Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto in A major is more rarely heard in the concert hall than his concerto in E-flat major. Although it appeared at around the same time as his first concerto – after the composer had worked on it for almost two decades from 1839 onwards – its tone is more lyrical and less virtuosic or heroic than the first, with a reduced solo role assigned to the piano, which often accompanies the strings or woodwinds. Formally, it is more complex, consisting of four connected sections ...that flow together without a break, making it a perfect example of the transformation, variation and development of a single theme. In this, it resembles the symphonic piece entitled Totentanz, a spine-tingling series of variations on the Gregorian plainchant melody Dies irae, the day of judgement. Requiring extraordinary skills of the piano soloist, this grim piece was inspired by Buonamico Buffalmacco’s painting The Triumph of Death, which Liszt encountered in 1838. The initial outline for the work was completed at this time, but, again, the finished work would emerge from the composer’s hands only decades later. In both his piano play and composition, Liszt was a fitting heir to Beethoven. It was undoubtedly from the latter that he first perceived the far-reaching possibilities in the elaboration and paraphrasing of a theme, for it is in the closing movement of Beethoven’s superhuman creation, the Symphony No. 9, that the simplest melody in the world rises to ethereal heights through free variations and the accompanying words of Schiller. Taking on the challenging task of performing two Liszt works for piano and orchestra one after the other at this concert is the Italian pianist Enrico Pace. Winner of the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in the Netherlands in 1989, he is a much sought-after guest artist of the world’s leading orchestras.
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
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