Songs by Ferenc Liszt and Imre Széchényi A Zeneakadémia saját szervezésű programja

Ferenc Liszt’s lyric poetry oeuvre illustrates the life-long openness of the maestro combined with a spirit accepting of other languages and cultures. Of the Liszt songs sung in a total of five languages, probably the most representative at this concert are those with German and French lyrics written to poems by Goethe, Heine and Victor Hugo. Although Hungarian audiences rarely hear these Liszt works, the true discoveries of the programme must be the songs by Count Imre Széchényi (1825–1898). Nephew of István Széchenyi and a young contemporary of Liszt, Széchényi was a diplomat; compositions by this cultured aristocrat were once almost unknown to musicologists. Now, thankfully, we have the opportunity to hear a few of his works composed to German and French poems. These works are sung by two talented young artists with strong ties to the Liszt Academy, the soprano Lilla Horti and the tenor Botond Ódor, with sensitive and inspiring piano accompaniment from Emese Virágh. Host and teacher Sándor Kovács promises the audience plenty of background information and many entertaining moments.