Liszt, our contemporary
The crises of values that are sometimes the inevitable concomitants of changes in our world often first affect the spirits that have the most direct influence. Despite the fact that for many he is the symbol of artistic freedom, there are still quite a few who do not acknowledge, or belittle the enormous significance of Franz Liszt in the history of music, or even try to deny it. It is impossible here to set out the reasons for this. One thing is certain: Liszt’s music is always a challenge for musicians, above all forcing them to adopt a position. To be equal to this challenge: this is in effect the story of music in the second half of the 19thcentury and the first half of the 20th, which is in itself remarkable. But the art of Franz Liszt is far more than that. Everywhere, from his tiniest little sketches to his major works, we find the unmistakable, immediately recognisable individual voice that is the mark of the greatest creative artists. However many periods we divide his work into, each of them is characterised by this attitude that can only come from a wholly sovereign artistic position. That a considerable part of this gigantic body of work popularises not his own ideas but the activity of other musicians is only icing on the cake, an irrefutable argument against the efforts of those who from time to time try to besmirch Liszt’s character and work. None of his fellow musicians could boast of a comparable aesthetic vision, tolerance or empathy. Whether he used his own musical ideas or those of others, he always does so on a grand scale, with style, refined taste and an al fresco attitude in the noblest sense.
Those who wish to see and present Liszt merely in the context of the history of the development of music are greatly mistaken. It is true that without Liszt’s work the generation that followed him, studded with names that still shine brightly, would have been very different and perhaps even the present state of music would be different. In this sense he is our constant contemporary, but this is not the sole reason for the importance of his achievements. The great innovator, the unquestionable artist of form, seemingly out to provoke, in reality is no stranger to equilibrium. It is clear from his works that the composer often accused by contemporary critics as being an empty virtuoso, is immeasurably more than that: he is a true poet. And if we add that all this can be said of our compatriot, who manifested his Hungarian identity not in mere poses but in actions of inestimable value taken for the advancement of music in Hungary, besides feeling a quiet sense of pride we must perform his compositions as often and as authentically as possible in tribute to his defining contribution to universal cultural history, or – in the words of Béla Bartók – to the greatness of the creative power of Franz Liszt.
Zoltán Kocsis
General Music Director
Hungarian National Philharmonic
