Fülöp Ránki Piano Recital

Fülöp Ránki is one of the most sought-after pianists on the Hungarian concert scene; he is active both as a soloist and a chamber musician and also teaches at the Liszt Academy. The works of Franz Liszt are the cornerstone of his repertoire, and he has compiled the programme for this concert exclusively from his compositions. Usually, we associate with Liszt virtuosity and the Hungarian style, but he pursued completely different goals as a composer in the last decade and a half of his life: he was less and less concerned with dazzling his audience, turning his attention instead to more intimate expression, religious contemplation and musical innovation. Sancta Dorothea , Recueillement , the Slumber song from Christmas Tree, and the first Legend, St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds reveal Liszt’s profound, contemplative side. These stand in striking contrast to his demonic character pieces. The grotesque humour, dark tone and swirling dance rhythms of the Third Mephisto Waltz , Mephisto Polka , and Csárdás macabre render these works at once playful, ironic and unsettling. The programme concludes with the brilliant Spanish Rhapsody , whose dazzling virtuosity recalls the celebrated piano virtuoso.