On October 17–18, Paliesius Manor will host the inaugural international piano music festival, the EuroLiszt Festival, directed by the world-renowned pianist Mūza Rubackytė.
The festival’s theme, “Gypsy or Franciscan?”, invites a closer look at Ferenc Liszt—not merely as a virtuoso of Romanticism, but as a European, a humanist, a modernist, and a profound figure who wove together diverse cultures, spiritual ideas, and artistic currents.
The festival will feature pianists from Lithuania, the United Kingdom, and Hungary. For the closing concert, M. Rubackytė, joined by the Vilnius University Joint Choir and young Lithuanian vocalists, will perform “Via Crucis”—one of Liszt’s most striking sacred works.
At the heart of the festival lies Liszt’s persona and his era—a time when music flowed freely across borders, and the composer himself emerged as one of the earliest radiant stars of European culture. He immersed himself in diverse cultures, literature, religion, and the arts, conversing with intellectuals, artists, and aristocrats. His own compositions became a confluence of theatricality, virtuosity, modernist ideas, and deep spirituality. The underlying dichotomy in the festival’s title, “Gypsy or Franciscan?”, explores the many fascinating masks worn by Liszt.
The setting of the festival is no coincidence. In the 19th century, music resonated not only within lavish concert halls but also in private salons, aristocratic homes, and manors. It was precisely in these intimate environments that the composer would perform and converse with the cultural elite of Europe. Paliesius Manor seeks to revive this very tradition: here, music fills an intimate space, allowing musician and listener to connect not merely through sound, but from the heart.
The festival’s artistic director, M. Rubackytė, is one of Lithuania’s most distinguished pianists, having lived and created between Lithuania, France, and Switzerland for over three decades. She has performed in the world’s most prestigious halls—London’s “Wigmore Hall”, Amsterdam’s “Concertgebouw”, Buenos Aires’ “Teatro Colón”, Tokyo’s “Casals Hall”, and beyond—and has collaborated with orchestras across Europe, South America, the US, and Asia.
Her discography features more than 30 internationally acclaimed CDs, while her repertoire encompasses over 40 programs. The pianist is also a laureate of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts, and has been decorated with orders and medals from Lithuania and abroad.
F. Liszt holds a truly special place in M. Rubackytė’s artistic life: she has performed his complete “Years of Pilgrimage” cycle and “Transcendental Études”, toured with projects devoted to the composer’s oeuvre, and in 2017 founded the “Lisztofonija” piano competition, encouraging young musicians to delight in his works. She is also the president of the Liszt association “LISZTuania” and the founder and artistic director of the Vilnius Piano Festival, which has been held since 2009. In 2024, the documentary film “Mūza”, centered on the pianist, was nominated for three “Silver Crane” awards.
The festival will feature performances not only by M. Rubackytė, but also by young pianists who have distinguished themselves in international competitions. On the first day, British pianist Thomas Kelly, a finalist of the 2026 International F. Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht, will take the stage. Performing alongside him will be “Lisztofonija V” winner Simonas Miknius, and the evening’s program will be continued by Hungarian pianist Attila Szaniszló, who has been studying at the F. Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest since the age of thirteen. Both young musicians share a deep love for Liszt’s compositions and experience in international competitions.
The ultimate highlight of the program will undoubtedly be the festival’s finale: on October 18, M. Rubackytė will perform Raminta Šerkšnytė’s “Passacaglia”, and together with the Vilnius University Joint Choir (conductor Rasa Gelgotienė) and master’s students from the LMTA Department of Solo Singing, the aforementioned “Via Crucis” by F. Liszt.
The inaugural “EuroLiszt Festival” at Paliesius Manor will offer a deeply emotive encounter with Liszt’s music, the ideas of his era, and the musicians of today. The festival’s program will invite listeners to experience the many faces of Liszt—from the virtuosic romantic to the serene cleric—and will serve as a gentle reminder that music, much like the composer himself, has never recognized borders.
More about the concert: 10.17 – 10.18 | EuroLiszt Festival | “Gypsy or Franciscan?”
Source: Lrytas.lt