Program leírás

Following his acclaimed debut last season, renowned Hungarian pianist János Balázs returns to Carnegie Hall for a solo recital honoring the legacy of György Cziffra, one of the 20th century’s legendary masters. Known for his technical brilliance, improvisational freedom, and expressive range, Cziffra redefined what was possible on the instrument and remains an enduring figure of artistic resilience. Channeling that same spirit, as part of the Cziffra Festival, Balázs brings a blend of depth, nuance, and effortless command to New York, showcasing the distinct identity of the Hungarian piano tradition. Steering clear of standard programming, Balázs offers a captivating selection of Romantic works. The evening opens with the warmth of Schumann’s Widmung (transcribed by Liszt) and the vivid storytelling of Carnaval. The music then flows through the energy of Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody, the elegance of Chopin’s Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise brillante, and Liszt’s iconic Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12, before concluding with a dramatic finish in Ravel’s La Valse. 

Supporter: National Cultural Fund

Featuring: János Balázs (piano), Lilla Horti (soprano), Szilvia Vörös (alto), Attila Fekete (tenor), Miklós Sebestyén (bass), Hungarian National Choir (choirmaster: Csaba Somos), Concerto Budapest

Conductor: András Keller

In 2027, the international music world will commemorate a major Beethoven anniversary.

On the 200th anniversary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest geniuses in the music history, the Cziffra Festival and Concerto Budapest invite audiences to a special jubilee gala in the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy, with Concerto Budapest Orchestra conducted by András Keller.

The concert starts with the overture to King Stephen, whose Hungarian-inspired motifs and slow verbunkos provide a unique connection between Beethoven and Hungarian culture. This is followed by the magnificent Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, the “Emperor”, composed amid the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars. From its majestic opening to the otherworldly serenity of its slow movement, the concerto remains one of the great masterpieces of the piano repertoire which will be performed by Kossuth Prize-winning pianist János Balázs.

The programme culminates in the monumental Symphony No. 9. Leading from struggle to joy, Beethoven’s masterpiece has become a universal hymn to human unity and freedom, and continues to speak to audiences with elemental power two centuries later also.

The Cziffra Festival’s prestigious professional awards will also be presented as part of the gala.

A gala concert of the Cziffra Festival, presented in collaboration with Concerto Budapest.

Supported by: Prime Minister’s Office, Bethlen Gábor Fund

Jointly presented by the Liszt Institute Brussels and the Cziffra Festival, this highly anticipated solo recital by internationally acclaimed pianist János Balázs promises a captivating musical journey. Renowned worldwide for his improvisational freedom, breathtaking virtuosity, and deep emotional expression, Balázs has curated a program featuring some of the most definitive and thrilling piano masterpieces of the 19th and 20th centuries, showcasing the infinite colors of his instrument. The first half of the evening shines a spotlight on Chopin. Audiences will be treated to the gently rocking, fairytale-like yet dramatic Nocturne in E-flat major, followed by the infectious Grande Valse Brillante, which beautifully captures the sparkling atmosphere of Parisian salons. The first half concludes with a monument of Romanticism: Liszt’s powerful piano transcription of Wagner’s Isolde’s Liebestod. The second half of the concert turns towards Spanish and Hungarian flair, driven by the obsessive dynamics of the dance. Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody unfolds as a nocturnal vision seasoned with Andalusian and Arabic rhythms, while his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 (dedicated to Joseph Joachim) offers a perfect blend of brooding melancholy and the stormy, sweeping energy of the csárdás. Bringing the evening to a spectacular close is Maurice Ravel’s masterpiece, La Valse. This apocalyptic, grotesque, and overwhelming vision of the Viennese waltz serves as a thrilling farewell to the imperial idyll of the 19th century.

A joint concert by the Cziffra Festival and the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Centre Brussels

Supporter: National Cultural Fund (Hungary)

Performers:

Emilia Hoving conductor
János Balázs piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Piano passion, Hungarian style: Emilia Hoving conducts Bartók, Kodály and Liszt.

“The forests, the cascading Danube, the wide, open fields… this is my homeland, this wild, untamed nation!” Franz Liszt never did anything by halves, and when he discovered the folk music of his native Hungary, his imagination caught fire.

That passionate spirit blazes through this sizzling concert from RPO Associate Conductor Emilia Hoving, a celebration of untamed rhythms, endless longing and melodies that tingle like paprika. Zoltán Kodály tells the tallest of musical fairytales, and his friend Bartók toasts the foundation of the city of Budapest, throwing a chain of dances right across the Danube.

But first, we’ll hear from Liszt himself – music by the greatest pianist who ever lived. No problem for our soloist, Hungarian pianist János Balázs: “I’m a real romantic,” he says.

This concert is jointly presented by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Cziffra Festival.

Supporters: National Cultural Fund, Ministry of Culture and Innovation

Three concerts. A single day. A single performer. A single oeuvre.

Sunday, 8 November, 11 am, 3 pm and 7 pm – Liszt Academy

The Great Liszt Marathon is a true world sensation, as János Balázs will perform Liszt’s 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, 12 Transcendental Études and 6 Paganini Études, several other significant Liszt compositions and the peak of his oeuvre: his Sonata in B minor. The commitment of pianist János Balázs is nothing less than to create a musical experience that is unique and unrepeatable through the oeuvre of the greatest musical artist of the Hungarian nation.

In the interpretation of Liszt’s oeuvre, it is not a mere set of sheet music, but an imprint of the entire human existence: from the youthful, virtuoso fire to the transcendent depths, from the rhapsodies of the Hungarian soul to the philosophical quest of later years. The marathon within the framework of the Cziffra Festival “squeezes” this infinite universe into one monumental day, which, according to János Balázs’s credo, is much more than a technical feat: it is a real spiritual initiation, during which the performer and the audience can walk together through the life-changing stages of Liszt’s life path. The concert stream conquers the most exhausting and, at the same time, the most beautiful peaks of piano literature. Already the diversity of the works in the opening – from the dramatic Dante Sonata and poetic Funerailles to the sparkling opera paraphrases and the Spanish folk music motifs – mobilises all the hidden reserves of the instrument, and later the 12 Transcendental and 6 Paganini Études will prove that challenging technical limits in Liszt’s oeuvre are always ennobled with deep spiritual content. At the end of the journey, after the flowing melodic stream of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, the large-scale Sonata in B minor brings tranquility, opening new doors for the audience. This day is an exceptional occasion for the most dedicated music lovers and discoverers to find answers to the eternal whys of the passion for piano playing in the interpretation of János Balázs. Also, for a concert, we pay tribute together to the spiritual legacy of György Cziffra, whose art launched not only János Balázs, but countless other artists as well on the path to musical fulfilment.

Three concerts. A single day. A single performer. A single oeuvre.

Sunday, 8 November, 11 am, 3 pm and 7 pm – Liszt Academy

The Great Liszt Marathon is a true world sensation, as János Balázs will perform Liszt’s 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, 12 Transcendental Études and 6 Paganini Études, several other significant Liszt compositions and the peak of his oeuvre: his Sonata in B minor. The commitment of pianist János Balázs is nothing less than to create a musical experience that is unique and unrepeatable through the oeuvre of the greatest musical artist of the Hungarian nation.

In the interpretation of Liszt’s oeuvre, it is not a mere set of sheet music, but an imprint of the entire human existence: from the youthful, virtuoso fire to the transcendent depths, from the rhapsodies of the Hungarian soul to the philosophical quest of later years. The marathon within the framework of the Cziffra Festival “squeezes” this infinite universe into one monumental day, which, according to János Balázs’s credo, is much more than a technical feat: it is a real spiritual initiation, during which the performer and the audience can walk together through the life-changing stages of Liszt’s life path. The concert stream conquers the most exhausting and, at the same time, the most beautiful peaks of piano literature. Already the diversity of the works in the opening – from the dramatic Dante Sonata and poetic Funerailles to the sparkling opera paraphrases and the Spanish folk music motifs – mobilises all the hidden reserves of the instrument, and later the 12 Transcendental and 6 Paganini Études will prove that challenging technical limits in Liszt’s oeuvre are always ennobled with deep spiritual content. At the end of the journey, after the flowing melodic stream of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, the large-scale Sonata in B minor brings tranquility, opening new doors for the audience. This day is an exceptional occasion for the most dedicated music lovers and discoverers to find answers to the eternal whys of the passion for piano playing in the interpretation of János Balázs. Also, for a concert, we pay tribute together to the spiritual legacy of György Cziffra, whose art launched not only János Balázs, but countless other artists as well on the path to musical fulfilment.

Three concerts. A single day. A single performer. A single oeuvre.

The Great Liszt Marathon is a true world sensation, as János Balázs will perform Liszt’s 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, 12 Transcendental Études and 6 Paganini Études, several other significant Liszt compositions and the peak of his oeuvre: his Sonata in B minor. The commitment of pianist János Balázs is nothing less than to create a musical experience that is unique and unrepeatable through the oeuvre of the greatest musical artist of the Hungarian nation.

In the interpretation of Liszt’s oeuvre, it is not a mere set of sheet music, but an imprint of the entire human existence: from the youthful, virtuoso fire to the transcendent depths, from the rhapsodies of the Hungarian soul to the philosophical quest of later years. The marathon within the framework of the Cziffra Festival “squeezes” this infinite universe into one monumental day, which, according to János Balázs’s credo, is much more than a technical feat: it is a real spiritual initiation, during which the performer and the audience can walk together through the life-changing stages of Liszt’s life path. The concert stream conquers the most exhausting and, at the same time, the most beautiful peaks of piano literature. Already the diversity of the works in the opening – from the dramatic Dante Sonata and poetic Funerailles to the sparkling opera paraphrases and the Spanish folk music motifs – mobilises all the hidden reserves of the instrument, and later the 12 Transcendental and 6 Paganini Études will prove that challenging technical limits in Liszt’s oeuvre are always ennobled with deep spiritual content. At the end of the journey, after the flowing melodic stream of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, the large-scale Sonata in B minor brings tranquility, opening new doors for the audience. This day is an exceptional occasion for the most dedicated music lovers and discoverers to find answers to the eternal whys of the passion for piano playing in the interpretation of János Balázs. Also, for a concert, we pay tribute together to the spiritual legacy of György Cziffra, whose art launched not only János Balázs, but countless other artists as well on the path to musical fulfilment.