EuroLiszt Festival | “Gypsy or Franciscan?”

Day I (October 17)

13:00 | Concert No. 1

Thomas Kelly (piano, United Kingdom) | Laureate of the 2026 Liszt Utrecht Competition
Featuring the winner of the Lisztofonija V competition, Simonas Miknius

GYPSY OR FRANCISCAN?

This question became the motto of the inaugural EuroLiszt Festival. And it would perhaps be difficult to conceive a more fitting question for Franz Liszt.

Throughout his life, Liszt dwelled in the in-between: between the stage and silence, between intoxicating virtuosic brilliance and spiritual yearning, between the salons of Europe and an inward turn toward the human soul. Yet Liszt was never either–or, but rather both–and.

Today, we will gaze upon this multifaceted Liszt through five works. Our journey begins with Lisztofonija—a competition born in Lithuania a decade ago, dedicated to helping young pianists discover their own relationship with Liszt’s oeuvre. Simonas Miknius, the winner of the fifth Lisztofonija, becomes the first performer of this festival, opening EuroLiszt with the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9, “Pesther Carneval.”

Here we meet the Liszt whom nineteenth-century Europe knew first and foremost—an extraordinary pianist, a man of the stage, a charmer of audiences. Yet his Hungarian identity was never a closed category. Liszt traveled between cultures, absorbing diverse musical, literary, and spiritual influences. Perhaps this is the truest form of Europeanism: not to belong to a single culture, but to be capable of embracing another, transforming it, and passing it on.

The main guest of this concert is British pianist Thomas Kelly, laureate of the second prize at the 2026 Liszt Utrecht competition. His program reveals the differing faces of Liszt: “Les Préludes,” where Lamartine’s metaphor of life as a series of preludes becomes music; “Orpheus,” speaking to the power of art; and Weber’s “Konzertstück,” revealing Liszt as an ambassador for the music of other creators.

Following the intermission, the Fantasy and Fugue on “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” will carry us even further—through the music of Liszt and Meyerbeer into Ferruccio Busoni’s 1897 solo piano version. Liszt’s music steps beyond his own epoch and reaches us here.

So let us return to the question: Gypsy or Franciscan?

Gypsy and Franciscan.

The very same man who wrote the “Pesther Carneval” and “Ad nos.” The very same man who was the greatest stage star of his epoch and
sought that which lay beyond virtuosic brilliance.

From carnival to prayer.
From virtuoso to thinker.
From one culture to another.
From human to human.

Eglė Andrejevaitė, pianist, active member of the Lisztuania association, curator of the Lisztofonija competition

F. Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 (“Pesther Carneval”) – Simonas Miknius

F. Liszt – “Les Préludes”, S. 511a

F. Liszt / F. Spiro – “Orpheus” (solo version), S. 511b

C. M. von Weber / F. Liszt – “Konzertstück”, S. 576a

– – – – Intermission – – – –

F. Liszt – Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam”, S. 259

Concert presented by pianist, active member of the Lisztuania association, and Lisztofonija competition curator – Eglė Andrejevaitė.

18:00 | Concert No. 2

Attila Szaniszló (piano, Hungary)

This evening, in the second concert of the day, we will hear a program by the young Hungarian pianist Attila Szaniszló, where two faces of Liszt converge: Liszt the poet and genius of programmatic music in the first half, and Liszt the Hungarian, the astounding virtuoso in the second.

“Gypsy or Franciscan?” – imagine the magnitude of the man of whom we can ask such a question.

All his life, Liszt journeyed between the external and internal worlds. He believed in the extraordinary power of music and sought constantly to transcend its boundaries. “My sole ambition as a musician has been and will be to hurl my lance into the boundless realms of the future,” he once said.

His virtuosity was never merely a display of technique. Liszt searched for new possibilities and a new musical language. And he used his immense authority to help others—organizing charity concerts, supporting hospitals, orphanages, and educational institutions.

Liszt was also a kind of “live radio” of the nineteenth century. More than half of his output consists of transcriptions, paraphrases, and arrangements. For audiences in smaller towns, these were often the only opportunity to hear famous operas, Beethoven’s symphonies, or Schubert’s songs. He popularized the music of other composers, giving it a new resonance.

Yet at just 35, Liszt decided to end his successful career as a touring pianist. From Paris, he moved to quiet Weimar, where he became the theater’s musical director and orchestral conductor. Here he found the silence necessary for creation, and his decade in Weimar became one of the most productive periods of his life. Here were born the famous Hungarian Rhapsodies, the “Mephisto Waltz,” the Ballades, and other works.

In Weimar, Liszt did not only compose—he organized festivals, conducted, and introduced audiences to the music of Berlioz, Wagner, and others. Yet after ten years, another turning point occurred in his life.

Between 1859 and 1862, Liszt suffered painful personal losses—two of his children passed away, and his planned marriage to Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein in Rome did not take place. The “Ave Maria,” which we will hear in the first part of the concert, was composed precisely during this period.

Seeking answers to existential questions and spiritual peace, Liszt retreated to a monastery. In 1865, he received the tonsure and minor orders, becoming Abbé Liszt.

But this was not an abandonment of music. Later returning to Weimar, he devoted more and more attention to pedagogy, urging young musicians to seek individuality, meaning, and to “set goals from within, not from without.”

Once, a student asked: “Maestro, where does this fabulous technique of yours come from?” Liszt replied: “When I am not inspired by the spirit, I am truly just an ordinary man.”

Perhaps this is the secret of Liszt—the moment when what matters most is not what you do, but what can happen through you. When it is not you playing the music, but you allowing the music to sound through you.

Let us listen.

Emilija Žukauskaitė, pianist, active member of the Lisztuania association

F. Liszt – Ballade No. 2, S. 171

F. Liszt – “Ave Maria (Die Glocken von Rom)”, S. 182

F. Liszt – “Sancta Dorothea”, S. 187

F. Liszt – “Réminiscences de Norma”, S. 394

– – – – Intermission – – – –

F. Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15, S. 244/15

F. Liszt – “Mephisto Waltz” No. 1, S. 514

F. Schubert / F. Liszt – “Ständchen”, S. 558/9

F. Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 7, S. 244/7

F. Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6, S. 244/6

Concert presented by the president of the Lisztuania association, founder and artistic director of the EuroLiszt festival – Prof. Mūza Rubackytė.

Day II (October 18)

16:00 | Concert No. 3 – Festival Finale

Mūza Rubackytė (piano, Lithuania / France / Switzerland)
Rasa Gelgotienė (conductor), Vilnius University Joint Choir | Soloists – LMTA Solo Singing Department Master’s Students: Gabrielė Andrulevičiūtė (soprano), Vakarė Banuškevičiūtė (mezzo-soprano), Ignas Ščesnulevičius (tenor), Ervinas Jasevičius (bass)

Regarding her “Passacaglia,” written around 1995 during her first year of composition studies at the LMTA, composer Raminta Šerkšnytė writes: “This small piece was composed on the eve of Easter and reflects the heavy and oppressive mood of Good Friday. The piece is based on the motif F sharp-A-G sharp-B. As the work progresses and the tension builds, this motif is transposed ever upward. And at the climax, it is heard in a different form—in chords built of thirds, reminiscent of the tolling of echoing bells.” Lithuanian National Prize laureate Professor Mūza Rubackytė, who includes this work in her recital programs, responds: “The passacaglia is an ancient musical form originating from a Spanish processional dance. According to the composer, it was inspired by Čiurlionis, as well as the theme of the Stations of the Cross. For me, Šerkšnytė’s ‘Passacaglia’ recalls Liszt’s ‘Funérailles.’ ‘Via Crucis,’ which you will hear … in the concert, is an incredibly modern, one might say futuristic work, and so this connection is entirely justified both musically and spiritually. Liszt, freely paraphrasing Goethe, said: ‘Even at the end of the road, the only worthy behavior is to look forward.’ We believe that, following the innovativeness of Liszt’s personality, the inclusion of a contemporary Lithuanian piece in the festival is natural…”

One of Franz Liszt’s latest works—the cycle “Via Crucis”—was inspired by the story of the Stations of the Cross. The composition consists of the introduction Vexilla Regis (The Royal Banners Forward Go) and the 14 Stations of the Cross. It is a musical prayer, inspired by the painter Friedrich Overbeck’s depictions of the Stations, contemplating the path of Jesus’s passion.

The late period of Liszt’s life provides the historical context for this composition. Personal crises around 1859–1860—the death of his son and the conflict over his unrealized marriage to Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein—led Liszt to Rome. In Rome, he deepened his studies of Gregorian chant and hoped to obtain a position at the Sistine Chapel, but faced resistance from the Roman Curia. Deeply spiritual since his youth and feeling a strong connection to the Franciscan Order, in 1865 he received the tonsure and the four minor orders, committing himself to praying the breviary daily. The once-beloved of the Parisian salons, the ever-fashionable pianist, was henceforth met in a cassock and called Abbé Liszt. This caused rumors and mockery in Paris. His friend, the composer Hector Berlioz, and his daughter Cosima Wagner distanced themselves from him due to his “exaggerated piety.” Liszt himself emphasized that he did not seek a career as a priest. During this period, the cross of Franz Liszt’s own life grew heavy. In late 1868, the opportunity finally arose to realize his desire to retreat from public life. Staying with Cardinal Hohenlohe at his Villa d’Este in Tivoli, he found peace for the first time in a long while and was able to work undisturbed. In the later part of his life, the composer again traveled frequently between Weimar, Rome, and Budapest. Since his first return to Hungary, Liszt increasingly felt a connection to his homeland and the Hungarian people, who considered him “their” composer and celebrated his works more than anywhere else in Europe. It was precisely during this active period that the composition “Via Crucis” was born. The work was begun in Rome in 1878 and completed in 1879
in Budapest.

Dominykas Girčius, tonmeister, active member of the Lisztuania association

R. Šerkšnytė – “Passacaglia” for solo piano

F. Liszt – “Via Crucis”
Introduction: Vexilla Regis (The Royal Banners Forward Go)
Station I: Jesus is condemned to death
Station II: Jesus takes up his cross
Station III: Jesus falls the first time
Station IV: Jesus meets his Mother
Station V: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross
Station VI: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Station VII: Jesus falls the second time
Station VIII: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
Station IX: Jesus falls the third time
Station X: Jesus is stripped of his garments
Station XI: Jesus is nailed to the cross
Station XII: Jesus dies on the cross
Station XIII: Jesus is taken down from the cross
Station XIV: Jesus is laid in the tomb

Concert presented by Lisztuania director Šarūnas Leonas.

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