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Visegrad jubilee 2011Franz Liszt - born 1811
The highlight of the Visegrad Jubilee program was a gala concert at St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle on October 22, 2011, the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt birth, presenting Liszt’s Oratorio Christ in the arrangement of Zdeněk Pololánik.
Miroslava Časarová, soprano Alžběta Vomáčková, mezzosoprano Štěpán Eliáš, tenor Jiří Poláček, bass Martin Švehla, recitation Josef Kšica, organ Liszt’s Oratorio was composed during 1856-1866 and had its world premiere in Weimar in 1973. Originally it was a very extensive composition, with texts from the Bible and Catholic liturgy. For the Visegrad Jubilee concert, the work was shorted and arranged by Zdeněk Pololánik, for choir, soloists and organ. The St. Vitus concert was the world premiere or this arrangement.
Here is a photogallery from the concert and reception.
Project partners:
International Dvořák Society
Ján Cikker Museum
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
Academy of Music in Krakov
This project was realized with the financial assistence of the following institutions:
 Mezinárodní visegrádský fond Kráľovské údolie 8, 811 02 Bratislava, Slovensko www.visegradfund.org www.visegradgroup.eu This project was endorsed by:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czech Republic
This project reflects the fact that the year 2011 celebrated the birthday anniversaries of three leading composers from three Visegrad countries. Through concerts and lectures and a piano competition, we wish to celebrate not only their works, but also to highlight their relationships, which fundamentally influenced more than a century of music history in Central Europe.
The founders of Polish and Hungarian music, Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt, were fast friends. Both were pianists. Liszt is still today considered the greatest pianist in history, and Chopin an unsurpassed master of piano improvisation. Their piano compositions form a pillar of world piano literature. While Chopin wrote mostly for this instrument, Liszt in addition contributed to organ, orchestra, and choral music. Lizst significantly influenced the development of musical history with his theory of "Programme music", where the composition abandons traditional musical forms and is formed on the basis of extra-musical forms, often of a literary nature. This principle (which was actually anticipated by Chopin) was later adopted by Czech composers and led to the creation of fundamental Czech national compositions. Smetana's cycle of six symphonic poems "My Homeland" (Má vlast) is not only the most important cornerstone of Czech national music, but also the most prominent example of this type in the history of music. Antonín Dvořák also subscribed to this theory and used it for his 15 compositions for orchestra (symphonic poems, rhapsodies, and overtures) and in a few other smaller compositions.
Antonín Dvořák and Ján Cikker have many attributes in common. Both belong to the founders of their respective national musical traditions (Czech and Slovak), both developed from folk music. Their portfolios are predominantly operatic (both wrote 11 operas) and symphonic (both wrote more than 20 compositions for symphonic orchestras). Both were also influential teachers. They taught composition at the best schools in Prague and Bratislava. The most significant of Dvořák's students was Vítěslav Novák, who also took an interest in Slovak music. This project is primarily focused on the two "big" jubilees: Franz Liszt and Ján Cikker. Seven of the nine concerts are dedicated to them. Because of the fact that Ján Cikker cannot be found on concert programs in the Czech Republic, this reminder of his work has served as a dramaturgical discovery.
Surprisingly, Franz Liszt's organ work is not common here either, in spite of it being among the top of world organ literature. As with the former, this also constituted a dramaturgical enrichment of concert life in the Czech Republic.
Concerts:March 23, 6 p.m.
Slovakian Bohdan Warchal Chamber Orchestra with art director Ewald Danel, with solists Ján Hajnal - piano, Peter Michalica - violin.
April 5, 2.30 p.m.
May 3, 2.30 p.m.
July 25, 2.30 p.m.
October 4, 2.30 p.m.
October 7, 7.30 p.m.
October 8, 6 p.m.
October 9, 6 p.m.
October 22, 7:30 p.m.
Musicology konferenceMay 27
Lecturers:
Piano CompetitionMay 27 - 29
Jurors:
Works of Visegrad composers for childern |
