftoe (transcription by Gordon Langford) 51

KING’S SINGERS

Patrick Dunachie (countertenor), Edward Button, Julian Gregory (tenor), Christopher Bruerton (baritone), Nicholas Ashby (bass-baritone), Jonathan Howard (bass) Royal Blood – this ambiguous title places the Tudor age and its colourful rulers at the centre of attention in the King’s Singers concert. For instance, the larger-than-life and mercurial Henry VIII, who besides his many other interests was also an accomplished composer. Then there is his (and of course Anne Boleyn’s) daughter, Elizabeth I, whose patronage of the arts and glorious reign were immortalized at the dawn of the next Elizabethan age by Benjamin Britten in his opera Gloriana in 1953. As well as Byrd and Tomkins works, a part of this opera is also performed at the concert. The King’s Singers (founded: 1968) made their first guest appearance here in 1978, since then they have visited Budapest regularly; the members of the ensemble may change, but the quality of their singing remains unchanged: unbelievably high.

GRAND HALL ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS

Purcell Choir Orfeo Orchestra (on period instruments) Conductor: György Vashegyi

J. S. Bach: Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 Dvořák: Serenade for Strings in E major, Op. 22 Piazzolla: The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

In spite of his short life, Purcell ranks as one of the greatest geniuses in music history, and St. Cecilia is considered the patron saint of music; in her honour, enthusiastic friends of the Musical Society of London organized annual celebrations on 22 November starting in 1683. Purcell composed several works for these festivities, the best-known being Hail, bright Cecilia. After the break there is a performance of the most famous English musical tragedy Dido and Aeneas, although it was created at a time when operas were far from tragic and true opera did not yet exist in England. In London during Purcell’s day, the semi-opera genre was most popular, in which the music was not closely tied to the plot (although it played an important role) and the main players were not singers but prose actors. Together with his immediate predecessor, John Blow’s Venus and Adonis, Dido is a remarkable gem of the opera tradition stretching from Monteverdi to Mozart.

Áron Dóczi (violin) Zugló Philharmonics

Tickets: HUF 2 900, 3 900, 4 900, 5 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL PURCELL CHOIR & ORFEO ORCHESTRA ‘PURCELL FEST’ 52

FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER, 19.30

Henry Purcell: Hail, bright Cecilia – Ode to St Cecilia Dido and Aeneas

ORFEO ORCHESTRA

Tickets: HUF 1 990, 2 990, 3 990, 4 990 Presented by Sysart Ltd., Orfeo Music Foundation

ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS

Tickets: HUF 2 500, 2 700, 3 100 Presented by Zugló Philharmonics

SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK Mozart: Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, K. 16 Roland Szentpáli: Trumpet Concerto Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10

Tamás Pálfalvi (trumpet) Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok Conductor: Gábor Káli Mozart set down his Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major when he was just eight years old. One can pick out influences of several composers, including Leopold Mozart and the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach. Roland Szentpáli’s trumpet concerto was commissioned by MR Symphonics in 2008. Shostakovich composed his Symphony No. 1 in F minor in 1925, at the age of 19, as his diploma work on completing the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

LAJOS KASSÁK: COVER OF A-DUR PORTFOLIO Tickets: HUF 3 000, 3 500, 4 000 Presented by Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok

PARITY

What is your opinion about the mixing of various music genres, particularly the mix of Hungarian folk music and jazz? Does this fusion help or rather hinder the promotion of the genre?

FERENC SEBŐ AND KRISTÓF BACSÓ FANTASY, EDUCATION, TASTE, MUSIC – THESE WERE THE TOPICS DISCUSSED WITH TWO OUTSTANDING HUNGARIAN MUSICIANS. GUITAR AND HURDY-GURDY PLAYER AND FOLKLORIST FERENC SEBŐ AND JAZZ SAXOPHONIST AND COMPOSER KRISTÓF BACSÓ ARE BOTH MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT GENERATIONS, MOVING IN VARIOUS MUSIC SCENES, YET BOTH DEEP-THINKERS, WHOSE OPINIONS OFTEN POINT IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

K. B. – Jazz has always been about mixing something with something. If it is not mixing Hungarian folk music, then it is mixing others. It’s unimaginable for it to not work this way, otherwise it becomes a static thing. When jazz and Hungarian folk music meet in one person, this is what happens, and it is beautiful. I like it a lot too. I think it promotes jazz, although I am not particularly eager to use these labels. It is easy to categorize things, but when someone goes to, e.g. a Dresch Quartet concert, he does not go to a folk-jazz concert, but to a Dresch Quartet concert. Let’s speak more about music and not genres.

Could there be musical talent without imagination? In other words can musical consciousness, knowledge of musical tradition and technique substitute a lack of fantasy and inspiration? F. S. – Of course not! Just because somebody learns English, it does not mean he can become Shakespeare. However, there is no Shakespeare who could express himself without knowing the language. K. B. – Knowledge of traditions and the technique are means to formulate our fantasy. A kind of abstract thinking, an inner creative world is definitely needed to learn music. All children have this; I see it in my own kids too. The problem is rather with education. With time, these freely and creatively flowing thoughts are slowly being ruined by the school or school system, and the compulsion to conform to various things replaces them. Certainly, we get better results if children are left with the education of the ancient creative self, and that is being developed.

KRISTÓF BACSÓ

Do you draw inspiration from other types of music, particularly jazz and folk music?

Ferenc Sebő has been teaching at the Folk Music Department since 2007 and Kristóf Bacsó at the Jazz Department since 2012. In your opinion how permissible is it for a student to let their imagination free and look for new roads or is it better to bridle their fantasy and stick to an established practice?

A KIND OF ABSTRACT THINKING, AN INNER CREATIVE WORLD IS DEFINITELY NEEDED TO LEARN MUSIC. (KRISTÓF BACSÓ)

F. S. – I want to respond with the language comparison again. If I subscribe to a language course my task is not to let my imagination free but to quickly learn what is taught there. It is wrong to think that 'art' can be taught. We should not even try. Van Gogh or Wagner were not whom they became because they were excellent art students of an 'artistic education'. One can and should teach ground knowledge, language, writing and reading. There is no use in promising a student that with hard work he can become an artist. Buddha was quite remarkable, yet he went to all schools of his age, followed all 'established methods' – with exceptional results – and only after this did he let his imagination free and established the system of his teaching. So, it is better to handle everything in its place. Learning is one process, and creating another. It is self-deception if we are trying to rationalize work with 'searching new ways'. K. B. – To me, the obvious is that someone comes to the classes already having some creative idea about things. I can only speak for the Jazz Department, education at other departments is perhaps more about traditions, but I think these are inseparable like yin and yang. I am also sure that even a church musician needs some kind of improvisation and composition, as it helps them understand the musical language and tradition he plays. We mostly do creative tasks at the Jazz Department, but knowing the traditions is also very important, which is why we do stylistic exercises so that students can go under the skin of certain musicians for few minutes.

F. S. – A good composer can afford anything; there are no specific recipes for this. Unfortunately. How simple it would be! If we want to enter with a lesser known language, it would be a cheap solution to mix our production with already known templates, only so that it is accepted sooner. In music, you only combine various elements when they organically relate to each other both in terms of structure and function. Anyways, fame is only a short-term remedy that quickly falls in abeyance.

F. S. – Many types of music settle in our heads over time. This comes more from our education rather than from the absolute value of each genre. However, it is evident that one does not operate with a randomly picked language as if going by a recipe but looks for a mode of expression matching his message based on knowledge and associations mixing in his head. I do not know the complicated and expanded world of jazz enough not to step on the most basic clichés just because they are already known. K. B. – You can find such elements in several compositions of mine, but you have to know that I was not been raised around folk music; therefore, it would be false for me to take certain things from folk music. However, I very much love particularly the already adapted folk music works. On my Circular album, I have a song called Variations on a Folksong, and you can hear these influences on my recent albums too.

'IT IS WRONG TO THINK THAT »ART« CAN BE TAUGHT. WE SHOULD NOT EVEN TRY. VAN GOGH OR WAGNER WERE NOT WHOM THEY BECAME BECAUSE THEY WERE EXCELLENT ART STUDENTS OF AN »ARTISTIC EDUCATION«.' (FERENC SEBŐ)

Bartók once said in an interview that he does not find the introduction of jazz necessary to Hungary, as jazz is also a folk music, the folk music of Afro- Americans, and we also 'have beautiful folk music, it is unnecessary to throw ourselves in the arms of jazz.' Despite this, many great jazz compositions inspired by folk music or Bartók are born worldwide. What is your opinion on this? K. B. – Jazz meant something else in those times. Jazz became a more abstract genre after the birth of bebop, around 1945, until then it functioned as rather entertaining music. I understand the question, but I feel it is not relevant any more than Bartók and we are not speaking of the same jazz. 55

THE FACT THAT TODAY ANY MUSIC AND INFORMATION IS JUST A CLICK AWAY HAS CREATED A SITUATION WHERE ALSO MUSICIANS CAN ACCESS EVERYTHING QUICKLY; THUS, THEY GET TO LEVELS THAT EARLIER WERE HARDER TO REACH AS WELL. (KRISTÓF BACSÓ)

F. S. – I agree with Bartók, although he didn’t even know how many young people would throw themselves into the arms of 'native music'. I also don’t mind if we are rummaging in century-old European roots. Maybe one day even this genre will achieve the same marketing attention jazz has – although as a result of much effort. I know that there are many more people, who speak English in the world, yet I do not think Hungarian should be stopped. However, Hungarian should also not be sung as if it was English, like we used to do when we were young, and it was the trend, but only to sell ourselves. To whom? I think one should properly learn Hungarian and English as well.

Today’s pop music mostly lacks musical fantasy, absorption, and fastidiousness without which no good music can exist, whether we are talking about classical music, jazz or folk music. What is your opinion about today’s pop music, and the general level of musical taste and education? K. B. – What is pop music? If pop music is what we hear on the radio, then my opinion is very low. Unfortunately, I listen to some radio while driving. We always fight with my kids as to which we should listen to. My problem is that almost every song is the same. They sound the same, the same song is twisted and changed, but I cannot distinguish which one is which. It relates to the same masscult that is not only present in music, but also fashion, or even fast food culture. This phenomenon is also present in other areas of life. However, if one searches, one can find exciting pop music too, therefore we cannot state that none exists, although whatever serves the masscult will never broadcast it.

I turn now to Ferenc Sebő: You managed to launch the dance house movement in the Seventies despite a lot of hardship, effort, and a significant opposition, as many challenged the modernity of folk music and the raison d’être of the revival of folk traditions. Dance houses have been operating for almost fifty years now, but what do you think, would such a movement be successful in today’s circumstances?

S. F. – I am not too keen on mixing stage production problems with those of everyday music, as different rules apply to both. In my view, the so-called 'folk music' in reality is historic pop – the past of everyday music. However, it was the people and their communities that shaped it, matching their own needs over the generations, and since so many people participated in this process, for such long periods, that only the most 'valuable' could survive; that which worked for most people. The comparison of today’s industry-made, audience-manipulating mass products driven by the financial world and beyond, becoming obsolete in minutes with this language is both false and unfair. I think we should refrain from sparing the work so that we can have our multi-branched inherited communication (speech-music-dance) become 'humane' again just as earlier, and we should not allow the big industry to talk us out of our personal messages, our soaring fantasies and of expressing our unique personalities in a unique language. What if we turn things around – let them learn something at last!

F. S. – The many hardships were precisely the result of us being continuously targeted from the bastion of the well-known clichés ('sad music', operetta, chanson, Hungarian song, jazz, hit music... I could go on and on…). And the effort didn’t go into 'marketing' and convincing others, but into us. We liked this world of music, so unknown then, yet belonging so strongly to us that we had the 'crazy' idea that we should learn it. The fact that so many followed us can only be explained by the bewitching character of the material. Even for us, it only became clear later what a fantastic self-expressing opportunity it was, and gave us self-healing for today’s abandoned 'buyers'. Is this not modern? Then what is? I am now asking Kristóf Bacsó: jazz in Hungary became an accepted genre around the mid-sixties. You were not yet alive, but you must have learnt about the first two-three decades of Hungarian jazz from your colleagues. What do you think, are jazz musicians in a better position today than in the Seventies? K. B. – From a certain perspective, it is easier, from others it is harder. The fact that today any music and information is one click away has created a situation where also musicians can access everything quickly; thus, they get to levels that earlier were harder to reach as well. On the other side live music from the Sixties-Seventies had perhaps a better reputation, as there wasn’t music everywhere. We are talking about the tape-recorder, radio age: it was also a sort of event when one turned on the machine itself, and even that was more than a mere click. It had some kind of a ritual, not to mention the ritual a concert had. It is harder to find opportunities in today’s world overflooded with music. There are many more musicians, more competitions, and even the international flow is more significant. There are many more cultural programs a day than in those times. FERENC SEBŐ 56

György Szentgallay

'IN MY VIEW, THE SO-CALLED »FOLK MUSIC« IN REALITY IS HISTORIC POP — THE PAST OF EVERYDAY MUSIC. HOWEVER, IT WAS THE PEOPLE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES THAT SHAPED IT, MATCHING THEIR OWN NEEDS OVER THE GENERATIONS, AND SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROCESS, FOR SUCH LONG PERIODS, THAT ONLY THE MOST »VALUABLE« COULD SURVIVE; THAT WHICH WORKED FOR MOST PEOPLE.' (FERENC SEBŐ)

Start your night out with us! If you are a student at any school, you can get into our concerts for just HUF 500. Show us a valid student ID card and purchase a student ticket for HUF 500 one hour before the concert for vacant seats and standing places in the 2nd floor student gallery of the Grand Hall. Only one student ticket can be purchased per student ID card for each performance.

CONCERT CHRONOLOGY DECEMBER Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted Concert Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior University SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL THE MAGIC FLUTE

itself, its marvellous Art Nouveau palace designed by Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, should be centre stage and the backdrop to the performance. What else would be qualified to bring into harmony the opposites of darkness and light, sense and emotion, Sarastro and the Queen of the Night if not music? The production was such a success that it featured on the programme of the Academy until 2015. Now, after a gap of four years, it is back again, building on former and current students of the singing department now headed by Andrea Meláth, as well as rising stars of Hungarian opera. Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

Mozart: The Magic Flute, K. 620

Director: András Almási-Tóth Opera Students of the Liszt Academy (head of department: Andrea Meláth) The Queen of the Night: Yvette Mondok Sarastro: Géza Gábor New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir (choirmaster: László Norbert Nemes) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Ádám Medveczky

PERFORMING THE MAGIC FLUTE

Music Theory Department take part in the training, arming the youthful musicians with practical and theoretical knowledge. The conductor for the evening is Péter Kováts, violinist holding the Bartók–Pásztory Prize, conductor, and teacher at the Liszt Academy Chamber Music Department.

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL LISZT ACADEMY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA/1 CONCERT BY 1ST & 2ND YEAR BACHELOR STUDENTS Mozart: Divertimento in D major, K. 136 Elgar: Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20 Bizet: Petite Suite (arrangements of Jeux d'enfants for orchestra) Weiner: Divertimento No. 1, Op. 20

Chamber Orchestra formed by 1st and 2nd year Bachelor Students of the Liszt Academy Conductor: Péter Kováts The Liszt Academy functions as both university and concert centre, and these two profiles mutually reinforce each other: students can take part in study projects that end up being enjoyed by the general public. The institution prepares students not only for a soloist career but for orchestral work too, so a key role goes to symphony and chamber orchestra projects. Students pursue string orchestra courses; this is their concert. Professors of both the Chamber Music Department and

Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL ORGAN IN THE CENTRE ANDRÁS GÁBOR VIRÁGH & MÁRTON LEVENTE HORVÁTH LISZT ACADEMY'S ORGAN THEN AND NOW Liszt: Prelude and Fugue for the B-A-C-H Theme Koessler: Suite for Violin and Organ – 1. Pastorale, 2. Elegie, 5. Fuge Koessler: Allerseelen – Elegie for Oboe and Organ Horváth Márton Levente: Libera nos a malo Kodály: Csendes mise (Low Mass) – Introitus, Kyrie, Gloria Koessler: Mass in F minor András Gábor Virágh: Organ Sonata

Márton Levente Horváth, András Gábor Virágh (organ) Featuring: Ádám Banda (violin), Nóra Salvi (oboe) Béla Bartók Chamber Choir Szolnok (artistic director: Éva Molnár) The name János Koessler most frequently crops up in books covering the 59

history of Hungarian music in the 20th century as the teacher of composition at the Liszt Academy for both Bartók and Kodály. It is less well known that he played an important role in the life of the institution, his work as a teacher of organ playing was significant and he himself composed. The two young composer-organist teachers at the Liszt Academy of Music pay tribute to him, playing his mass for women’s choir and organ that shows his mastery of sense of proportion, as well as his chamber music pieces. The atmosphere of the Liszt Academy in the 1900s fills the space again under the gilded laurel leaves, reviving the past of Hungarian organ music and the recently restored Voit organ of the Grand Hall, as well as showing the present of this important instrument. Márton Levente Horváth and András Gábor Virágh are partnered with two excellent instrumental soloists as well as the Szolnok Bartók Béla Chamber Choir commemorating their 50th anniversary.

ANDRÁS GÁBOR VIRÁGH, MÁRTON LEVENTE HORVÁTH

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC BORI FEKETE Borbála Fekete, Borbála Sasvári, Júlia Viszkeleti, Sára Bolyki (vocals), Balázs Vizeli (violin), Antal 'Puma' Fekete, Márton 'Kispuma' Fekete (viola), Péter Molnár (double bass), Mátyás Bolya (zither, cobza, lute), Balázs Szokolay Dongó (recorders, bagpipe), Kálmán Balogh (cimbalom), Balázs Jakabffy 60

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER, 19.00

THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SOLTI HALL LISZT ACADEMY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA/2 CONCERT BY 2ND AND 3RD YEAR BACHELOR STUDENTS

Ravel: Ma mère l'oye Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78

Gábor Farkas (piano) MÁV Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Charles Dutoit

BORI FEKETE

(drums), Gergely Okos (gardon), Dávid Eredics (kaval, clarinet), Attila Buzás (saz, tamburas) Bori Fekete certainly figures as one of the most gifted members of her young folk singer generation. Her deep toned, supple and unique sound enables her to explore the various music genres in an authentic and daring way. The finest pieces of her broad musical interests are featured on her first solo album. She confidently guides her listeners from song to song, from Transylvania to Bulgaria. She has this to say about her songs: 'I got the voice from life. It is my task to look after it, to nurture and develop it, and to use it for the pleasure of others. To play with it, to try and try again. Melodies speak to me as I travel the world. At times like this, the ability that was gifted to me moves within me, spurring me on to new paths... and I listen. I have been accompanied on my journey by marvellous musicians. I’ve been 'bitten' by the songs of Erzébet Kádár of Magyarszovát, and bewitched by snatches of melody filtering out of a Turkish restaurant. Rustic string sounds stop me in my tracks, lute music lifts me up. Bulgarian rhythms clatter, pipes shrill from the past. They call to me and I pass on my folk songs.' Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

One of the sensations of the 2019 Master Season Ticket series of MÁV Symphony Orchestra was the guest appearance of Charles Dutoit, a genuine, world-famous star conductor and former music director of several top international orchestras. Two French 'core works' feature on the programme: Ravel’s gloriously beautiful fairy tale music, and the famous organ symphony by Saint-Saëns, during which the audience can revel in the sound of the recently reconstructed, magnificent organ of the Liszt Academy. Dutoit really loves Mozart, but not in the usual way: he showcases not the Rococo fragile delicacy but the drama lying deep within the music. From this aspect, the choice of the Piano Concerto in D minor, written around the same time as, and similar in spirit to, the opera Don Giovanni, is perfect.

J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in E minor, RV 484 Corelli: Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op. 6/8 ('Christmas Concerto')

GERGELY MÉNESI

Péter Hartenstein (bassoon) Chamber Orchestra formed by 2nd and 3rd year Bachelor Students of the Liszt Academy, Conductor: Gergely Ménesi The Liszt Academy functions as both university and concert centre, and these two profiles mutually reinforce each other: students can take part in study projects that end up being enjoyed by the general public. The institution prepares students not only for a soloist career but orchestral work, too, so a key role goes to orchestra projects. This recital presents the chamber ensemble made up of second and third-year bachelor students. The conductor is Lajtha Prize laureate Gergely Ménesi, leader of the orchestra since 2013. Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

CHARLES DUTOIT

Tickets: HUF 4 500, 5 000, 5 500 Presented by MÁV Symphony Orchestra

THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA TCHAIKOVSKY

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71

Danubia Orchestra Óbuda Conductor: Péter Halász Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 200, 3 800, 4 700 Presented by Danubia Orchestra Óbuda

FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL SILENT STRINGS SEAN SHIBE GUITAR RECITAL SOFTLOUD Oswald: Divertimento No. 1 (transcription by Sean Shibe for guitar) Lute pieces from the Balcarres, the Straloch and the Rowallan manuscripts (transcription by Sean Shibe for guitar) James MacMillan: From Galloway (transcription by Sean Shibe for guitar) James MacMillan: Since It Was the Day of Preparation – Motet I (transcription by Sean Shibe for guitar) Maxwell Davies: Farewell to Stromness (transcription by Sean Shibe for guitar) Steve Reich: Electric Counterpoint Julia Wolfe: LAD (transcription by Sean Shibe for electric guitar) David Lang: killer (transcription by Sean Shibe for electric guitar)

Sean Shibe (guitar) A resident of Scotland, and of English and Japanese ancestry, Sean Shibe can be described, without exaggeration, as a young titan. Indeed, the word genius applies, since international critics have written about him as follows: 'Genius, a term which should rarely be applied to performing musicians, but at 25 he has it.' Shibe was the youngest student in the history of the then Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, since completing his studies he has taken part in the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists programme, he has been soloist with several top-flight orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and he has received

SEAN SHIBE

invitations to the music festivals of Brighton, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh Fringe and Marlboro. His first solo album (released in 2017) won the acclaim of the public and critics primarily for its clean playing, miraculous changes of colour and timbre. Perhaps the most unusual and personal pieces in his Liszt Academy programme comprising rarities (and also the material for his latest disc) are the lute scores which he himself selected from collections of provincial Scottish noblemen’s courts and arranged for his own performance. Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA FAUNS AND GHOSTS 61

Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 63

Louis Schwizgebel (piano) Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Mischa Damev Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 000, 4 500, 5 500 Presented by Hungarian National Philharmonic

in modern jazz. Their joint concert offers the public an unrivalled musical encounter. In addition to compositions specifically written for this evening, the Santa Diver Trio present material released throughout the course of their career as well as pieces from their next CD yet to be recorded in the studio. Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL BALÁZS FÜLEI PIANO RECITAL CHRISTMAS WITH FERENC LISZT

SANTA DIVER TRIO, CHRIS POTTER

SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL JAZZ ITT! SANTA DIVER TRIO & CHRIS POTTER Santa Diver Trio: Luca Kézdy (violin), Dávid Szesztay (bass guitar), Dávid Szegő (drums) Chris Potter (saxophone) Popular Hungarian jazz violinist and classically-trained artist Luca Kézdy performs the programme written and orchestrated specially for this Liszt Academy recital together with her own trio and world-famous saxophonist Chris Potter. Santa Diver are now in their 13th year. The music of this unconventional line-up (violin-bassguitar-drums, this time joined by saxophone) sits at the crossroads of jazz, world music and free music. Their sound derives from the personalities of the individual musicians: virtuoso, inimitable violin play, colourful bass riffs and energetic, innovative drumming. Their guest, Chris Potter, is considered by the profession and the public as being among the greatests 62

Franz Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses – 2. Ave Maria Album d'un voyageur – 6. Psaume (de l 'église à Genève) Ave Maria (für die große Klavierschule nach Lebert und Stark) Harmonies poétiques et religieuses – 5. Pater Noster, 3. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude Weihnachtsbaum

Balázs Fülei (piano)

BALÁZS FÜLEI

In preparation for the year’s biggest holiday, Balázs Fülei has brought together rarely performed sacred works for piano by Liszt for this solo recital. The composer gave himself over to contemplation and deep devoutness after his youthful virtuoso years, and this went hand-in-hand with a transformation in the style of his creative art. The ten-movement cycle Harmonies poétiques et religieuses is the series of

his most profound piano works, which places his virtuosity exclusively into the service of the power of expression. Knowing these two creative periods, it is perhaps difficult to imagine that the elderly Liszt also turned his hand to writing charming Christmas music, but this is precisely what one child induced him to do. Liszt spent autumn 1875 in Rome with his granddaughter, Daniela von Bülow: he wrote the ten-movement Christmas Tree for her, after which it sank into obscurity until Balázs Fülei made it a standard in his festive repertoire.

other words, he had everything needed, including genius, to make himself a name in music history. Among his chamber works, the Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor is considered remarkable, and his final quartet, the eerie String Quartet in F minor very unusual. Furthermore, he did not ignore song, a genre raised to great heights since Schubert, although Mendelssohn reached back to the northern German tradition instead of the Schubertian path, in which the piano is a restrained accompanist to the poem. Works are played by Chamber Circle, a formation of current and former students of the Liszt Academy.

Tickets: HUF 1 900, 2 900, 3 900, 4 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL TALENT OBLIGES CHAMBER CIRCLE MENDELSSOHN RECITAL Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Sechs Lieder, Op. 71 Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 Sechs Gesänge, Op. 99 – 2. Die Sterne Schau’n Six Songs, Op. 86 – 5. Der Mond Drei Gesänge, Op. 84 – 2. Herbstlied Sechs Gesänge, Op. 34 – 6. Reiselied String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80

Eszter Balogh (mezzo-soprano), Oszkár Varga, Eszter Osztrosits (violin), András Kurgyis (viola), Flóra Matuska (cello), Róza Radnóti (piano) Felix Mendelssohn could not complain about his childhood. At seven he took piano lessons from Marie Bigot (whose piano technique was remarked on by Haydn and Beethoven), he played chamber music with Pierre Baillot, later concertmaster of the Paris Opera, in his early teens he composed piano, chamber and church choral works. At the age of 12 a private orchestra gave a recital of his first Singspiel, and by 16 his first chamber work was ready. In

CHAMBER CIRCLE

Sándor Szokolay’s album Hungarian Christmas was released by Hungaroton in the early 1980s and went gold when it sold over 100,000 copies. The easily accessible and classical arrangements of Hungarian Christmas songs and nativity plays contributed enormously to the popularity of the record. Szokolay’s hallmark instrumentalization is mixed with pure devotion and lively humour. The Szokolay oeuvre features a good number of compositions linked to the Christmas season. Indeed, among his earliest works is Christmas Children’s Miniatures. Throughout his life he kept returning to the subjects of Advent and the Christmas mystery. He presented his children with a new composition virtually every Christmas. Continuing the tradition in the spirit of Szokolay, during the first half of the concert prize-winning works of the Szokolay InspirArt – SZIA 2019 Composition Competition are performed by young artists as well as students of the Bartók Conservatoire.

Tickets: HUF 2 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER, 19.00

GRAND HALL WORKS BY SÁNDOR SZOKOLAY PERFORMED BY PRO MUSICA GIRLS' CHOIR HUNGARIAN CHRISTMAS Winners of Szokolay InspirArt – SZIA 2019 Composition Competition Szokolay: Hungarian Christmas – Hungarian Christmas carols Szokolay: Mohácsi Betlehemes – Folk Song Cantata for Women's Choir and Orchestra

Pro Musica Girls' Choir (choirmaster: Dénes Szabó) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra Students of Bartók Conservatoire Conductor: Mátyás Antal Moderator: Szilvia Becze

PRO MUSICA GIRLS' CHOIR

Tickets: HUF 500, 1 000, 1 500, 2 000 Presented by Legend Art Ltd.

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Robert Schumann: Manfred, Op. 115 – Overture Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23 Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 38 ('Spring')

VILMOS OLÁH

Vilmos Oláh (violin) Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Tamás Vásáry Schumann was one of the most enigmatic composers of the 19th century, and it would appear that nothing of this mystery has diminished in the century and a half since his death. Perhaps the secret of Schumann’s music lies precisely in this, and perhaps the inscrutability of the innermost core of his works goes to explain why, of all his contemporaries, he inspires composition of our day and, naturally, many dedicated performers, to the greatest degree. There is something inexhaustible, some elusive internal motional drive in the music of Schumann, and in its poetic mystery something irresistible. In his new series, Tamás Vásáry sets out to crack these codes. A There is a performance of Schumann’s violin concerto (solo by Vilmos Oláh), about which both Clara, the composer’s wife, and the brilliantly talented violinist Joseph Joachim thought it best not to perform publicly because, they believed, it would not show the artist in a good light. It was almost lost but happily, 80 years after the death of Schumann, it was finally presented. Tickets: HUF 3 000, 4 500, 6 000, 7 000 Presented by Hungarian Radio Art Groups 63

THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER, 19.30

Sarastro: Géza Gábor New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir (choirmaster: László Norbert Nemes) Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Ádám Medveczky

GRAND HALL MARTHA ARGERICH, GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY & FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Mozart: Symphony No. 32 in G major, K. 318 Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15

Martha Argerich (piano) Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra (artistic director: Péter Tfirst) Conductor: Gábor Takács-Nagy The collaboration between the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and these two great artists goes back several years. Most recently, they gave a series of performances in the most distinguished concert halls of Europe, in 2017 and 2018. This year the wish of the orchestra has been met in that their tour includes a stop in Budapest.

MARTHA ARGERICH

Tickets: HUF 3 200, 5 000, 6 400, 9 000, 15 000 Presented by Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

ARDITTI QUARTET

Since their first concert in September 1974 with Penderecki’s String Qartet No. 2, based on the instructions given on the spot by the composer who arrived to receive his honorary degree, Arditti Quartet plays a vital role in contemporary music. Their current lineup – unchanged since the 90s – established the sound that has become their trade mark, being based on collaboration with the composers, with the aim of supporting and emphasising their purposes. As a result of this, they have received works written especially for the ensemble by most of the contemporary composers, often having the scores and the premiering licence delivered together. But on this occasion they bring a program to Budapest that can be considered 'early music' by their standards, as Bartók and Berg are now time-honoured classics. Among these two’s century-old works, the ensemble performs Ligeti’s half-a-century-old String Quartet No. 2.

Since the reconstruction of the Liszt Academy, the Solti Chamber Hall has once again started functioning as an opera stage. The first production organized after the reopening in 2013 was a performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute under the artistic direction of Éva Marton. The production was directed by András Almási-Tóth, teacher of stage technique in the Department of Vocal Studies. The speciality of his vision was that the Liszt Academy itself, its marvellous Art Nouveau palace designed by Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, should be centre stage and the backdrop to the performance. What else would be qualified to bring into harmony the opposites of darkness and light, sense and emotion, Sarastro and the Queen of the Night if not music? The production was such a success that it featured on the programme of the Academy until 2015. Now, after a gap of four years, it is back again, building on former and current students of the singing department now headed by Andrea Meláth, as well as rising stars of Hungarian opera.

Tickets: HUF 1 200, 1 700, 2 800, 3 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL FOUR BY FOUR ARDITTI QUARTET Bartók: String Quartet No. 3, BB 93 Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2 Berg: Lyric Suite

Arditti Quartet: Irvine Arditti, Ashot Sarkissjan (violin), Ralf Ehlers (viola), Lucas Fels (cello) 64

PERFORMING THE MAGIC FLUTE

SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL THE MAGIC FLUTE Mozart: The Magic Flute, K. 620

Director: András Almási-Tóth Opera Students of the Liszt Academy (head of department: Andrea Meláth) The Queen of the Night: Yvette Mondok

Tickets: HUF 3 500, 4 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE KRISTÓF BARÁTI & ANIMA MUSICAE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Beethoven: Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G major, Op. 40 Beethoven: Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major, Op. 50 Bartók: Divertimento, BB 118 Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

Kristóf Baráti (violin) Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra Conductor: Kristóf Baráti

SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER, 11.00

SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER, 16.00

SOLTI HALL LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC – FROM THE TABLAO TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS

GRAND HALL HUNGARIAN RADIO CHILDREN'S CHOIR 65TH JUBILEE CONCERT

Works by Albéniz, de Falla, Rodrigo, Tárrega, Debussy and Ravel

Musiciens Libres (artistic director: Miklós Környei) Júlia Karosi (vocals) Dance: Zsófia Pirók Moderator: Dániel Mona

KRISTÓF BARÁTI

Two leading lights of Hungarian music life, Kossuth and Liszt Prize laureate Kristóf Baráti, and Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra, winner of numerous competitions and holder of the National Youth Orchestra title, have made several joint stage appearances. Beethoven’s violin romances, as solo instrumental pieces with orchestral accompaniment, fit the concerto works; however, their lyrical, calm tones and sweeping melodies provide a far lighter musical experience. After these, the string orchestral work of Bartók, a composition that has become emblematic, and in which the orchestra step beyond their role as accompanist, offers a major contrast. This continues in the second half of the concert, in which the orchestra perform Symphony No. 4 by Brahms, the sombre and grandiose, most masterful of his works paying tribute to Baroque traditions. Tickets: HUF 4 900, 5 900, 6 900, 7 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

What is music good for? The proper question should rather be, what is it not good fo? We sing when happy, serenade when in love, listen to moving music when in sorrow, or join a concert when in need of replenishment. And then there’s dance! There is no dance without music, and the history of music would be poorer without dance. The autumn 2019 programme of Liszt Kidz Academy, the Liszt Academy series for young people, examines the connection between music and dance. Matinees complete with musicians and dancers reveal how dance music was transformed into classical music. The fiery ambience of Spanish flamenco bars is conjured up in this closing matinée. However, it is not only these places that are called tablao, but the very floorboards on which the shoes of dancers clack with such virtuosity. One thing’s guaranteed: nobody will remain seated in the Musiciens Libres and Júlia Karosi finale.

Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

SOMA DINYÉS

Hungarian Radio Children's Choir Kantilena Children's Choir Conductor: Jakub Klecker, Soma Dinyés and Katalin Körber Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 800, 3 400, 4 000 Presented by Hungarian Radio Art Groups

SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS PÉTER NAGY PIANO RECITAL Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte – excerpts Schumann: Humoreske in B-flat major, Op. 20 Schumann: Gesänge der Frühe, Op. 133

Péter Nagy (piano) Péter Nagy’s name came into professional notice 40 years ago, when he won the piano competition of the Hungarian Radio. Next year he received the first prize from the Bordeaux Festival of Young Soloists. Since then, he has been launched into the circulation of national and international concerts, and has performed in collaboration with artists such as Leonidas Kavakos, Kim Kashkashian or Ruggiero Ricci. Nagy has recorded several albums, won the Liszt Prize and has been teaching at the Academy of Music since 1987. His recital within the frames of series Black and White Colours evokes the world of 19th century music. 65

The lyricism of the wellknown series by Mendelssohn is complemented by the unique and extraordinary sound of Schumann’s Songs of Dawn. The frisky and colorful Humoreske by Schumann is in its proper place between the two series of songs for piano.

PÉTER NAGY

him we honour a formative figure of Hungarian music, national culture and, indeed, the university itself. This year, on the evening of the 137th anniversary of his birth, piano works, songs and choral pieces burnish still further the already vivid memory of Kodály. The concert programme includes two brand-new works from two young composers with close ties to the Liszt Academy: Dániel Dobos, who triumphed at last year’s Bartók World Competition composer round, and Jonatán Zámbó who has a long run of successes at other competitions. Tickets: HUF 1 900 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

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

MONDAY 16 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL KODÁLY 137 Kodály: Seven Piano Pieces, Op. 11– 6. Székely nóta (Székely Tune) Kodály: Four Songs – 2. Nausikaa Kodály: Hungarian Folk Music – 8. A rossz feleség (The heartless wife) Kodály: Dances of Marosszék Kodály: Kádár Kata (Mother, Listen) Kodály: Seven Piano Pieces, Op. 11 – 2. Székely keserves (Székely Lament) Kodály-Pál Gyulai: Este (Evening) Jonatán Zámbó: De Profundis Kodály: Új esztendőt köszöntő (A Christmas Carol) Dániel Dobos: [New composition] Kodály: Semmit ne bánkódjál (Cease your Bitter Weeping) Kodály: Esti dal (Evening Song)

Bernadett Fodor, Szilvia Rálik (vocals), Gergely Kovács (piano) Alma Mater Choir Conductor: Csaba Somos Naturally enough, the birthday of Zoltán Kodály is cause for celebration in the Liszt Academy even when it is not a milestone anniversary, since in 66

ZOLTÁN KODÁLY

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL PÉTER EÖTVÖS 75 CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE OF THE LISZT ACADEMY Péter Eötvös: Psy Joyce Dodici per sei Lectures différentes (excerpts) Octet Cadenza Kosmos Dances of the Brush-footed Butterfly Lisztománia

Featuring: students of the Liszt Academy Péter Eötvös, one of the world’s most recognized musicians, has a stupendously rich oeuvre as both composer and conductor. His pieces for grand

PÉTER EÖTVÖS

orchestra constantly feature on the programmes of concert halls around the world, and in 2019 they are joined by five of his operas. However, over the past few decades, in addition to creative work and giving concerts, teaching has also become increasingly important for him. He founded the International Eötvös Institute, and then the Péter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation, to support – with scholarships and courses – the early careers of young composers and conductors. The chamber formation, made up of students of the Liszt Academy, are using this concert as a way of greeting Péter Eötvös on his 75th birthday.

a disciplined composer of applied music. The concert programme, in which one of the most popular pieces of the 19th century concerto repertoire is positioned alongside excerpts from the Russian’s ballet music, delineates this well-known yet still somewhat surprising artistic duality. Soloist of the Violin Concerto in D major (1878) is German artist Antje Weithaas, blessed with technical mastery and exceptional musical intelligence coupled with a high degree of modesty, who in 2017 performed the Beethoven violin concerto with András Keller and Concerto Budapest at a hugely memorable concert in the Liszt Academy. Before and after the concerto, the audience hears movements of ballet music – composed according to categorical expectations, pre-defined rhythms and characters – from the oeuvre of Tchaikovsky who, although being involved in just three ballets, created perfection on all three occasions. And in the run-up to Christmas, what better way to close the programme than with a Nutcracker compilation, for many the essence of the season.

Tickets: Free tickets for the concert can be obtained from the Liszt Academy box office one month before the concert. Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Sponsor: National Cultural Fund

THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER, 19.30 FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL CONCERTO BUDAPEST Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20 – excerpts Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 The Nutcracker, Op. 71 – excerpts

Antje Weithaas (violin) Concerto Budapest Conductor: András Keller Tchaikovsky was a sensitive Romantic genius, and at the same time

ANTJE WEITHAAS

Tickets: HUF 2 600, 3 800, 5 000, 6 200, 7 500, 8 900 Presented by Concerto Budapest

SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER, 19.00

SOLTI HALL CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE MÁRTA ÁBRAHÁM & BALÁZS SZOKOLAY

Barnabás Dukay: árnyék mutatta idő (instrumental monody for Violin and Celesta) Bartók: Andante, BB 26b Lajtha: Sonatina for Violin and Piano, Op. 13 Dohnányi: Sonata for Violin and Piano in C-sharp minor, Op. 21 Janáček: Sonata for Violin and Piano Grieg: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45

Márta Ábrahám (violin), Balázs Szokolay (piano)

SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER, 19.30

GRAND HALL MVM CONCERTS MVM CHRISTMAS CONCERT J. S. Bach: Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 Hasselmans: La source Thomas: The Minstrel's Adieu to his Native Land Smetana–Trneček: Moldau Fantasia Chopin: Étude in A-flat major, Op. 25 Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 Liszt: Grand galop chromatique

Kristóf Baráti (violin), Andrea Vigh (harp), János Balázs (piano)

BALÁZS SZOKOLAY, MÁRTA ÁBRAHÁM

Several critics at the beginning of the 1900s considered pieces composed for violin and piano by a youthful Bartók to be works very much under the influence of Brahms or Grieg. This concert of Márta Ábrahám and Balázs Szokolay is made up of rarely performed masterpieces selected from the rich duo repertoire. An example of the fact that the Norwegian composer remained a role model even for the mature Bartók is Grieg’s third sonata, in every movement of which the melodies and rhythms of his homeland’s folk music pulsate. The neo-Baroque tonalities and Bach-like texture of László Lajtha’s Sonatina 'can always count on success among a progressive audience' opined Jenő Kerntler, pianist and music journalist. Naturally, he mentioned another condition he considered vital: the work should only ever be entrusted to the hands of 'first-class performers'. Márta Ábrahám and Balázs Szokolay, for example. Tickets: HUF 2 500, 3 500 Presented by Liszt Academy Concert Centre

This year’s leading figure in the traditional MVM Christmas Concert is violinist Kristóf Baráti, who contributes to the seasonal festivities with Bach’s D minor partita. In the concert that has attracted huge interest, he will be expertly partnered by Andrea Vigh on harp and János Balázs on piano, ensuring the perfect tuning for the Christmas celebrations. The performance (without intermission) is a fitting closure to the 2019 MVM Concerts series, which once again brought a long list of top artists to the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy throughout the year.

ANDREA VIGH

Tickets: HUF 1 500, 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000, 8 000, 10 000 Presented by Besszer Koncert 67

TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER, 22.45

GRAND HALL AMADINDA PERCUSSION GROUP & GÁBOR PRESSER NEW YEAR'S EVE CONCERT

GÁBOR PRESSER, AMADINDA PERCUSSION GROUP

Gábor Presser (piano, vocals) Amadinda Percussion Group: Károly Bojtos, Aurél Holló, Zoltán Rácz, Zoltán Váczi (percussion)

Some of the unique selling points of the New Year’s Eve concerts of Amadinda and Gábor Presser are that the productions that are rarely performed or have never been heard before, or that they are played on only a single occasion. An example of the intense interest shown by the public in these features going back nearly two decades is that the concerts are sold out year after year, with many booking their places weeks or even months in advance. As is now tradition, the first half of the concert is structured on the most popular works from the Amadinda repertoire. The minutes prior to midnight are given over to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the dying embers of the old year are accompanied by the gongs of Amadinda. The second half is one of unrepeatable moments. The first production of the New Year is traditionally a Strauss polka before the second host of the

evening, Gábor Presser, takes to the stage. Finally, the music train loaded with percussion instruments and a piano reaches the terminus with LGT songs retuned for the occasion... Tickets: HUF 9 000, 10 000, 12 500, 15 000, 17 500 Presented by Akadinda Bt.

GITTA GYENES: PIANO MUSIC

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FANTASY AND FANTASIA AT THE LISZT ACADEMY SIX SKYLIGHTS MADE OF STAINED GLASS AND COMPRESSED BEADS AND SET IN THE DECORATIVE CEILING OF THE GRAND HALL OF BUDAPEST’S LISZT ACADEMY PLAY A SPECTACULAR ROLE: THEY FORM THE TERMINAL ELEMENTS OF THE LONGITUDINAL WALLS, WHICH ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE SEGMENTS BY THE DOORS ON THE GROUND FLOOR AND THE WINDOWS UPSTAIRS.

MODELLING THE GRAND HALL TO RESEMBLE A LAUREL GROVE

Predominantly blue, green, yellow and white, the skylights were produced in Miksa Róth’s workshop – renowned for glass mosaics and stained glass that even adorn the Parliament and Buda Castle. The patterns are mainly couplets of arching waves and rosettes that border a different word in each skylight (words which translate to Melody, Rhythm, Harmony, Poetry, Beauty and Imagination). The blues recall the colour scheme of the Foyer, while the yellow and white tones complement the gilded shimmer of the Grand Hall. The greens now mostly dot the balustrades and the bands bordering the large ceiling coffers after the most recent restoration, which aimed to reconstruct the original colour scheme. The wave pattern dominates the design of the Foyer, while rosettes are perched on the ceiling and on the consoles lining the openings of the balconies along the sides of the Grand Hall. All of this reminds the viewer that the skylights may be interpreted both in terms of architectural articulation and the iconography of the building, where they most probably also function as terminal elements. These components are overpowered by the brightness above the blue waters, much as the laurel grove dedicated to Apollo overpowers the waters and shores of the foyers. Illuminated in light from the heavens, the words appear beyond the foliage of the laurel plants. Their ethereal /divine origin, just like that of the angels in the hall, is therefore beyond doubt. The words inscribed in the skylights within the temple of Apollo

THE COMPOSITION ON THE TRANSVERSE ARCH IN THE GRAND HALL IS PLOTTED AROUND APOLLO’S LYRE, SURROUNDED BY THE ALTARS OF THE GOD WITH THEIR SERPENT MOTIF. AN ANGEL HOLDING THE GOD’S LAUREL WREATH DESCENDS FROM ABOVE.

AND DECORATING IT AS A RITUAL SITE ARE THEREFORE PRODUCTS OF CREATIVE FANTASY.

THE GRAND HALL MAY BE INTERPRETED AS A SHRINE OF ART, A TEMPLE OF APOLLO, AS THE LAUREL LEAF ORNAMENTATION SUGGESTS.

allude to music; however, they carry undeniable relevance to other art forms (as personified by the female figures dancing on the Fountain of the Arts in the foyer upstairs). Indeed, the same holds for Fantasy, which, if we consider a cognate musical term, fantasia, points to a genre of music that pieces together a wealth of alternating patterns much like improvisation. A fantasia (or fantázia in Hungarian) is also known as an 'ábránd' (or daydream) in Hungarian terminology. Nevertheless, the creators of the building’s iconography refrained from using that word. Invoked in the 'painted skies' above the Grand Hall, this could have been seen as a rebuff of the great poet Mihály Vörösmarty, which was certainly not the designers’ intention. Yet, Fantasy appearing in one of the terminal patterns could still be interpreted as an artists’ manifesto against the tastes epitomised by Vörösmarty. One asks therefore to what degree can the sense of this 'manifesto', i.e. the role of fantasy, be captured in the building and in the iconography of the Liszt Academy. To what degree can the building, designed by architects Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, be seen as a work of fantasy?

DETAIL OF THE CEILING OF THE GRAND HALL: HEAD OF APOLLO AND APOLLO’S ATTRIBUTES: A PAIR OF SWANS AND LYRE.

'ONE CANNOT SAY THAT IT WAS THE FANTASY OF THE BUILDING’S DESIGNERS AND ITS ICONOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION THAT FORMED THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE BUILDING, WHICH RELIES ON THE APOLLONIAN–DIONYSIAN DUALITY IN THE ARTS AND IN THE WAY THE ARTS HAD CHANGED AND HAD BEEN RE-SHAPED IN HISTORY.'

KÁLMÁN GIERGL FIRST MET FLÓRIS KORB IN ALAJOS HAUSZMANN’S DESIGN STUDIO. AFTER LEAVING THE COMPANY, THEY BECAME THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ARCHITECTURAL PARTNERS AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. THE HIGHPOINT OF THEIR COLLABORATION IS THE PALACE OF THE LISZT ACADEMY.

THE PAIRS OF PUTTOS STANDING ON HALF COLUMNS PLAY MUSIC AND SING ON BOTH SIDES OF RELIEFS DEPICTING MUSICAL DIRECTIONS.

INDEED, THE CLIENT’S EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT REQUIREMENTS PREVENTED THE ARCHITECTS FROM LETTING THEIR IMAGINATION RUN WILD, A CIRCUMSTANCE WHICH MIGHT GIVE RISE TO EXAGGERATIONS OF WHICH MOST ARTISTS ARE TRULY APPREHENSIVE, AT LEAST ACCORDING TO RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY EDGAR WIND.

THE PAIRS OF HERMAIC PILLARS ON THE SIDE BALCONIES OF THE GRAND HALL ADORNED WITH SWANS AT THE TOP MAY BE LINKED TO APOLLO, WHILE THEIR LOINCLOTHS WITH ANGEL’S HEADS IDENTIFY THEM AS PRIESTESSES. 72

One cannot say that it was the fantasy of the building’s designers and its iconographic representation that formed the iconography of the building, which relies on the Apollonian–Dionysian duality in the arts and in the way the arts had changed and had been re-shaped in history. All the more so because the same pattern is recognisable in the iconography of 19th-century opera houses and concert halls (which draw heavily on the Baroque and its traditional preference for 'painted skies'). Strangely enough, the pattern owes its popularity to Nietzsche’s version of this duality, The Birth of Tragedy. However, it was not merely the decorative manifestation of the elements of this duality that set the fantasy of the Liszt Academy’s designers into motion. Their imagination responded instead to the opportunity to use the building as a whole, including details and interrelationships, decorative patterns and architectural solutions, its spaces and its façades, as a vehicle for displaying this duality. Moreover, given all this, it is possible to present this duality hierarchically. Interestingly enough, a factor that normally

THE CENTAUR PLAYING THE LYRE DEPICTS WISE CHIRON, WHO TAUGHT ACHILLES TO SING AND PLAY THE LYRE.

affects fantasy and artistic freedom adversely also contributed to keeping the imagination of the architects in motion. That factor is political pressure, which in this case meant that the Ministry of Education and Religion in its capacity as client wanted to see a more traditional building with a more historical character: something that was less fantastical than the Hungarian-style Art Nouveau building it had rejected. The dismissal of earlier designs brought with it (another round of) imaginative efforts and also came as a warning that an unrestrained flow of fantasy could trigger a tedious redrawing of plans or even the awarding of the design contract to different architects. Indeed, the client’s explicit and implicit requirements prevented the architects from letting their imagination run wild, a circumstance which might give rise to exaggerations of which most artists are truly apprehensive, at least according to research conducted by Edgar Wind. It is only with the constraints set by those requirements that fantasy could be put into play. Yet, the limitations imposed by the client were not enforced uniformly in respect of the exterior and the interior of the building. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that only the blueprints for the redesigned façade had been completed by the time the construction plans were approved, while the detailed blueprints for the Grand Hall were drafted only subsequently, when supervision had presumably 'slackened' as the power of control passed from the Minister to the level of the Ministry’s Arts Department. While the designers’ fantasy had little room for movement while the plans for the new façade were being created, it had more freedom to soar in respect of interior spaces, especially in the Grand Hall. Unlike the exterior, where references to earlier styles (of architecture) correspond in meaning to the original iconographic representation, the interior gives precedence to architectural solutions that rely on patterns of natural origin and the power of association. Modelling the Grand Hall to resemble a laurel grove and decorating it as a ritual site are therefore products of creative fantasy. Imagination could have been encouraged by the Secession House in Vienna as well as the written and literary documents of the intellectual movement known as Kunstreligion. From among the key words inscribed in the skylights in the Grand Hall, it was not only Fantasy that promoted the design of the Liszt Academy building or gave shape to and provided historical forms to the creative and scholarly aspirations that determined the iconography. The designers were also guided by the notions of Beauty, Poesy, Harmony, Rhythm and Melody. It is beyond doubt that the melody here evokes the Apollonian–Dionysian duality. Dr. Endre Raffay 73

SEASON TICKETS 2019/20 FANTASY, MELODY, HARMONY

BARNABÁS KELEMEN IVETA APKALNA ANIMA ETERNA BRUGGE

KRISTÓF BARÁTI ZOLTÁN FEJÉRVÁRI CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF EUROPE

DENIS MATSUEV ISTVÁN VÁRDAI DÉNES VÁRJON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA VIENNA-BERLIN

COMMENT IN THE GUEST BOOK OF THE LISZT ACADEMY JOSÉ CURA (24 FEBRUARY 2019)

FRANZ LISZT AND FREE IMPROVISATION DURING HIS STAY IN VIENNA IN 1822-23, THE CHILD LISZT ESTABLISHED HIS CAREER AS A PIANIST WITH PROFESSIONAL PIANO TEACHER CARL CZERNY. IN ADDITION TO CONSOLIDATING HIS TECHNIQUE AND SHAPING HIS TASTE, DEVELOPING THE POTENTIAL FOR FREE IMPROVISATION WAS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN CZERNY'S PIANO LESSONS, IN LINE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE TIME.

The reviews published in Vienna in the 1820s testify to the fact that there was no consensus in the musical consciousness of what exactly belonged to the realm of free improvisation. Within the various ways and possibilities of improvisation, contemporaries made distinctions based on the internal structure. So it is no coincidence that members of the Vienna virtuoso school, namely Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Ignaz Moscheles, Ferdinand Ries and Henri Herz borrowed the structural elements of variation and rondo. In his lessons, Czerny taught Bach’s preludes (i.e. fantasies) and fugues of the Wohltemperiertes Klavier series, as well as fantasies of classical masters, so Liszt was primarily acquainted with the genre of fantasy from the classical heritage. At the same time, we know from Czerny’s biographical writings that he frequently gave themes to his student for improvisation: 'He had me play all the valuable pieces of music that were available at that time, and he encouraged me to improvise', the old Liszt recalled later. Liszt had been improvising on the topics proposed by the audience since his first public concert: out of the new types of improvisation that unfolded during his youth, he favoured potpourri (a mix of themes) and the most unrestricted type of improvisation, capriccios. It’s worth mentioning that Czerny himself also found the potpourri style most suitable for improvisation at concerts, in front of an audience. The potpourri style owed its success partly to the possibility of showing off the virtuosity expected by the audience, as well as to the popular melodies used (mostly borrowed from operas). Starting from his first compositions, Liszt implemented a new structural principle, not found in Czerny’s textbook, and which was nowhere else as clearly expressed in the fantasies of his contemporaries. This type of

'LISZT HAD BEEN IMPROVISING ON THE TOPICS PROPOSED BY THE AUDIENCE SINCE HIS FIRST PUBLIC CONCERT: OUT OF THE NEW TYPES OF IMPROVISATION THAT UNFOLDED DURING HIS YOUTH, HE FAVOURED POTPOURRI (A MIX OF THEMES) AND THE MOST UNRESTRICTED TYPE OF IMPROVISATION, CAPRICCIOS.'

'IN HIS RIGOLETTO AND TRUBADOUR FANTASIES, LISZT'S INTEREST IN SELECTING THE MATERIAL WAS DIRECTED TOWARDS DRAMATIC CONFLICTS, PRESENTING THE STATE OF MIND OF SEVERAL ACTORS, AND THE SELECTION OF QUOTES EITHER FOLLOWED THE OPERA'S MESSAGE, OR ALTERED ITS RING BY EMPHASIZING ITS MORAL TRUTH.'

structure creates two highlights in the improvisation, one in the middle of the piece, and the other at the end. Both highlights are based on the musical toolbox of the virtuoso school’s musical language, primarily composed of sections marked with brillante or con fuoco. Most of these parts are preceded by enhancements. For example, one of these works is his seven variations on Rossini’s theme from 1824 (Sept variations brillantes sur un thème de Rossini). However, mastering the art of free improvisation became not only an important factor in Liszt’s career as a performer, but also the basis for his later composing style. Quite a few of his early opera paraphrases have their roots in the improvisation types taught by Czerny, who conveyed the musical language of the Viennese virtuoso school: examples are the Grand fantaisie sur la tirolienne de l’opéra La Fiancée (Auber) or Ernani: paraphrase de concert (Verdi). From the 1830s onwards, from opera fantasies to his great organ works (Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral 'Ad nos ad salutarem undam'), the former virtuoso fantasies were enriched with inner content and vision. It was no longer about a listing of the audience’s favourite tunes before a rich musical background. In his Rigoletto and Trubadour fantasies, Liszt’s interest in selecting the material was directed towards dramatic conflicts, presenting the state of mind of several actors, and the selection of quotes either followed the opera’s message, or altered its ring by emphasizing its moral truth. After the Lammermoor Lucia, Norma and the Huguenots paraphrase, at the end of the Don Carlos paraphrase Liszt reiterated the apotheotic exaltation of the tragically suffering innocent. This kind of thinking led straight to the composition of the novel, unique style of symphonic poems, the great Weimar instrumental compositions. Zsuzsanna Domokos

GUIDED TOURS

COMMENT IN THE GUEST BOOK OF THE LISZT ACADEMY JOSHUA BELL AND SAM HAYWOOD (25 FEBRUARY 2019)

• Guided tours in English for individual visitors (50 min.) every day at 1.30 PM • Adult ticket: HUF 2 900 + HUF 600 (with ticket for mini-concert) • With student identity card, concession card and for visitors over 65 years: HUF 1 750 • No registration needed. • Ticket purchase (also for concerts): Liszt Academy Ticket Office (1061 Budapest, 8 Liszt Ferenc square)

MUSIC'S SOUL IS BEHIND THE NOTES VIOLINIST GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY HAS BEEN CONDUCTING SINCE 2001, AND BY NOW IT HAS BECOME HIS MAIN ACTIVITY. HE WAS APPOINTED MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE VERBIER FESTIVAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA IN 2007 AND OF THE MANCHESTER CAMERATA SINCE 2007. HE WAS THE PRINCIPAL VIOLIN (1975 TO 1992) OF THE TAKÁCS QUARTET, STILL NAMED AFTER HIM. DURING HIS CAREER HE HAS PERFORMED WITH LEGENDARY MUSICIANS SUCH AS GIDON KREMER, SIR YEHUDI MENUHIN, JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL, GYÖRGY SOLTI, ISAAC STERN OR MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVITCH. THE LISZT PRIZE WINNER MUSICIAN TELLS OUR MAGAZINE ABOUT FANTASY AND THE STORIES TOLD BY SOUNDS.

last time. His figure has been alive in me, yet when I saw him in the coffin, he seemed like a stranger. A psychologist friend of mine gave me an answer to this. He said: you only saw the envelope, but not the letter, the soul flew away. What we see on the music sheet is similarly lifeless. The task of the musician and the conductor is to guide the audience from the bare materiality of what’s written down, to the soul of the music. It is only possible via imagination and fantasy. Every time I got to a stage where I could switch on my imagination during a rehearsal even my muscles started to behave differently. I could technically level up to the moment I was no longer concentrating on my technique. We don’t have to play music the way it is written. We have to transmit what the composer has written.

What tools does a musician have to inspire his fantasy? An actor evokes emotions with words; we have the sounds and notes. We look beyond the sheet music just as an actor sees behind the text. When his son was born in 1756, father of Mozart wrote in his Violin School work: 'the musician’s prior task is to stir up and control emotions of the listeners depending on the emotions he feels beyond the notes.' To achieve impact, he must first evoke these emotions in himself. This is precisely when fantasy becomes key. Already the Hungarian language is helping us as we say 'képzelet', 'imagination'. Through images, we get closer to the feelings hidden in notes. It wasn’t by accident that György Kurtág, Ferenc Rados, András Mihály bombarded us with fantastic pictures in those days while teaching us chamber music. They led us, young music students to the emotions encrypted in the notes.

GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY AT THE CONCERT OF LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHEST

Does it mean you see pictures beyond notes? No, it’s not that simple. For me, every sound tells a story, and our task as musicians is to bring them to life. The same way the prince woke up the Sleeping Beauty with a kiss. The sheet of paper, the dots dropped on it, and the side notes are worthless in and of themselves until the musician comes and fills them with life and the power of imagination. I understood all of this when my father died. I only arrived home for his funeral, but I wanted to bid farewell to him physically and see him for the

YOU CANNOT WRITE DOWN EMOTIONAL DEPTHS, SUBTLE SHADES. YOU CAN ONLY RECALL THE SOUL OF THE MAN BEHIND THE NOTES WITH IMAGINATION AND EMPATHY.

GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY AND THE MANCHESTER CAMERATA 80

Many composers give exact instructions in their sheets, and they write down every possible detail. I’m not saying we should ignore the composer’s instruction. The opposite! We have to let everything burn through us with humility. Then comes the point: we need to add ourselves to the sheet music . George Kurtág once told me that even if he scribbles the sheet entirely, it is only about 5% of what is there from what he feels during composing. Another example: you can live with any of Bartók’s works, you can have all the notes, small letter prints in your blood, but it does not mean a piece will come to life in his hands. You cannot write down emotional depths, subtle shades. You can only recall the soul of the man behind the notes with imagination and empathy. What tools does a conductor have to express its fantasy? Emotional credibility. Personal empathy. These are the most important. If a composer can fully empathise with the piece, it impacts the orchestra’s overall performance. He might not be able to pull each member of the orchestra along, but if he wins the majority, he has the concert. Furtwängler writes in his article about imagination that the composer drops the notes and harmonies on the sheet from a particular spiritual altitude and as a result of a certain mood or a state of mind. So, the composer first gets into an elevated mood, but the performer only gets his first impressions from the notes. He needs to live it through the reason these notes ended on the page while working on the piece. During the performance, he needs to get in the same mood that triggered the written notes and harmonies by the composer. Therefore, the preparation is only partially an intellectual process: the performer also needs to use his instincts. During a concert, he needs to get away from the braincontrolled influence, as too much thinking kills emotional empathy. György Kurtág once said after we suffered for over two months with the rehearsals of his Officium Breve, that before the show you need to forget everything. 'Forget about me, the piece is now yours; you are the co-composers. Give it birth again through your own personalities and souls.' He could not have given a piece of wiser and more liberating advice. Ágnes Mester 81

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY EVERY CHILD IS BORN WITH MUSIC IN THEM. THERE IS NOT A SINGLE INFANT WHO IS NOT STIRRED BY THE MUSIC OF MOZART OR BACH. OR MAYBE GANGNAM STYLE, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY HEAR AT HOME. NATURALLY, THE YOUTH EVENTS AT THE LISZT ACADEMY ARE NOT INTENDED TO ACQUAINT KIDS WITH THE VALUES OF POP CULTURE, BUT INSTEAD WITH THE THREE TRADITIONS OF MUSIC THAT DEFINE THE ACADEMY’S TEACHING AND CONCERT LIFE: CLASSICAL MUSIC, FOLK MUSIC AND JAZZ.

What is music good for? The proper question should rather be, what is it not good for? We sing when happy, serenade when in love, listen to moving music when in sorrow, or join a concert when in need of replenishment. And then there’s dance! There is no dance without music, and the history of music would be poorer without dance. The autumn 2019 programme of Liszt Kidz Academy, the Liszt Academy series for young people, examines the connection between music and dance. Matinees complete with musicians and dancers reveal how dance music was transformed into classical music. The series of four concerts, will feature musicians and dancers and moderator Dániel Mona, who will talk about the music of Hungarian folk dance, the waltz, historical dance and Spanish flamenco as well as composers who became enamoured of such music. The exciting stories, wonderful music and spectacular dance will surely entertain children aged 10 to 15, as well as their parents and grandparents in Solti Hall. Season tickets are available for this series of performances. For details, please check the programme in Concert Magazine (pp. 16, 30, 51, 65). Season ticket price: HUF 6 100 We believe that music is much more than fun, so it is never too early to start making friends with it. In autumn 2019 we will again hold smallgroup musical induction sessions for 6- to 10-year-olds at 10 o’clock on Saturdays in the Liszt Academy’s Main Building at Liszt Ferenc tér. Also, there will be double sessions called Jazz Playground for ages 5 to 12 once a month at 10 and 11.30 on Saturdays. Parents are not allowed to attend the sessions, but they may hear the rehearsal for the concert to be held in the Grand Hall the same night (provided that the performers have no objections). Introductory classes – tickets: HUF 1 200 Jazz Playground sessions – tickets: HUF 1 500 (Tickets to musical induction and jazz playground sessions are only available to children attending the event.) For more, visit zeneakademia.hu/liszt-kidz-academy

COMMENT IN THE GUEST BOOK OF THE LISZT ACADEMY DAVID FRAY (04 MARCH 2019) 82

CREATIVITY KEPT IN TRAINING DÁNIEL DOBOS HAS HAD SOME FRUITFUL MONTHS LATELY, WINNING BOTH THE JUNIOR CLASSICAL MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD AND THE FIRST PRIZE OF THE 2018 BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION. THE YOUNG AND MODEST COMPOSER KNOWS 'THOSE BENEFICENT LIMITS' PRECISELY WITHIN WHICH HE CAN FREELY RELEASE HIS IMAGINATION AND CREATE THE RIGHT PIECE OF MUSIC.

'It’s good to receive frameworks because sometimes it is harder to compose a piece of music when we are free to do what we want,' as you stated once about the 2018 Bartók World Competition. Do you think the composer’s fantasy needs limits? To what extent? Until when is it liberating, and at which point does the persistence of rules become restraining in composition? It is worth clarifying at the very beginning what we mean by limits and frameworks. Going to the cake shop is an excellent example of this: if we keep it within a frame, it is undoubtedly a pleasant pastime. However, if we do not care about the limits and go there almost every day, our body weight will be inversely proportional to the weight of our wallet. The same applies to the limits set in composition: it does matter how far we can go; otherwise, we lose the musical balance. If we set the boundaries too tight however and define everything, then we lose the composer’s creative approach, and the process might become mechanical. As a composer, you live in constant symbiosis with your fantasy. How can you consciously release your imagination on a particular occasion, or do you prefer to wait for the inspiration to come while composing?

THERE IS SUCH AN ANCIENT POWER IN HUNGARIAN FOLK MUSIC ONLY A FEW MUSICAL CULTURES HAVE. YOU CAN LOVE IT OR NOT, BUT YOU CAN'T BE INDIFFERENT TO IT. 84

DÁNIEL DOBOS WON FIRST PRIZE IN THE BARTÓK COMPOSITION COMPETITION.

Fantasy is an indispensable element of composing, but creativity will only remain fresh when we keep it in training. Various famous composers have claimed that regular composition should not be abandoned, even at times when we lack ideas. I realised that if I leave too much room for my imagination, I won’t get the desired results. There are exceptions, of course, but it is better to let the process of composing proceed on its own way: we think about it, deal with it, or even dream about it, but forcing rarely ends up with real success. Several successful participations in Hungarian composer competitions, such as the 4th Béla Bartók National Composition Competition in 2014 or the competition celebrating the 135th anniversary of the birth of Zoltán Kodály launched by the The Hungarian Composers’ Union, where you came second with your work inspired by Hungarian folk music preceded your first prize at the Bartók competition. Does it mean that within your composition it is mostly folk motives that capture your fantasy the most? If so, why? I became more familiar with folk music in a summer camp in 2016. Before I just observed the genre, it didn’t really interest me seriously. At the camp, I got totally caught up with it, and I noticed that I was interested in it as much as in other composition related subject. There is such an ancient power in Hungarian folk music that only a few musical cultures have. You

can love it or not, but you can’t be indifferent to it. Its message is free of all unnecessary frills, conveys genuine emotions and moves a lot of people. I strive to represent a tiny piece of these features in my own music, as a catalyst of my imagination. As a member of the Y generation, how do you see: does today’s digitized, accelerated lifestyle destroy or enrich our fantasy?

'IT WOULD BE GOOD TO TAKE BREATHS BETWEEN TWO TASKS AND RECHARGE OUR SPIRITUAL AMMUNITION. OUR BODIES ARE CONTINUOUSLY RUSHING IN THE WORLD; OUR SOULS ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO CATCH UP.'

I find digitalisation a favourable process. The manual parts of composition have become faster and simpler thanks to music notation software. Today, we have more communication tools than we used to, and almost anything is available on the internet, so I can easily find people on social media who can help me with what I am interested in. However, I can also see the drawbacks: there is not enough time to digest our events and experiences. It would be good to take breaths between two tasks and recharge our spiritual ammunition. Our bodies are continuously rushing in the world; our souls are desperately trying to catch up. This 'robot mode' can be sustained for a while, yet if we want to be present and act creatively in the world, it’s time for a change of pace. I hope that when nobody is able to keep up with the world, the world will somehow 'notice this' and stop, or at least slowdown. Anna Unger

LISZT IN AUSTRIA

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AT THE LISZT FERENC MEMORIAL MUSEUM

LISZT FERENC MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND LISZT RESEARCH CENTRE

THE TITLE OF THE EXHIBITION MAY RAISE THE QUESTION OF WHETHER IT COVERS THE AUSTRIAN PART OF THE AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE IN LISZT’S LIFETIME OR THE WHOLE OF AUSTRIA TODAY. WE DID OUR BEST TO SELECT THE MATERIALS ON DISPLAY TO INCLUDE BOTH. THIS DISTINCTION IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO LISZT’S BIRTHPLACE. THE VILLAGE OF DOBORJÁN, WHICH WAS PART OF HUNGARY IN THOSE DAYS, IS NOW CALLED RAIDING AND IS PART OF BURGENLAND.

Tha museum is open during the whole year except for Sundays and holidays. We can arrange guided tours for pre-announced groups in several languages. HUF 12.000 (max. 25 persons/group, to be announced previously). • Audioguides are available in 14 languages

VÖRÖSMARTY STREET 35, 1064 BUDAPEST OPEN: MO - FR: 10 – 18 SATURDAY: 09 – 17 WWW.LISZTMUSEUM.HU

• Students (International Students’ Card) and seniors: HUF 1000, (EU citizens only! • Exceptional opening hours may be requested. We charge double prices for the entrance fee and the guided tour. • Concert tickets/Combined tickets: – Concert ticket: HUF 2000 – Students (International Students’ Card) – Combined ticket (for visiting the Museum – Combined ticket for students and seniors:

Lending institutions: Liszt Ferenc Music Academy, Liszt Ferenc Research Library Hungarian National Museum, Historical Gallery Stamp Museum Budapest History Museum – Kiscell Museum MTA BTK Institute of Musicology, Museum of Musicology Eisenstadt Landesmuseum Burgenland Diözesanarchiv Eisenstadt Raiding Franz Liszt Gesellschaft Vienna Schottenstift

The exhibition is intended to present in a nutshell all the threads that link Liszt to Austria. His career as a pianist and composer was rooted in his childhood studies in Vienna and the traditions of the virtuoso Viennese school. The exhibition highlights the reception of Liszt’s concerts in Vienna both as a pianist and composer, as well as their impact on the cultural life of the city, particularly on the events at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. His renowned 1838 series of performances were attended by members of the House of Habsburg, with whom he stayed in touch even in old age, as evidenced by scores of documents displayed at our permanent exhibition in the salon of the apartment. We conjure up Liszt’s artist friends, whether Austrian or others working in that country, such as Joseph Kriehuber or Kaspar von Zumbusch, whose works enhance the decor of his one-time service flat in Budapest. Liszt counted the piano maker Ludwig Bösendorfer among his closest friends and purchased quite a few of his pianos, but he also played on other pianos made in Austria. Of the Viennese composers, Franz Schubert receives top priority, since Liszt played numerous arrangements of his Lieder as early as his 1838 concert series. A highlight of the exhibition is the manuscript of an orchestral arrangement of Erlkönig, which is on public display for the very first time. The other priority composer is Beethoven, chiefly on account of Liszt’s involvement with the 1870 and 1877 jubilee celebrations of the great master. Additionally, the exhibition features less well-known composers who still played an important role in Liszt’s age and life, among them Johann von Herbeck and Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Liszt’s most influential Austrian relation was Eduard von Liszt, his own uncle. Since part of Eduard’s rich legacy adorns the composer’s Budapest residence and the other part is displayed at the Provincial Museum of Eisenstadt and Raiding, he too receives a prominent place in the exhibition. Besides Vienna, other Austrian cities and towns that were important to Liszt are represented at the exhibition, such as Graz, Eisenstadt (called Kismarton in Liszt’s time), Achensee, Graz, Hall in Tirol, Innsbruck, Pottendorf and Salzburg. The international exhibition, whose Austrian partner is the professional curator of the house in which Liszt was born, lays special emphasis on the current reception of the composer in Austria and specifically in Raiding. Curators: Dr. Zsuzsanna Domokos and Dr. Martin Czernin Support staf f : Anna Peternák, Ágnes Watzatka, Júlia Fedoszov and Lilla Bokor Installation: Tímea Bősze The exhibition was established through an international cooperative effort among Liszt museums.

THE EXHIBITION IS OPEN FROM 10 MAY 2019 TO 9 MAY 2020. 87

CONCERTS IN THE OLD ACADEMY OF MUSIC LISZT MUSEUM CONCERTS 07.09.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Simone Tavoni (piano) 14.09.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Lisa Yui (piano) 21.09.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Bálint Kruppa String Quartet 28.09.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Béla Bartók Chamber Choir, Szolnok 05.10.2019 11.00 Morning concert: István Gulyás (piano) 12.10.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Andrea Meláth (mezzo-soprano) and Gábor Alszászy (piano) 18.10.2019 19.00 Evening concert: Ferenc Liszt’s Birthday – Balázs Szokolay (piano) 19.10.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Ferenc Liszt’s Birthday – Balázs Fülei (piano) 19.10.2019 16.00 Afternoon concert: Ferenc Liszt’s Birthday – Klavierduo Soós-Haag (piano four-hands) 19.10.2019 19.00 Evening concert: Ferenc Liszt’s Birthday – Kálmán Dráfi (piano) 26.10.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Ferenc János Szabó (piano) 02.11.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Péter Nagy (piano) 09.11.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Hungarian Piano Trio 16.11.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Anikó Novák (piano) 23.11.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Semmelweis String Quartet 30.11.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Jenő Jandó (piano) 07.12.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Ádám Balogh (piano) 14.12.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Éva Polgár (piano) 21.12.2019 11.00 Morning concert: Saint Ephraim Male Choir 28.12.2019 11.00 Morning concert: János Palojtay (piano)

ADMISSION TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC With the Gift Card of the Liszt Academy, you may come to the events organised by the Liszt Academy Concert Centre as many times as the amount held on the card allows. The Gift Card is valid for 12 months from the date of top-up. The Gift Card can be purchased in the Ticket Office of the Liszt Academy

A ÁND AJJÁ ÉKKÁR É –N GD IFTKCKAÁRTTYYAA RD

WORLD-CLASS PERFORMERS EXCLUSIVE CONCERTS CULTURE AS A GIFT!

RÓBERT BERÉNY: BIRD SONG

Venue: Old Academy of Music, tickets: HUF 2 000 (students and pensioners: HUF 1 000)

YOUNG MOZART AND THE FIVE TESTS 'AN ACCOUNT OF A VERY REMARKABLE YOUNG MUSICIAN', SAYS THE TABLE OF CONTENTS OF A SIX HUNDRED PAGE BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1781. THE ENGLISH EDITION OF MISCELLANIES, AMONG STUDIES ON VARIOUS TOPICS SUCH AS THE PERIODICAL APPEARANCE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF CERTAIN BIRDS, THE POSSIBILITIES OF ACCESSING THE ARCTIC, AS WELL AS ANCIENT TRAGEDIES, ALSO CONTAINS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS ON MOZART'S WUNDERKIND YEARS.

The author of the abovementioned report, Daines Barrington, was an English lawyer, an antique collector and a naturalist. He met young Mozart in June 1765 during a European tour of the Mozart family. The scientist visited the family at their London accommodations to personally confirm Wolfgang’s famed musical abilities. His account was originally published by the Royal Society magazine called Philosophical Transactions, and then included in the essay collection of the author, with a brief introduction of four English prodigies. Today, when music students and musicians learn to interpret musical compositions from sheet music, Barrington’s way of measuring musical ability can be surprising. Not only in the case of young Mozart, but also the four other children studied by the author, reading scores and improvisation both played an important role in the tests (or ex tempore play, as they called it). In many cases, there was no sharp division between composers and masters of instrumental play; in fact, it was expected from keyboard players to be able to independently elaborate at least one harmony sequence. In the romantic tradition, fantasy was an integral part of public concerts; just think of Liszt and his students. The 18-19th century keyboard disciplines (the best known among them the works of

'WITHOUT EXCEPTIONAL SKILLS AND NATURAL TALENT, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PASS THE TESTS, BUT IT’S ONLY FAIR TO MENTION THAT THEY USED TO PLAY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY CONTEMPORARY WORKS AT THAT TIME, WHICH SURELY MADE HIS JOB EASIER.'

YOUNG MOZART COULD IMPROVISE EVEN WITH THE KEYS OF THE HARPSICHORD COVERED.

THE CHILD NOT ONLY SANG HIS OWN PART, BUT ALSO PLAYED ACCOMPANIMENT ON THE HARPSICHORD, AND CORRECTED HIS FATHER IF HE MADE A MISTAKE IN THE OTHER PART.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Daniel Gottlob Türk and Carl Czerny) devoted entire chapters to the tricks of improvisation, and listed natural skills, basic harmonics knowledge and instrumental virtuosity as necessary prerequisites. As a first test, Barrington gave a recent duet to young Wolfgang, one he had never seen before. The child not only sang his own part, but also played accompaniment on the harpsichord, and corrected his father if he made a mistake in the other part. As he started the piece, he immediately hit the right pace and style, which was, as Barrington noted, remarkable even for great masters. Then Wolfgang had to improvise a love aria and a rage aria. (During the latter, the author described him as becoming so excited that he rose up in his chair and beat his keys obsessively.) As Barrington observed, the size and form of the pieces corresponded to what was common on the opera stages, and witnessed a rich invocation. Eventually, Wolfgang completed three minor tasks: demonstrating excellent technical skills, he played his own finished étude, wrote a bass part for a given melody (i.e. harmonized it) and continued playing even after the keys of the harpsichord had been covered. Without exceptional skills and natural talent, he would not have been able to pass the tests, but it’s only fair to mention that they used to play almost exclusively contemporary works at that time, which surely made his job easier. He had heard quite a lot of pieces and was musical enough to understand the musical language of the era, making him capable of imagining the character of a part based on the score, or summon the musical figures associated with a given text and dramatic situation in operas. Barrington himself, who did not hide his admiration otherwise, did not claim more than that: in fact, he said that the two arias were not particularly prominent, just slightly better than mediocre. He could not predict the future... However, Barrington’s report reveals one important detail. The wunderkind Mozart had to use his musical imagination at least as intensely as his fingers. And he would do so at other times when, for example in Vienna and Italy, he was put to similar tests. Fanni Molnár

CONCERT CALENDAR

FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER

FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER

Concerts organized by Liszt Academy Concert Centre Hosted Concert

19.00 GRAND HALL

19.00 SOLTI HALL

TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER

19.30 GRAND HALL

Classical Jazz Opera World / Folk Junior University Other

SEPTEMBER MONDAY 9 SEPTEMBER , 14.00, 18.30 TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER , 14.00, 18.30 WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER, 14.00, 18.30 SOLTI HALL BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION PRELIMINARIES AND SEMI-FINAL

THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 18.00 GRAND HALL

BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION FINAL

SATURDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION GRAND FINAL

SUNDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION 2019 – PIANO COMPETITION GALA CONCERT 92

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SUNDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA LIGETI / MOZART / MAHLER

MONDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 19.00 GRAND HALL

GALA CONCERT OF EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED VIOLINISTS STUDENTS OF MIKLÓS SZENTHELYI

TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

12TH ST. GELLÉRT FESTIVAL ENCOUNTER OF HUNGARY AND SOUTH KOREA

THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

HOSTED BY THE LISZT ACADEMY ORCHESTRA OF THE CONSERVATORY OF TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS 19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERTO BUDAPEST

TALENT OBLIGES ÉVA SZALAI, ESZTER KARAS�SZON & ZSÓFIA STASZNY THE UNKNOWN CHOPIN 19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERTO BUDAPEST

SATURDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC – TUNED FOR GRAND HALL KRISTÓF BARÁTI, GUSTAV RIVINIUS & MÁRTA GULYÁS BRAHMS RECITAL

SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 11.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC – FROM THE BARN TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS 11.00 GRAND HALL

UNDERSTANDABLE MUSIC DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK MAGICAL JOHN WILLIAMS

MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST STRINGS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

19.30 GRAND HALL

JUDIT RAJK, DÓRA PÉTERY & PŘEMYSL VOJTA CHAMBER RECITAL MYSTERIA RELIGIOSA

WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

CONCERTS OF THE BARTÓK CONSERVATOIRE FOLK MUSIC & JAZZ DEPARTMENT ON THE PODIUM 19.30 GRAND HALL

DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

THURSDAY 3 OCTOBER 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER 18.00 SOLTI HALL

BÁRDOS 120 19.45 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA HAYDN – MOZART

SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER 15.30 GRAND HALL

BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA HAYDN – MOZART 19.00 SOLTI HALL

AT HOME AT THE LISZT ACADEMY NEW LISZT FERENC CHAMBER CHOIR CHORAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

CAFE BUDAPEST CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL CONTEMPORARY ROMANTICISM 3.0 19.30 SOLTI HALL

CAFE BUDAPEST CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL WEINBERG 100

WORKSHOPS OF THE LISZT ACADEMY SCHOOL FOR EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG TALENTS

SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER 18.00 GRAND HALL

ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS

MONDAY 7 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORCHESTRA OF PROKOFIEV

TUESDAY 8 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERTO ARMONICO BUDAPEST CONCERTO ARMONICO/CAFÉ ZIMMERMANN – COFFEE HOUSE MUSIC FROM LEIPZIG

WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER

19.00 SOLTI HALL

VOCAL MUSIC, SO CLOSE GYPSY SONGS LILLA HORTI, BERNADETT WIEDEMANN

SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER 19.30 SOLTI HALL

ÁGI JÁMBOR MEMORIAL RECITAL 19.30 GRAND HALL

JAZZ ITT! SNÉTBERGER, STOCKHAUSEN, ANDERSEN, VINACCIA JOYOSA

19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERT CELEBRATING THE 70TH BIRTHDAY OF JÁNOS VAJDA

THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER 19.30 SOLTI HALL

CAFE BUDAPEST CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL KLANGFORUM WIEN 19.30 GRAND HALL

TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA BRAHMS / RAVEL / STRAUSS

WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO IN-1 JÁNOS BALÁZS PIANO RECITAL

THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER

FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER

THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER

19.30 GRAND HALL

19.00 SOLTI HALL

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA APOTHEOSIS OF THE DANCE

FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE JÓZSEF BALOG & KÁLLAI STRING QUARTET BARTÓK, BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS

SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

JAZZ ITT! JÚLIA KAROSI

SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 11.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC FROM THE SALON TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS

TUESDAY 22 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA GERGELY VAJDA & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS – THE PIANO EVGENI KOROLIOV PIANO RECITAL

SILENT STRINGS EDIN KARAMAZOV LUTE RECITAL 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

BEETHOVEN SONATAS/2 CONCERT BY KEYBOARD STUDENTS OF THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL 19.00 GRAND HALL BACH IN SOLO ISTVÁN VÁRDAI

SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

COMPOSERS PROJECT OF LISZT ACADEMY & JĀZEPS VĪTOLS LATVIAN ACADEMY OF MUSIC 19.30 GRAND HALL

ANGELICA 30 ANGELICA GIRLS’ CHOIR JUBILEE CONCERT

MONDAY 28 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

ALBAN GERHARDT & FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORGAN IN THE CENTRE IVETA APKALNA

NOVEMBER SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

FOUR BY FOUR TAKÁCS QUARTET

TUESDAY 5 NOVEMBER

19.00 SOLTI HALL

BEETHOVEN SONATAS/1 CONCERT BY KEYBOARD STUDENTS OF THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL 19.30 GRAND HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC KÁLMÁN BALOGH 60 CONCERT BY THE FOLK MUSIC DEPARTMENT

GRAND HALL BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA PROKOFIEV – TCHAIKOVSKY

TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

AMADINDA PERCUSSION PROJECT HOMMAGE À OSZKÁR BALÁZS

WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA TCHAIKOVSKY / USTVOLSKAYA / MOZART

19.00 SOLTI HALL

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC COBZA RENAISSANCE MÁTYÁS BOLYA & FRIENDS 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE ANIMA ETERNA BRUGGE

WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER

THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER, 19.45 FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER, 19.45 SATURDAY 9 NOVEMBER, 15.30

19.00 SOLTI HALL

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS ROMAN RABINOVICH PIANO RECITAL

THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

TALENT OBLIGES LÁSZLÓ NYÁRI & MIKLÓS KÖRNYEI CHAMBER RECITAL PAGANINI FOR GUITAR AND VIOLIN

THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/1 – MEMORY CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY 19.30 GRAND HALL

MASTERS OF THE ORCHESTRA PINCHAS STEINBERG & LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ZAK 144

FRIDAY 15 NOVEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

SATURDAY 16 NOVEMBER 11.00 CUPOLA HALL

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT MAGIC SOUND –UNKNOWN LANDS AND PEOPLE IZABELLA SIMON’S PROGRAMME FOR CHILDREN 17.00 CUPOLA HALL

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/3 – FANTASIA CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY 19.30 GRAND HALL

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/4 – WANDERING CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY

SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER 11.00 GRAND HALL

UNDERSTANDABLE MUSIC DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK COLLISION OF FATES 11.00 SOLTI HALL

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/5 – MOON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY 17.00 CAFE

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT BETWEEN THE THREE OF US CONVERSATION ON THEATRE AND MUSIC

19.00 SOLTI HALL

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/6 – MIDNIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY

MONDAY 18 NOVEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

ENDRE HEGEDŰS PIANO RECITAL THE AGELESS CHOPIN

TUESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

JAZZ IT! BILLE GERGŐ QUINTET & KORNÉL FEKETE-KOVÁCS COMPOSER'S EVENING 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORGAN IN THE CENTRE MARTIN SCHMEDING & NEW LISZT FERENC CHAMBER CHOIR REQUIEM – DEATH AND LIFE

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

SILENT STRINGS MAHAN ESFAHANI HARPSICHORD RECITAL

THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DVOŘÁK RECITAL

KAMARA.HU – JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT KAMARA.HU/2 – NIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LISZT ACADEMY 95

FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 27 NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER

SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER

TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER

19.00 SOLTI HALL

19.30 GRAND HALL

19.00 SOLTI HALL

11.00 SOLTI HALL

22.45 GRAND HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE TRIO Y HAYDN RELOADED 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS JÁNOS BALÁZS & BÉLA SZAKCSI LAKATOS PIANO RECITAL THE IMPROVISATION

SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

TALENT OBLIGES COSIMA SOULEZ-LARIVIÈRE & DINA IVANOVA 19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERTO BUDAPEST 22.00 GRAND HALL

CONCERTO BUDAPEST – PREMIER I.

THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

PURCELL CHOIR & ORFEO ORCHESTRA ‘PURCELL FEST’

FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER ZUGLÓ PHILHARMONICS

SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

DOHNÁNYI ORCHESTRA BUDAFOK

DECEMBER

11.00 SOLTI HALL

SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER

19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERTO BUDAPEST

TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

ACOUSTIC, AUTHENTIC BORI FEKETE 19.00 GRAND HALL

MÁV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER

19.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT ACADEMY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA/2 CONCERT BY 2ND AND 3RD YEAR BACHELOR STUDENTS 19.30 GRAND HALL

DANUBIA ORCHESTRA ÓBUDA TCHAIKOVSKY

FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

SILENT STRINGS SEAN SHIBE GUITAR RECITAL SOFTLOUD 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA FAUNS AND GHOSTS

THE MAGIC FLUTE

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

LISZT ACADEMY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA/1 CONCERT BY 1ST & 2ND YEAR BACHELOR STUDENTS 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORGAN IN THE CENTRE ANDRÁS GÁBOR VIRÁGH & MÁRTON LEVENTE HORVÁTH LISZT ACADEMY'S ORGAN THEN AND NOW

TALENT OBLIGES CHAMBER CIRCLE MENDELSSOHN RECITALT 19.00 GRAND HALL

WORKS BY SÁNDOR SZOKOLAY PERFORMED BY PRO MUSICA GIRLS' CHOIR HUNGARIAN CHRISTMAS

19.00 SOLTI HALL

19.30 GRAND HALL

SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC FROM THE ARISTOCRATIC COURT TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS

KING’S SINGERS ROYAL BLOOD

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

MARTHA ARGERICH, GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY & FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER FOUR BY FOUR ARDITTI QUARTET

SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER

19.00 SOLTI HALL

19.30 GRAND HALL

BALÁZS FÜLEI PIANO RECITAL CHRISTMAS WITH FERENC LISZT

AMADINDA PERCUSSION GROUP & GÁBOR PRESSER NEW YEAR'S EVE CONCERT

16.00 GRAND HALL

HUNGARIAN RADIO CHILDREN'S CHOIR 65TH JUBILEE CONCERT 19.00 SOLTI HALL

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS PÉTER NAGY PIANO RECITAL

MONDAY 16 DECEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

KODÁLY 137

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

PÉTER EÖTVÖS 75 CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE OF THE LISZT ACADEMY

19.30 GRAND HALL

SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER JAZZ ITT! SANTA DIVER TRIO & CHRIS POTTER

LISZT KIDZ ACADEMY – DANCE AND MUSIC FROM THE TABLAO TO THE CONCERT HALL FOR 10-15-YEAR-OLDS

THE MAGIC FLUTE 19.30 GRAND HALL

ORCHESTRA IN THE CENTRE KRISTÓF BARÁTI & ANIMA MUSICAE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER 19.30 GRAND HALL

CONCERTO BUDAPEST

SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER 19.00 SOLTI HALL

CHAMBER MUSIC, SO CLOSE MÁRTA ÁBRAHÁM & BALÁZS SZOKOLAY 19.30 GRAND HALL

MVM CONCERTS MVM CHRISTMAS CONCERT 97

TICKET MAP GRAND HALL

CHOIR LEFT 10 – 19

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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

IV V

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

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

XII

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

XII

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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

XIII

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

LEFT 1 – 12

12 – 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

1 2 3 3 2 1

XIV

M3 M2 M1

RIGHT 12 – 1

LEFT 1–7

6 7

LEFT 9–1

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

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

8 9

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

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

in the hour before each performance held in the Grand Hall or Solti Hall.

LISZT ACADEMY OPENING HOURS AND GUIDED TOURS Come and visit the singularly beautiful Art Nouveau main building of the Liszt Academy. Guided tours are held in Hungarian for individual visitors from 1.30pm on Fridays and Sundays. English-language guided tours take place daily from 1.30pm. Tours last approximately 50 minutes and may be completed with a 10–15-minute mini-concert by students at the Liszt Academy. No previous registration is necessary; tickets for guided tours and extra mini-concerts can be purchased right before the tours. Foreign-language group tours are to be booked in advance. These are available in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian and Japanese. Minimum group size: 12; maximum group size: 35. For tour booking, appointments, further information and partnership with travel agencies, contact turizmus@zeneakademia.hu

XIV

RIGHT 7–1

STALLS

9 8

to concert tickets. Further information on ticketing is available on the zeneakademia.jegy.hu/ ?lang=en

M3 M2 M1

M1 M2 M3

STALLS 4

Tel: (+36-1) 321-0690 / Email: jegy@zeneakademia.hu

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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

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 XVI XVIII

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

hour prior to the performance.

STAGE BALCONY RIGHT

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

ONSTAGE SEATS: 80 SEATS

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

main entrance to the Liszt Academy at Liszt Ferenc tér 8. It is open from 10am to 6pm daily and during concerts until the end of the first interval.

24 – 13

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

STAGE 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

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

TICKETING

V VI III II I

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

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

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

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

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

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

BALCONY LEFT

Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music: 1061 Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8. Tel (central): (+36-1) 462-4600 Customers can make enquiries at kozonsegkapcsolat@zeneakademia.hu and on (+36-1) 462-4680.

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30

M1 M2 M3

118

CONTACT AND VISITOR INFORMATION

RIGHT 19 – 10

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

13 – 24

Information on the seating arrangement in the Grand Hall and ticket categories for a particular performance are available when you purchase your tickets online.

1 – 12

TICKET MAP SOLTI HALL

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

RIGHT 1–9

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

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

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

8 7 6 5 4 3

2 1

1 8 7 6 5 4 3 LEFT 1–7

RIGHT 8–1

BALCONY

Ticket prices: Guided tours in Hungarian: 1,500 HUF Guided tours in other languages: 2,900 HUF Mini-concerts (optional): 600 HUF Students with a valid student ID, senior citizens over 65 (with a valid pensioners’ card) are entitled to a 50% discount. These prices also include 27% VAT. Liszt Academy audiences can park for a discounted price just two streets from Liszt tér at the automated parking garage at Akácfa u. 60. You can obtain a coupon entitling you to one hour of free parking at the ticket on the day of the concert, no later than the end of the first interval. A wheelchair-accessible entrance to the building is available on Király street.

IMPRESSUM PUBLISHER:

SUPPORTER OF THE LISZT ACADEMY

dr. Andrea Vigh, President, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Júlia Torda, Director of Communications, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music

MANAGING EDITOR: Márta Katona, Musicologist

PUBLICATION MANAGER: Erzsébet Issekutz

MUSICAL EXPERT: Lívia Hajdú, Musicologist

COPY EDITOR: Benedek Darida

CURATOR FOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Anna Unger

COPY EDITOR: Edit Maros

LAYOUT: Allison Advertising Kft.

MAKEUP: Laura Sásdi

PRINT: Keskeny és Társai 2001 Kft. Published in 5,000 copies by the Office of Communications and Media Content, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, published with the support of the Concert and Events Centre, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music The organizers reserve the right to make changes to the programme.

DEADLINE: 17 June 2019

AUTHORS: Gábor Boka – Critic Mátyás Bolya – Folk musician, ethnomusicologist, Assistant Lecturer, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music; Assistant Research Fellow, Institute for Musicology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Dr. Zsuzsanna Domokos – Music historian, Director, Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and Research Centre Rudolf Gusztin – Musicologist, PhD student, Doctoral School, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music; Assistant Research Fellow, Institute for Musicology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Zsófia Hózsa – Musicologist Katalin Komlós – Musicologist, fortepiano recitalist, Professor Emeritus, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Sándor Kovács – Musicologist, Teacher, Department of Musicology and Music Theory, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Ferenc László – Journalist, critic, cultural historian Zsuzsanna Lakatos – Musicologist Péter Merényi – Student, Department of Musicology and Music Theory, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Ágnes Mester – Member, Office of Communications and Media Content, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Fanni Molnár – Student, Department of Musicology and Music Theory, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Szabolcs Molnár – Musicologist, Teacher, Bartók Music Secondary School Daniel Mona – Musicologist Zsombor Németh – Musicologist, Research Fellow, Institute for Musicology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Zsuzsanna Rákai – Musicologist, Teacher, Bartók Béla School of Music and Musical Instruments Dr. Endre Raffay – Art historian, Assistant Professor, University of Pécs Anna Scholz – Musicologist, cello recitalist, Assistant Professor, University of Debrecen György Szentgallay – Jazz bass guitarist, composer, journalist Júlia Torda – Director of Communications, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Anna Unger – Member, Office of Communications and Media Content, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Tamás Várkonyi – Musicologist

PARTNERS OF THE UNIVERSITY

ARCHIVE AND CONCERT PHOTOS, PORTRAITS OF ARTISTS: Zoltán Adrián A Annus Badinszky Tolvaj A Lukas Beck A Sándor Benkő A Balázs Bergics A Giorgia Bertazzi A Krisztián Bódis A Marco Borggreve A Balázs Böröcz - Pilvax Stúdió A Máté Bugár A Dan Carabas A Szilvia Csibi / Müpa A Gábor Déber A András Dimény A Tamás Dobos A Benjamin Ealovega A Vera Éder A István Fazekas A Gábor Fejér A Andrea Felvégi A Marin Fulgosi A Béla Gábor A János Hajdú A Johannes Ifkovits A Ottó Kaiser A Astrid Karger A Kaupo Kikkas A Attila Kleb A Mihály Kondella A Krulix Photography A Maarit Kytoharju A Jean M. Laffitau A Jack Liebeck A Nikolaj Lund A Judit Marjai A Gela Megrelidze A Gert Mothes A László Mudra A Bernhard Musil A György Nagy A Károly Zsolt Nagy A Oordaira Noriko A Aline Paley A Jino Park A László Perger A Péter Andrasovszky A Pressiana Petia A Róza Radnóti A Zsófia Raffay A Judith Schlosser A Holger Schneider A Maxim Schulz A Zoltán Sebestyén A Olivér Sin A Kaja Smith A Martha Solo A Andy Staples A Dave Stapleton A Anna Szilágyi A Lenke Szilágyi A Tipton Photography A Gábor Valuska A Nils Vilnis A Andresen Vinaccia A Allard Wilemse A Paul Willaert A Irene Zandel A Juris Zigelis

WE ARE ESPECIALLY INDEBTED TO THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONS: Türr István Museum, Baja A Picture Gallery, Szombathely A Damjanich Museum, Szolnok A Hungarian Photography Museum A Kieselbach Gallery Archives