One man’s name on your music, and it would be on every piano.
Franz Liszt, to Marie Jaëll
With the presence of Nike Wagner, guest of honour, descendant of Cosima Liszt and Richard Wagner.
During this 22nd edition of the Lisztomanias in Châteauroux, located near George Sand’s house, whom Liszt loved and frequented – he came to Nohant twice – we will evoke the women the composer admired, whether they were friends, pupils or performers, and who marked his life. In particular Marie d’Agoult, Caroline de Sayn-Wittgenstein, Pauline Viardot, Clara Schumann and others. Not forgetting Cosima, his daughter, who would become Cosima Wagner…
Marie and Caroline were decisive for his life as well as for his work; Marie was the companion of conquest, glory and power, Carolyne that of withdrawal, renunciation and creation.
Alongside pages by Pauline Viardot and Clara Schumann, we will listen to works by female pianist-composers whom Liszt appreciated, such as Marie Jaëll and Sophie Menter, who was one of his favourite pupils – “no woman could come close to her” – or Adele aus der Ohe, a sort of link between Liszt and Rachmaninov. We will celebrate Rachmaninov’s 150th birthday in 2023.
This year’s programme will therefore be exclusively represented by women artists, and will include top-class performers.
Programme to come.
– Jean-Yves Clément, artistic director
