Franz Liszt's Faust Symphony and Béla Bartók's Rhapsody No. 1 and Rhapsody No. 2 are performed at the Golden Age – Ybl211 concert, dedicated to the architect of the Opera House, on 15 March 2025. The concert is presented by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus, violinist Lilia Pocitari, and tenor Boldizsár László under the baton of principal guest conductor Péter Halász. The OPERA's partner for the event is the Ybl Association.
Faust's dramatic story, depicting a scholar who seeks to uncover the nature of existence by making a pact with the devil, had a profound impact on 19th-century Romanticism and inspired many composers. Although Liszt was reluctant to embrace Goethe’s play due to its weak-willed protagonist, his years as a conductor at the Weimar court brought him closer to the works of the late poet, who had been supported by the ducal family. After decades of postponement, he completed his three-movement Faust Symphony in just two months in 1854. With minor additions, the piece premiered in Weimar in 1857, conducted by Liszt himself, on the occasion of the unveiling of the Goethe and Schiller monument.
The movements of the 75-minute symphony portray the three main characters of the drama musically: Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles. One of Faust’s themes, representing the tormented scholar searching for the mysteries of the world, is the first in the history of notated music to traverse all twelve tones of the chromatic scale. Marguerite embodies purity, carrying within her the power of redemption, while Mephistopheles, who holds a mirror to creation, is depicted through a distortion and mockery of Faust’s theme – only to be ultimately overcome by Marguerite. The work concludes with a tenor solo and male chorus in the Chorus Mysticus, whose text, borrowed from the drama, also appears in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. Ballet enthusiasts may also recognize the first movement of Liszt’s symphony, as John Lanchbery incorporated Faustian motifs into the score of the ballet Mayerling, to depict Crown Prince Rudolf’s obsession and self-destruction.
Principal guest conductor Péter Halász considers Faust Symphony one of the most important musical works of the 19th century due to its pioneering innovations: "The piece’s approach to harmony and certain orchestration techniques had a tremendous influence on its contemporaries, especially on Liszt’s close friend, Wagner. This monumental and highly transcendent yet easily accessible work is one of my personal favorites." At the March 15 performance, the tenor solo is performed by Boldizsár László, with the participation of the male chorus of the Hungarian State Opera Chorus (chorus director: Gábor Csiki).
Before the intermission, Bartók’s Rhapsody No. 1 and Rhapsody No. 2 feature in the programme. Both compositions, originally written for violin and piano around the same time, last approximately 10 minutes and incorporate folk motifs from Maros-Torda and Temes counties. The more complex Rhapsody No. 2 also reflects influences from the Szatmár region and Ruthenian music. Orchestral versions of these works were arranged in 1929. Notably, Rhapsody No. 1 is unique within Bartók’s vast oeuvre as the only piece to feature the cimbalom, while Rhapsody No. 2 highlights percussion instruments more prominently.
The soloist for the two rhapsodies on 15 March is a young Moldovan violinist, Lilia Pocitari, winner of the 2023 Budapest Bartók World Competition. In her introduction before the competition final, she shared that performing Bartók’s Rhapsody No. 1 in Hungary, alongside her mother, cimbalom artist Natalia Pocitari, had been a lifelong dream. Inspired by her passion, jury member Péter Halász initiated her invitation to this concert and now eagerly looks forward to their collaboration.
Since the 2014 bicentenary of Miklós Ybl’s birth, it has become a tradition for the Hungarian State Opera to honour the architect of the Opera House with a symphonic concert featuring works by composers who were Ybl’s contemporaries in early spring.
Photos by Jesse Lindenberg / Szilvia Csibi / László Emmer
