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Born October 22, 1811, composer, pianist and conductor Franz
Liszt counts as one of the musical greats of the 19th century.
He spent years touring Europe, during which he forged special
relationships with many German towns and regions. On a number of
occasions, for example, Liszt wowed Dresden’s audiences with his
virtuoso performances. In 2011, the Dresden State Orchestra of
Saxony, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Dresden Music Festival and
the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden will
honour him with a variety of concerts at such venues as the
Church of Our Lady and the Semper Opera House (www.dresden.de).
Liszt also had a great following in Leipzig, Berlin and Hamburg,
as well as in Weimar, in Thuringia, where he was ultimately
appointed kapellmeister extraordinaire to the Grand Duke. His
years in Weimar proved his most prolific. Besides composing, he
worked as a conductor and taught many budding pianists.
The influence of Liszt's work spread to other regional towns,
above all to Sondershausen, Meiningen and Eisenach. That’s why
celebrations for this exceptional musician will take place
throughout Thuringia in 2011, one theme focussing on Liszt as
the musical heir to Weimar’s literary Classicism.
The star event on Thuringia's events calendar, the "Überlisztet"
festival takes place from 21 June to 9 July 2011.
Simultaneously, the Weimar Liszt Museum will mount a special
exhibition, called "Franz Liszt - a European in Weimar". (www.liszt-2011.de).
Canadian visitors looking to follow Liszt’s trail through
Germany next year should include a trip to Cologne. In September
1842, he gave a concert in this city on the Rhine to celebrate
the laying of the foundation stone that marked Cologne
Cathedral's completion.
Liszt also played in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and
St. Lawrence in Merseburg, on the Romanesque Route near Leipzig.
Treasures inside the cathedral include Germany's largest
Romantic organ, on which he performed his Prelude and Fugue on
B-A-C-H for the first time in 1856.
Thirty years later, on 3 August 1886, the composer was laid to
rest in northern Bavaria, in Bayreuth's town cemetery. To
celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth, the town will host
150 different events in 2011 (www.bayreuth.de).
For more details, an overview of the 2011 Liszt-related events
and for general travel information on Germany, please visit
www.germany.travel.
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