Liszt! In all Respects.

2010. October 12.

A press conference was held by the Palace of Arts and its resident institutions on October 12, focusing on the events of the 2010/2011 season. Inevitably, mention was made of the financial difficulties, emphasising that the managements and troupes nevertheless continued their work in a basically optimistic atmosphere. The 2011 season bears the motto: Liszt! In all Respects.

General Manager of the Palace of Arts Imre Kiss considers it essential to keep pace with the terror of the crisis and, despite the spectacularly shrinking subsidies, strives to keep up the standard of the events. The growing international renown of the Palace of Arts and the fact that Müpa has successfully avoided a fall in the number of visitors are achievements and reasons for optimism, he believes.  
General Director of the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra Géza Kovács was delighted to share with those present the success of the 2010/2011 season tickets of the orchestra, which have been sold out in the past period. Although the orchestra has been forced to cancel a good number of concerts at various venues in the country due to the fall in subsidies, none of the 18 concerts to be held at the Palace of Arts have been called off. The General Director underlined that the institutions resident under the roof of Müpa enriched the national archives, the Hungarian national heritage, both independently and within the framework of an exemplary cooperation. Beyond the economic crisis, Zoltán Kocsis, General Music Director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, talked also about the difficulties of a general value crisis, despite of which he looked forward with optimism to the season also commemorating the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt.
Representing Ludwig Museum, Katalin Simon, Head of the Department of Exhibition, portrayed the year 2011 to journalists as one offering exciting, versatile and progressive events. The successful retrospective exhibitions of contemporary classics and the mid-retrospectives of artists representing the medium generation are to be continued, alongside exhibitions featuring current fine art trends as well as photo and architecture exhibitions. The Attila Csörghő Exhibition put on within the framework of an international cooperation in 2009 has embarked on an international tour: it is currently on in Luxembourg, to move on to Hamburg later on. The number of visitors dynamically rising for the past three years is expected to be further boosted by the recently inaugurated library and children’s activity studio.
The plans of the National Dance Theatre were outlined by Deputy Manager Péter Ertl. The institution celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2011 is to put on several new productions as well as various traditional, yet renewed series of events. Dance Forum has been renamed Budapest Dance Festival, which is also meant to foster the event’s joining the mainstream of international dance in Budapest. The theatre is to once again feature successful guest performing troupes, appear at new venues with surprise productions and, thank to an amendment to the Decree on subsidisation, it may once again house performances of the Bozsik Yvett Company, Szeged Contemporary Ballet and Győr Ballet (including two Liszt premieres).
András Csonka, Deputy General Manager of the Palace of Arts started his briefing focusing on the programmes commemorating Franz Liszt. The title of the series Liszt! in all Respects. is a reference to  both the versatility of genres at the Palace of Arts and the versatility of the celebrated composer. The various events outline the portrait of the world star pianist and the profound composer who opened new perspectives. András Csonka also talked about Budapest Wagner Days, including the new staging of Lohengrin, in cooperation with Hungarian State Opera, directed by László Marton; the renewed panorama of Hungarian symphonic orchestras under the title Symphonic Discoveries; events of contemporary music and joint concerts with Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra.
András Csonka and Géza Kovács also mentioned the opportunity (and task) for Hungarian music life involved in the EU presidency. At the New Year’s Concert of Müpa, it is the European Chamber Orchestra, together with the European Choir ‘recruited’ from the 27 EU states for the occasion, to perform The Creation by Haydn. The jointly organised opening concert of the Liszt events is first to be put on at the Palace of Arts, to be followed by a second performance in Brussels a few days later. The Liszt Oratorio Legend of St. Elizabeth is also to be performed at Béla Bartók National Concert Hall first, prior to a Vatican performance.  

Spring season tickets will be available for purchase at the Palace of Arts from October 26. Holders of Müpa cards are to be offered pre-purchase discounts.

12.10.2010