What times they were when two phenomenal pianists held all of Paris in thrall. For once, it was not the politics of the day, but an artistic duel that fascinated and divided the population in equal measure. The newspapers were filled with two names in the mid 1830s, those of Ferenc Liszt and Sigismond Thalberg, two years the Hungarian's senior. Who is better, more accomplished, and has the more profound effect on the audience? Will it be the progressive or the conservative approach that will pre...vail? The debates between Thalbergians and Lisztians were unending, and even Liszt himself became embroiled in the war of words. “Perfect slight of hand,” he said of his counterpart's technique. “I do not like to play with an accompaniment,” Thalberg retorted. The rivalry continued on the stage: Thalberg performed his own virtuoso opera paraphrase in the great hall of the Conservatoire, while Liszt enchanted an audience of 3,000 in the Paris Opera House. The “decider” was staged in the salon of Cristina Belgiojoso, an influential supporter of Italian struggle of independence, on 31 March 1837. “The two artists took due care not to stray from their harmonic worlds, yet they used all the means at their disposal. It was a wonderful duel, at the end of which the intelligent and discerning audience declared both Liszt and Thalberg victorious,” one critic wrote. It is with the exhilarating and diverse piano pieces of the time that Jenő Jandó and Károly Mocsári, two outstanding pianists well versed in virtuoso Romantic piano music themselves, will recreate this iconic event. Presented by the Palace of Arts
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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