Liszt-Berlioz Marathon
6 February 2021
Liszt and Berlioz were not just contemporaries and rivals – two 19th century Romantics – but also friends and brothers-at-arms. Just like in the past, with Schumann and Mendelssohn, Debussy and Ravel, we will now present Liszt and Berlioz's works together to our audience as part of Müpa Budapest and the Budapest Festival Orchestra's incredibly popular composer marathon.
As followers of Beethoven, the greats of Romanticism, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Wagner and the rest, created their life's work by continuing on the path that he had set. Two of these greats, Hector Berlioz and Franz Liszt, were particularly close to each other. Both were keen proponents of programme music, helped reshape symphonic music and the concerto genre and were great enthusiasts of the themes of Faust and Byron. Just as their lives crossed on numerous occasions, so we can observe countless similar features in their compositions, which is why it is well worth juxtaposing the work of these two artists.
Müpa Budapest and the Budapest Festival Orchestra's composer marathon will present an extraordinarily varied selection from their two exceptional oeuvres, featuring a range of different perspectives. We will listen to solo piano concerts, a concerto concert for two pianos and an introductory storytelling matinée for children. There will be a performance of two of Liszt's piano concertos and his symphonic poem Prometheus, as well as Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and his "viola concerto in disguise" Harold en Italie, which was written at the behest of Paganini. You can take a peek into Liszt's workshop as a choral composer, and even enjoy jazz covers of a selection of works from the two composers.
As part of the Müpa Home broadcast series, this concert stream, which begins in the morning and lasts until late in the evening, will feature a total of 11 events, giving lovers of fine music the chance to enjoy a parade of the best of Hungarian music. You can enjoy listening to Gergely Bogányi, Dávid Báll, Zoltán Fejérvári, József Balog, János Palojtay and Ádám Balogh playing the piano, Máté Szűcs's viola, Norbert Káel and the Jazzical Trio and the Szent Efrém Male Choir. The matinée show for children will be guided by György Lakatos, the remarkable bassoon player. The MÁV Symphony Orchestra will take to the stage under the baton of Daniel Boico, the Danubia Orchestra Óbuda under Máté Hámori, and the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra under Kálmán Berkes. The Pannon Philharmonic will be conducted by András Vass, and the event series closing concert will feature the Budapest Festival Orchestra, led by Iván Fischer. Let us enjoy together a full day exploring the wild Romantic landscapes of the works of Berlioz and Liszt!
