Bogányi: ’I want more Liszt’

- Don’t you feel today, on the 29th of June, like someone who is arriving at half distance of a long Liszt Marathon spanning over the year?

- In the middle of life... This year is certainly and foremostly about Ferenc Liszt. And that is absolutely right, and I am devoting myself to it completely. It takes a lot of energy, but it also gives me a lot back, and this way I’ll continue to the end of the year. Some of us have not waited for the bicentenary of Liszt to arrive to play his works regularly. I want to play a lot of his works, as I have always done.

- Of course my question also meant to evoke the wonderful series of concerts which you gave at the end of last year, playing a Chopin Marathon over the course of ten concerts in two days. As if nothing happened, you turned over and started playing Liszt this year. But you did have to readjust your repertoire, didn’t you?

- That’s exactly how it has been, yes. You see, there is a prehistory to the Chopin series. All my life I have been studying and performing the works of Chopin, but there was hardly any time to turn to the works of Liszt. Once I played a concert series devoted to Chopin in the States. I played all his works for piano, just as I did in Budapest, but not during two days - you see, one should only do crazy things once in his life. But it was not much easier to play them during ten days, either. On the eleventh, as if playing an encore, I played each Etudes Transcendent of Liszt, as I was starting to warm up for the Liszt anniversary. I have for long had many works of Liszt on my repertoire. Partly in order to be prepared for the time when the Liszt anniversary arrives, and to know what I want to play. I have worked out four solo piano recital programmes, rather long, rather complete and difficult programmes, that I started to play everywhere from January onwards.

- Today’s programme is also very telling. It consists of not just Liszt, but also transcriptions of his from works by Chopin as well as  Schumann and Schubert. The four gods of romantic literature are played within one framework in the Lotz-Hall.

- That is right, yes. You see, there is a lot of thinking and cracking one’s head behind these programmes. Today’s programme might have been easier from one point of view, only, that it has been selected from all the four different full-night programmes that I have been playing. But as you say, the programme has an underlying concept, nevertheless. People tend to forget, who generous a person Liszt was, how deeply that determined his thinking. His absolute generosity made him help everyone, all the time, all his life. He never asked for any compensation, or for money, just helped. In the wake of this he also popularised the works of other geniuses, such as Beethoven or Schubert. And not only did he choose to perform their works but he also popularised them through transcriptions for the piano, songs, paraphrases of symphonies, and so on. You see, at that time there was no i-pad or pen-drive, so he chose this way of popularising the works of others. And he gave everything he had into these works, he revered the works of his colleagues so much. I don’t know any transcription of his that would have been made with a selfish aim. To every one of them he was able to add a genial, essential matter. I am not saying that the Erlkönig by Schubert or any other works of his are not perfect, of course they are, but the transcription of Liszt added a new sound, a new kind of presence, an added component. I love the transcriptions of Liszt, not only for the genius of the original work, but also for the added genius of Liszt. These works radiate his generous attitude, how elegantly he touched these works, and how deep-thinking and attentive, in fact lovingly caring he was.

- You are known for always being prepared to make a step, a gesture towards the audience. To what extent were you supported in this approach of yours by the fact that Hungary found itself in a showcase position from the start of the year, as Hungary was holding the acting presidency of the EU. And you were invited to play Liszt on the occasion in Dubai and Athens, London and Wiesbaden, Helsinki and Ljubljana, among other places.

- This comes from my inner stance, from a deep inner motivation. The principle, of course, is, that music is international. And, anyway, you have to go for it. Indeed, on the 4th of January, which happens to be my birthday, I flew to Dubai, and have hardly stopped ever since, played concerts everywhere since. Mostly music of Liszt, and I was very happy to be able to do that. Two weeks ago in the village of Zebegény, north of Budapest I played at the vernissage of the Liszt exhibition of the local library. Earlier I played in China, where I am going to return before the end of the summer. I was invited to places like Mexico, I’ll also got the States again. I am rather strengthened and not made tired by the immense pace of touring, as I am serving a noble aim. It just recharges my batteries by the time I got to go on.

- Did you have time left to think about your future plans, after the Liszt-anniversary, to coordinate you activities, for example playing with your chamber music partners? What do you long for after Liszt?

- I am longing for more Liszt after the anniversary. I have found that out in the meantime, though I always knew that to some extent. But now this is how I am planning it to be. The art of Liszt is so amazingly deep, and so true, and worthy, and noble and high-ranking. Even us, pianists do not always know how gigantic the heritage of Liszt is, and what a high niveau it always represents. I encounter miracles through the works of Liszt everyday, and I would even be glad to be able to record them, especially now, that I am so immersed in them. However there is yet no date set for a recording, because the tight touring schedules do not allow that. Speaking about chamber music, I have clear plans as I am playing more and more with my friend and partner, violin player Kristóf Baráti abroad and at home, and I enjoy that immensely. We have great plans, as far as both the concerts and the recordings are concerned.