Erkel and Liszt

Erkel and Liszt were the main pillars of the art music life in the 19th century Pest-Buda. Similarly to István Széchenyi’s Chain Bridge, connecting the prestigious Buda side with and the bourgeois city of Pest, the two musicians created in Hungary a permanent link between traditional Hungarian and contemporary European art music.

Liszt Performances Rehearsed by Ferenc Erkel and Sándor Erkel

Most of Liszt’s symphonic works were performed by the Philharmonic Society, led by Ferenc Erkel and from 1876 by Sándor Erkel. Liszt suggested the idea of the ensemble to the Doppler brothers during their visit to Weimar in June 1853. In December, the brothers had already informed him that Erkel had taken over the idea of creating an ensemble. Among Liszt’s symphonic works, Ferenc Erkel had premiered the Hungarian Fantasia and the symphonic poems entitled Hungaria in 1853 and 1856 respectively, and the Dante Symphony in 1865. Liszt was well aware of the extraordinary importance of Erkel’s work. He held the opera Hunyadi László in high esteem; he would have premiered it in Weimar, if he had succeeded in persuading Erkel to send him the score of the opera. He also took part in the 200th performance of the opera in 1874. Sándor Erkel performed Liszt’s works on a yearly basis and was responsible for the Hungarian premiere of the Faust Symphony in 1888.

Curated by Adrienne Kaczmarczyk and Katalin Kim