Liszt Academy AEC Congress Programme

41ST AEC ANNUAL CONGRESS AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY 13-15 November 2014 LISZT ACADEMY: MUSIC PROGRAMMES AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

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SUMMARY OF ALL MUSIC PROGRAMMES DURING THE AEC CONGRESS

THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2014 / 18.00

GRAND HALL Opening event Bence Kutrik: Fanfare Ferenc Liszt: Polonaise No. 2 in E major Brass quintet of Liszt Academy; Ivett Gyöngyösi (piano)

THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2014 / 20.00

SIGHTSEEING BOAT EURÓPA Dinner with music Jazz and folk music evening

SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2014 / 10.00

GRAND HALL Music introduction György Ligeti: Études for piano – The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Book II, No. 10) Musica Ricercata – No. 7–9.

SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2014 / 19.30

István Lajkó (piano)

GRAND HALL CLOSING GALA CONCERT

FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2014 / 10.00

SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2014 / 16.45

GRAND HALL Music introduction

GRAND HALL Music introduction

Ernő Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1. - Movement 1.

Ferenc Liszt: Les Jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este – Années de pèlerinage, Book III. No. 4.

János Balázs (piano), Nyári Quartet

László Váradi (piano)

László Sándor: Fanfare for the Real Holy Trinity Béla Bartók: Dance Suite Zoltán Kodály: Psalmus Hungaricus, Op. 13 Brass students of the Liszt Academy; Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra and Choir; Tibor Szappanos (tenor) conductor: Gergely Ménesi

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A NATION CREATES MUSIC - THE COMPOSER ONLY ARRANGES IT. (BÉLA BARTÓK)

From the 1870s, Ferenc Liszt was spending ever increasing amounts of his time in Budapest. He gave regular concert performances, and arranged for the most prestigious musicians of his time, Delibes, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Hans von Bülow and Wagner, to perform in Budapest, the rapidly developing and flourishing capital of Hungary, then part of the Austro‑Hungarian Empire. When the need for a new, higher education music institution emerged, Liszt was one of the key leaders to bring the idea to the political administration.

After many years of intensive lobbying, the opening ceremony of the Royal Academy of Music was finally held on the 14th of November 1875. Liszt had set certain principles before accepting the highest presidential position of the newly established Academy, principles aimed to guarantee the highest quality standards, with an international faculty.

These principles and his credo ‘Génie oblige’ live on, and still determine the course of everyday life at his Academy today.

Teachers and students alike have the same duty as artists: to work hard and use their talent for the benefit of humanity.

The history of the Academy departments are like family trees - current professors can be traced back to the very founders of each department, e.g. piano to Liszt and Ferenc Erkel, violin to Jenő Hubay (who gave up a high position at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels), cello to David Popper (who declined further European concert tours), composition to Robert Volkmann and Hans Koessler, etc.

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BY NOW I HAVE MET MANY HUNDREDS OF COMPOSERS, BUT I SHOULD NOT THINK THAT ONE OF THEM HAS BEEN ABLE TO APPROACH BARTÓK IN SENSITIVITY AND MUSICAL SINCERITY. IN HIS PRESENCE ONE FELT INESCAPABLY THAT HERE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY PERSONALITY. (AARON COPLAND) The year 1907 was a milestone in the history of the Liszt Academy.

The Music Palace at Liszt Ferenc Square was opened, allowing the esteemed faculty the resources needed to fully meet the challenges of the constantly growing demand. Among the key teachers were Ernő Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály, Leó Weiner and Béla Bartók. Dohnányi had left Berlin to move to Budapest, and Bartók himself began teaching piano at the magnificent new facility. Interestingly, a professor for over thirty years, he never taught composition.

Dohnányi’s career was closely connected with the Liszt Academy from the very beginning. He was the first widely-renowned student of the institution, insisting upon being trained as a pianist in the piano school established by Liszt, therefore choosing Budapest over Vienna to pursue his piano studies. Dohnányi also persuaded one of his best friends from his hometown of Pressburg (or Pozsony, today Bratislava) to follow him to Budapest. This friend was Béla Bartók. Their piano teacher, István Thomán said: ‘The main privilege of my musical career was that one of the greatest musicians ever, Liszt, was my maestro – and what I am absolutely proud of is that another of the greatest musicians, Ernő Dohnányi was a student of mine.’

Ernő Dohnányi

In 1934, when Dohnányi was elected president for the second time, he introduced important reforms on the fields of artists’ and teachers’ training, as well as to concert life. Among his students were Annie Fischer, Andor Földes, Géza Anda, Béla Böszörményi-Nagy and György Solti. It was also Dohnányi who initiated the organization of the International Liszt Piano Competition in 1933, which continues to be considered one of the most highly respected Liszt contests. It was this competition that brought Annie Fischer her first significant international success.

BÉLA BARTÓK PLAYS ON HURDY-GURDY IN HIS BUDAPEST HOME (1908) © MTA BTK ZTI, BARTÓK ARCHIVES

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A MAN WITHOUT MUSIC IS INCOMPLETE. (ZOLTÁN KODÁLY)

After World War II, despite significant political change in the country, the Academy focused on retaining the highest standards. The new president was Ede Zathureczky, a former student of the widely recognized violin school of Hubay, who presented such prominent musicians as József Szigeti, Stefi Geyer, Jelly Arányi, Zoltán Székely, Sándor Végh, György Pauk and Dénes Kovács.

Zoltán Kodály was a highly respected professor of composition, music theory, and folk music at the Academy for most of his life. His legendary friendship with Bartók and their folk song collecting activity from all around the region, together with the analysis and creation of an archive of the collection, proved to be a true milestone in Hungarian musical life. He helped the Academy to become one of the few institutions in Europe to launch a faculty of musicology in the 1950s, providing a unique collaborative blend of research and performing arts. One of the key figures of Hungarian musicology is current professor László Somfai, the well-known Haydn and Bartók scholar, who is also a former president of the International Musicological Society.

Zoltán Kodály at Gugger-hill © ZOLTÁN VÁMOS

Kodály’s music educational concept was formed when he realised that students, and even thoroughly trained professional musicians, lacked one of the most essential tools of a true musician: well-developed inner hearing. He believed that the inner imagination of music should support the technical development of instrumentalists and singers at all times.

He truly believed that inner hearing can be most efficiently trained through singing. Singing became a keystone in his educational concept for young people. This practice became widely implemented in the Hungarian school system at so-called ‘singing primary schools’, by virtue of the accomplishments of Kodály’s most talented students.

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THE TWO HUNGARIANS NOT ONLY PLAYED MUSIC, THEY WERE THEMSELVES THE MUSIC – IN EVERY NERVE – DOWN TO THEIR FINGERTIPS. (ADELHEID VON SCHORN ON REMÉNYI AND LISZT)

The roots of the uniquely rich chamber music tradition maintained by the Liszt Academy go back to the early years.

Hubay and Popper, who played together in a string quartet, were among the Academy’s first chamber music teachers.

The Waldbauer-Kerpely Quartet (who prémiered some of Bartók’s and Kodály’s works), the Léner Quartet, and the Magyar Quartet (later called New Hungarian Quartet) – were all founded at the beginning of the 20th century, and represented the beginning of a new era in the history of chamber music. The classes of the legendary Leó Weiner began what would develop into an exceptional era of chamber music training. This period continued until the late 50’s, bringing Hungarian string quartets to the forefront of the world's concert scene. This tradition still lives on in the excellent Hungarian string quartets of recent decades, with the Bartók, Kodály, Takács, Keller Quartets, and most recently, the Kelemen Quartet.

György Solti (Sir Georg Solti) described Weiner as his most influential professor during his "difficult but sometimes harsh" years of study at Liszt Academy: Weiner was a marvellous, natural musician, but also a complete professional with a broad and profound knowledge of the art of making music. I am not exaggerating when I say that, whatever I achieved as a musician, I owe more to Leó Weiner than to anyone else.

BÉLA bartók, ZOLTÁN kodály AND THE WALDBAUER-kerpely QUARTET (1910) © ALADÁR SZÉKELY / MTA BTK ZTI, BARTÓK ARCHIVE

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AT LISZT ACADEMY I WAS SURROUNDED

BY WONDERFUL STUDENTS. (GYÖRGY LIGETI)

After the war, the piano school of Liszt, Erkel, Bartók and Dohnányi was taken over by professors Pál Kadosa, Mihály Bächer, Péter Solymos and Ferenc Rados. Among their students were representatives of the new pianist generation, such as Jenő Jandó, Zoltán Kocsis, Dezső Ránki and András Schiff, Sándor Falvai, István Lantos and Kálmán Dráfi.

Kurtág, a student of Kadosa, has been an influential professor of chamber music at the Liszt Academy for decades. Students, graduates, professional musicians and composers attended his classes for nearly 30 years.

One of his closest friends, György Ligeti, who taught music theory in the Composition Department, left Hungary for political reasons in 1956, becoming a highly acclaimed composer of the European contemporary scene. Ligeti recognised the talent of child prodigy Péter Eötvös. In 1958, when he was just 14, with special permission from Kodály, Eötvös was allowed to start studying composition at the Liszt Academy. Nowadays, he holds regular master classes for our opera and composition students, and his opera, Lady Sarashina, was premièred at the Liszt Academy in October 2014.

György Ligeti © H.J. KROPP

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...A COUNTRY (HUNGARY) WHOSE POPULATION, EVEN TODAY, IS BARELY OVER TEN MILLION HAS PRODUCED SO MANY MUSICIANS AND SO MUCH OUTSTANDING MUSIC. (SIR GEORG SOLTI)

Talk to a classically trained Hungarian musician about the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy here, and you’ll get the sense that it is sacred territory – said George Loomis in New York Times. The Hall, where the most significant musicians of the 20th century have performed, is one of the world’s most prestigious concert venues. It was said to be the favourite hall of Richter, Menuhin and Oistrakh. Entering this Sanctuary of Music, you will be touched by the exquisite architecture representing Hungarian Art Nouveau, with all of the flourishing decorative elements recalling the Dionysian and Apollonian symbolic system. The unparalleled acoustics make the Grand Hall a distinguished venue for orchestral concerts as well as for chamber music and solo recitals.

A major reconstruction programme costing over 44 million Euros, with funding from the EU as well as the Hungarian state, was undertaken between 2011 and 2013. The re-opening was held on Liszt’s birthday, the 22nd of October 2013. The renewal project had two key objectives: to restore historical portions to their original state, and to integrate new, state-of-the-art technology, such as modern studio equipment and stage facilities, air-conditioning, plus new functional spaces. The original chamber opera theatre function of the smaller hall (now the Georg Solti Chamber Hall) was also fully restored, complete with an orchestral pit and theatre stage technology, resulting in a unique venue for chamber opera performances and ensemble concerts.

SIR GEORG SOLTI (1987) © GÁBOR FEJÉR 8

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RECONSTRUCTION OF LISZT ACADEMY © KATA SCHILLER

RECONSTRUCTION OF LISZT ACADEMY © KATA SCHILLER

GRAND HALL © JUDIT MARJAI

RECONSTRUCTION OF LISZT ACADEMY © KATA SCHILLER SIR GEORG SOLTI CHAMBER HALL © JUDIT MARJAI 9

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TASTE IS A NEGATIVE THING. GENIUS AFFIRMS AND ALWAYS AFFIRMS. (FERENC LISZT)

Restored to its original splendour, and having concert halls and classrooms equipped with modern technology, the building is now an ideal venue for international projects with other music universities.

Since the spring semester of 2014, the Liszt Academy has organised remarkable projects, including: 1st European Opera Exam Festival, 4 music schools from different countries, cultures and cities (Stockholm, Florence, Zagreb, Budapest) presented their fresh opera productions; Reconnections, a chamber music workshop with the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance for mixed chamber groups;

OPERA EXAM FESTIVAL © ANDREA FELVÉGI

Pilgrimage of Liszt and Bartók in Switzerland and Hungary: workshops covering Liszt piano works and Bartók string quartets, the cultural history of Budapest and Genève in relation to the two composers’ oeuvre with the Haute École de Music Genève; Ovid retuned, an Erasmus Intensive Programme in which 7 European universities’ composition, instrumentalist, conducting and drama students joined to retune 10 stories of Ovid's Metamorphosis, with the aim of presenting how art students interpret the messages of the ancient stories today.

In October 2014 the Liszt Academy successfully organized the I. International Éva Marton Singing Competition, with 43 singers from all around the world presenting a challenging repertoire to a jury chaired by Professor Éva Marton, the internationally acclaimed operatic star and professor emerita of Liszt Academy.

REHEARSALS FOR OVID RETUNED © BALÁZS MOHAI

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LISZT ACADEMY CONCERT CENTRE The rebirth of Liszt Academy also meant that the institution emerged as an independent concert organizer for the first time in its history.

The fundamentals of the new programming policy are shaped by the acoustics of the Grand Hall which mediates the sonority of symphonic orchestra with crystal clarity, but also reveals the most intimate detailing of solo and chamber concerts.

JOSHUA BELL © BALÁZS MOHAI

The Concert Centre’s unique programme structure is supported by cutting edge communications, a brand new Red Dot Award-winner corporate identity, publications portfolio, homepage and individual media content development coordinated by the new Communications Directorate.

The Liszt Academy Concert Centre and its Cultural Directorate has produced an impressive number of events. The Centre plays host to more than 1000 concerts and events in 2014 including self-organised concerts, joint concerts with other institutions, resident orchestra programmes (Concerto Budapest led by András Keller), and several diploma concerts, in addition to other university events.

The most outstanding students and professors of the Academy are given the opportunity to play in promoted concert series (On the spot, Talent oblige!), providing an elite display of the work of the Academy’s departments. A new office has opened with the objective of managing young talents as impresario.

STEVE REICH © GÁBOR FEJÉR

CHICK COREA © JUDIT MARJAI

World stars who have performed at the Liszt Academy since the reopening, not to name them all, Brad Mehldau, Mikhail Pletnev, Steve Reich, Alexei Volodin, Isabelle Faust, Evgeni Koroliov, David Fray, Pinchas Zukerman, Thomas Hengelbrock, Kathia Buniatishvili, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis and Chick Corea were unanimous in their fervent enthusiasm for the unique atmosphere of Liszt Academy.

PEKKA KUUSISTO AND THE MAHLER CHAMBER ORCHESTRA © BALÁZS MOHAI 11

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THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2014 / 18.00

GRAND HALL OPENING EVENT Bence Kutrik: Fanfare Ferenc Liszt: Polonaise No. 2 in E major Brass quintet of Liszt Academy; Ivett Gyöngyösi (piano)

This fanfare was composed specifically for and is dedicated to the opening ceremony of the AEC conference. Bence Kutrik (b.1976) is a Hungarian-Canadian composer, pianist, and producer who has studied in the US, Canada, and Hungary. In this piece he has created a synthesis of all the influences and impressions he has experienced throughout his music studies, creating a multicultural atmosphere perfectly suited to this particular event. The Fanfare is brief, light and expressive, but as a counterpoint festive, reflecting the splendour of the Academy building.

The brass performers (Dénes Seidl, Balázs Havalda, Tamás Sipos, Jenő Lakatos, Bálint Képíró, Gergely Baráth, Bence Bodon, János Dobi, Álmos Iványi, Viktor Sápi) are handing over a nearly 120-year old tradition. At the end of the 19th century, the Liszt Academy was one of the first European institutions to launch brass training, and remains one of the most successful departments in terms of international competition awards, the hiring of Liszt Academy brass graduates to prestigious orchestras as well as other honours, in addition to working closely with contemporary composers. For the last three years the Academy has organised an International Brass Week – a one week workshop in Hungary held by Liszt Academy professors for brass instruments covering solo, brass chamber, brass band and brass orchestral parts.

Liszt truly admired Chopin; most likely he was one of the few contemporaries of the time who really understood Chopin’s music at its deepest roots. His admiration is most apparent in the two polonaises composed in 1851. They clearly carry the characteristics of Chopin’s music as a tribute, but are unmistakeably genuine music of Liszt.

The Polonaise No. 2, which is a follow-up to Polonaise Mélancolique, often appeared among the pieces played by Liszt’s students at his master classes. The master would often criticize how the students played his works, saying that the pieces are "overplayed and frequently badly played." This piece is a challenge, indeed, but not for a sensitive and expressive Liszt-player like Ivett Gyöngyösi.

Ivett was only 10 years old when she won her first national competition, soon followed by a series of prestigious national and international awards, including the 1st place and other prizes at the 10th Darmstadt International Chopin Piano Competition. After her studies at the Liszt Academy's Special Class for Extraordinary Young Talents, with teacher Professor Attila Némethy, she is now enrolled in the MA programme at the Liszt Academy under Professor Kálmán Dráfi.

IVETT GYÖNGYÖSI © GÁBOR FEJÉR

The poetic sensitivity and elegant technique of her piano playing mirror the characteristics of the piano school of Dohnányi. She has received acclaim for her Chopin interpretations, in which she combines the elegance of the Chopin sound and style with the grandioso and virtuoso piano playing technique of Liszt.

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GRAND HALL © GÁBOR FEJÉR 13

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THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2014 / 20.00

SIGHTSEEING BOAT EURÓPA DINNER WITH MUSIC JAZZ AND FOLK MUSIC EVENING

This evening will feature jazz as an appetizer, with authentic traditional folk music of the region as a main course. The program starts with jazz standards performed by the students of the jazz department during the assembly and welcome.

Next, the folk musicians will perform tunes from regions of the Carpathian basin (Kalotaszeg in Transylvania) and the South Slavic territories. As a closing treat, we hope you will enjoy a typical Hungarian instrument, the cimbalom.

Aside from classical music training, the Liszt Academy also runs jazz and folk music education programmes. 50 years ago, Hungary was among the first in Europe to integrate jazz into the state music school system. There can be no doubt, as shown by the distinguished roll of Liszt Academy jazz graduates old and new, that Károly Binder, Kálmán Oláh, Kristóf Bacsó and many others have contributed to the language of "Hungarian jazz" as a subtle, yet distinct sub-type.

The evening jazz show will be delivered by Marió Rafael (piano), Tibor Fonay (bass), László Csizi (drums), Eliza Köles (voice).

Folk music has always had special importance in the history of the Academy: it has affected most Hungarian composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, in addition to the Hungarian music pedagogy marked

by Kodály. The popular Folk Music Department of the Liszt Academy may be relatively new (started in 2007), yet it carries on a tradition that is well over a century old. The folk tunes of the region were explored, analysed and archived by Bartók and Kodály in the first half of the 20th century, while the need for folk music training in higher education institutions has been brought about by the recent renaissance of the so-called dance house movement. Today, people can experience what pure, unspoiled peasant folklore looks like, as well as their tunes, dances, costumes, celebrations, etc. Students featuring tonight: Bence Babcsán, Mátyás Bencze, András Bognár, Zsolt Farkas, Márton Gólya, Dániel Koller, István Pávkovics, Dávid Pozsonyi, Benedek Réti, Veronika Varga.

JAZZ AT LISZT ACADEMY © ZOLTÁN TUBA

Host: Gergely Fazekas, senior lecturer of musicology

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FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2014 / 10.00

GRAND HALL Music introduction Ernő Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1. - Movement 1.

The Piano Quintet was composed and premièred when Dohnányi completed his first year at the Academy in 1895. It was dedicated to his composition professor Hans Koessler, and became his first piece to receive an opus number. When Brahms heard the piece in Bad Ischl, his reaction was the following: "Couldn’t have composed it better myself."

Although some critics considered it an imitation of Brahms’ music, the Quintet impressed not only the public, but also Bartók.

János Balázs (piano), Nyári Quartet Born into a family of musicians János Balázs began his formal music studies at the age of 8. Just a year later he won his first national contest.

He was in the Special Young Talents School at the Liszt Academy (under Gyöngyi Keveházi), followed by regular university classes as a student of Professor Kálmán Dráfi.

He has won several national and international competitions, was 3rd at the International Liszt Competition in 2011 in Budapest, and has recorded 5 CDs, so far. His strong stage presence and the unique appreciation of the audience comes primarily from his impressive virtuoso technique, which was also what made György Cziffra one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. This is meant to be János’ path to the international scene as well, as he is currently featuring in the Rising Stars programme organized by the European Concert Halls Organization (ECHO).

NYÁRI QUARTET © BALÁZS MOHAI

The Nyári String Quartet was formed in 2010 by students of the Liszt Academy studying chamber music under Professor János Devich.

They are the most successful student string quartet in Hungary today, winning the Dohnányi Chamber Music Competition two years in a row and earning the Special Award of the chamber music category at the 20th International Johannes Brahms Competition Pörtschach in 2013. They were invited to represent the Academy and its chamber music history at the Kyoto International Festival in 2012. Members: László Nyári, Géza Szajkó, Kálmán Dráfi Jr., István Balázs. They are authentic interpreters of Dohnányi, Weiner, and Kodály quartets/ quintets, and work closely with young contemporary composers as well.

JÁNOS BALÁZS © SÁNDOR BENKŐ 15

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SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2014 / 10.00

GRAND HALL Music introduction György Ligeti: Études for piano – The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Book II, No. 10) Musica Ricercata – No. 7–9.

István Lajkó (piano)

ISTVÁN LAJKÓ © LÁSZLÓ MUDRA

Ever since Ligeti wrote his Poème symphonique for 100 metronomes, he became occupied with the so-called rhythmic illusion, that is, the feeling of speed created from differently accented parts. The even tempo with unusually accentuated parts gives the listener the illusion of several layers of speed. It is the nature of the human brain to hear the accentuated notes as a single tune. Ligeti uses this method in his piano etudes, published in three volumes between 1985 and 2001.

Musica Ricercata (1951–53) is a cycle of 11 movements with a gradual increase of tones: the first movement consists of merely 2 tones, while the last one is a twelve-note composition. The modulated tones turn it into distortions of Bartók, Mahler, Beethoven and Ginastera works and the mockery of the ostinato, the waltz, the recitative and the song are all part of these short movements. No. 7 is the transformation and vanishing of an ostinato, No. 8 is a loud dance in 7/8 time, while No. 9 is in Memoriam of Béla Bartók.

István Lajkó received his doctoral degree in 2014 from the Doctoral School of Liszt Academy, before that having completed his university studies there with Professors Sándor Falvai and Balázs Szokolay.

Aside from his excellent teachers in Budapest, and thanks to a scholarship, he had the chance to study with the Finnish professor Matti Raekallio at the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media and at the Juilliard School of Music. Currently he is enrolled in the "konzertexamensstudien" in the Weimar Hochschule für Musik, where he also acts as an assistant to his former professor Szokolay. Lajkó has found considerable success at various competitions, winning several awards.

He is a connoisseur of the oeuvre of Ligeti and Scriabin, and an excellent interpreter of well-known and undiscovered contemporary composers too. He compiled a unique recording of Ligeti pieces versus Schumann pieces, showing that his devotion to the piano goes far beyond the performing art.

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SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2014 / 16.45

GRAND HALL Music introduction Ferenc Liszt: Les Jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este – Années de pèlerinage, Book III. No. 4.

László Váradi (piano)

The cheerful tone of The Fountains of the Villa - one of Liszt's most famous piano pieces - was inspired by the wonderful surroundings of a renaissance park in Tivoli, near Rome. Liszt was probably touched by the calmness and tranquillity of the solitude, and by the sparkling, sweet melodies and trills of the fountains. However, Liszt departs from the pictorial depiction of water to a spiritual one instead: "but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life." The words from Gospel of John chosen by Liszt as his motto are a perfect reflection of the deep spirituality lying beneath the surface.

This turns the popular piece into a masterpiece perfectly in line with his spiritual journey of faith.

László Váradi started playing the piano at the age of 5. He lived in a rural village, and upon seeing Richter on television, he stared, transfixed, telling his parents: that’s what I would like to do. He joined the Liszt Academy of Music Special Class for Extraordinary Young Talents when he was 11, under the auspice of Professor István Gulyás. Currently he is a first grade student under Professor Kálmán Dráfi, and is still with Professor Gulyás. He often plays Liszt, "his music is so close to me, and the fact that my current professors are direct descendants of Liszt’s tradition motivates and always touches me to a large extent".

LÁSZLÓ VÁRADI © ZOLTÁN TUBA

Despite his young age, Váradi is frequently invited to various European and Hungarian concert halls and festivals thanks to his serious commitment and devotion to the piano school of Dohnányi, famous for its insightful approach, stylistic fidelity and integrity. We should bear in mind that Dohnányi as a Hungarian artist used to be the most acclaimed Beethoven interpreter of his time!

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SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2014 / 19.30

GRAND HALL CLOSING GALA CONCERT László Sándor: Fanfare for the Real Holy Trinity Béla Bartók: Dance Suite Zoltán Kodály: Psalmus Hungaricus, Op. 13 Brass students of the Liszt Academy; Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra and Choir; Tibor Szappanos (tenor) conductor: Gergely Ménesi

László Sándor’s Fanfare for the Real Holy Trinity was the first piece performed at the Grand Opening Gala held on 22 October 2013, when the sounds of brass instruments broke the long silence in the magnificent building which had been closed for over 3 years for the major reconstruction. The piece is manifested in a delicately structured combination, symbolizing the deep religiousness of Liszt, and the holiness of the Academy building itself. Featuring brass students are Dénes Seidl, Balázs Havalda, Tamás Sipos, Jenő Lakatos, Bálint Képíró, Gergely Baráth, Bence Bodon, Barnabás Brindás, János Angyal, János Dobi and Viktor Sápi.

19 November 1923 was a very important day in the history of Hungarian music. The City Council of Budapest organized a gala concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the unification of Pest, Buda and Óbuda. Three well-known Hungarian musicians were invited to compose works for the festive event. Besides Dohnányi’s Festival Overture, two extremely important pieces were born; the Dance Suite by Béla Bartók and the Psalmus Hungaricus by Zoltán Kodály. Since then, all three works, but especially the latter two have become iconic compositions of 20th century Hungarian music.

The Dance Suite is a multicultural cycle of dance music with a message of unity among peoples. "My own idea, however – of which I have been fully conscious since I found myself as a composer – is the brotherhood of peoples, brotherhood in spite of all wars and conflicts. I try – to the best of my ability – to serve this idea in my music; therefore I don’t reject any influence, be it Slovakian, Romanian, Arabic or from any other source.

The source must only be clean, fresh and healthy!"

Its tone, apparatus and structure all make it more than a traditional suite. The themes are all Bartók’s own, based on folk tunes he collected.

The five dances contain Arabic (No. 1, 4), Hungarian (No. 2) mixed (No. 3) and undefinable, primeval (No. 5) melodies. All this is combined into a unified cycle by an extended rhythmic "verbunkos" (a passionate Hungarian dance and music motif) ritornello.

The Psalmus Hungaricus is a cry against injustice and oppression of the "innocent". By writing this piece, Kodály broke years of silence.

Based on the text of "Give ear to my prayer, oh God," the piece addresses the terrible aftermath of World War I and the deeply sorrowful events of Hungarian history in general. The musical dialogue of the voice and the choir – unifying the elements of historical songs and folk music – is a mixture of prayers, malediction, and hope.

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Here are the thoughts of tonight’s conductor Gergely Ménesi about the pieces: "We are all here in the sanctuary of the Academy to share our experiences and learn from each other. Our common purpose is to find and show the road to the deepest layers of music. So may the meditations of Liszt, the vigour of Bartók, and the silence of Kodály touch and purify our souls and allow us to become better people!"

Before becoming a conductor Gergely Ménesi (b. 1970) studied in different instrumental fields (violin, piano, organ) and sang in choirs. Since his graduation from the Liszt Academy in 1997, he has been linked to various renowned Hungarian and European orchestras. At the Liszt Academy he is currently the principal conductor of the Symphony Orchestra.

Tibor Szappanos (1978) is a lyric tenor. He comes from Transylvania, where he received his first musical training.

He graduated from the class of Éva Andor at the Liszt Academy in 2005, and made his debut in the State Opera during his study years. He is often invited to perform in operatic productions as well as in oratorios.

The Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra and Alma Mater Choir consist of current students and graduates of the Academy.

They toured in the Far-East in 2009, celebrated the Liszt bicentenary in Bayreuth in 2011, and visited Katowice in 2013.

As an initiative of the Zagreb and Budapest music academies, the Euphony project (a student orchestra comprised of students of the Central-European Music Academies – Budapest, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Graz, Beograd, Bucharest, and Vienna, conducted

by Zoltán Kocsis) was organized in 2011. Other world-renowned guest conductors such as Gábor Takács-Nagy, Peter Schreier and Helmut Rilling have conducted the students. In the 2014/2015 season they will play with Zoltán Kocsis, György Vashegyi, Ken‑Ichiro Kobayashi and Pinchas Steinberg in our Great Maestros series.

GERGELY MÉNESI AND THE LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA © ÁKOS STILLER 19

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IMPRESSUM PUBLISHER Dr. Andrea VIGH, President of the Liszt Academy

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Imre SZABÓ STEIN

WRITTEN BY Anna BELINSZKY, Beáta FURKA, Dániel MONA

SUPERVISED BY Gergely FAZEKAS

ENGLISH PROOFREADING Stewart HAY

PUBLICATION MANAGER Péter LORENZ

LAYOUT Allison Advertising Kft.

All colour photos were commissioned by Liszt Academy, credits as indicated.

Commissioned by the Communications Directorate of the Liszt Academy.

Finalized: 31 October 2014 Liszt Academy is supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources.

WWW.LISZTACADEMY.HU

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