Art lecture on Franz Liszt

The Beek en Donk Senior Citizens' Association is holding an art lecture on Franz Liszt.

The lecture will take place at the Community Center and will be given by Boudewijn Hopman.

Franz Liszt was born in Raiding (Hungary). His great musical talent was already evident at the age of 6. At the age of 9, he gave his first concert in Ödenburg, which was a great success. In 1823, the family moved to Paris. Franz was not admitted to the conservatory because he was a foreigner. It is suspected that the director of the conservatory, Luigi Cherubini, disliked child prodigies. As a pianist, he can therefore be considered largely self-taught. In 1827, his father Adam passed away. This was a huge blow for Franz. His failed relationship with Caroline de Saint-Cricq did not help matters either. He soon suffered from depression. He immersed himself in literature and religion, which profoundly influenced his compositions in later times. With the outbreak of the (French) Revolution of 1830, a turning point occurred, causing him to throw himself back into music with full devotion, as if he had been shaken awake by the roar of cannons.

Liszt had a liaison with the writer Marie Catherine Sophie de Flavigny, Countess d’Agoult. They had two daughters, including Cosima. She married Richard Wagner. Franz Liszt's relationship with Marie d’Agoult came to an end, partly due to his frequent long absences and his open flirting with other women. In 1840, he performed in Königsberg and received an honorary doctorate from the university. He also gave a concert for the Russian Tsarina. Between 1842 and 1848, Liszt traveled through Europe and visited Russia, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey. In 1848, Franz Liszt settled in Weimar, where he was active as a conductor and composer. In 1859, he was ennobled by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, but he never used that noble title. He died in Bayreuth in 1886 at the age of 74.

Liszt was one of the greatest piano virtuosos of all time, strongly influenced by the music of Paganini, Chopin, and Berlioz, among others. Liszt and Wagner maintained a close bond; they were contemporaries and composers, and through his marriage to Liszt’s youngest daughter, Cosima, Wagner became Liszt’s son-in-law. Focus this afternoon on: Ave Verum, Declamatorium; Der Traurige Mönch, Der Totentanz, Piano Concerto No. 1, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. You will be handed out texts; remember your reading glasses! Costs are . including coffee/tea. Please register via the website of the Beek en Donk Senior Citizens' Association.