Liszt Utrecht (before: Liszt Competition) is a prestigious international piano festival. From 22 – 29 September, ten professional pianists from all over the world will perform the most virtuosic and touching piano music by Franz Liszt.

The Schubert Edition
Liszt Utrecht is centered around Franz Liszt, but every edition is themed by a second composer. The 2022 edition is devoted to Franz Schubert, to commemorate his 225^th birthday. Schubert was one of Liszt’s big idols.

The festival phase (22 – 26 Sep)
In the festival phase all pianists present their refined piano playing in different rounds. Each festival day has a fixed structure:

• All-Liszt piano recital: Each day starts with an All-Liszt piano recital with original works of Liszt. Expect grand masterpieces full of pianistic fireworks.
• Chamber music recital: Followed by a chamber music recital in which the pianists collaborate with Lea Hausmann (violin), Samuel Shepherd (cello), Judith Wijzenbeek (viola), and Roberto di Ronza (bass). They will be performing different movements of Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A Major ‘’Trout’’ and some of Liszt’s rarely performed works for cello and piano.
• Song recital: After that there will be a recital, where the pianists will work with soprano Bernadeta Astari to present songs by both Liszt and Schubert as well as a new commissioned song composed by Mathilde Wantenaar.
• All-Schubert recital: Each day finishes with a solo recital where the highly demanding Liszt transcriptions of the big Schubert song cycles will be performed.

The ten pianists will play on a Yamaha grand piano for the All-Liszt recital, a straight strung Maene for the chamber music recital, a Steinway for the song recital, and a Fazioli for the All-Schubert recital.

The Finals
After the festival phase an international jury selects three finalists that will perform on Thursday 29^th of September in the Main Hall during a spectacular Grand Finale with the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

For more information, see www.liszt.nl

DETAILED PROGRAMME

All-Liszt piano recital (12:00 – 13:40)
Vitaly Starikov
∙ Harmonies poétiques et religieuses no. 1 ‘’Invocation’’, S173/1 
∙ Ave Maria, S173/2
∙ Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, S173/3
∙ Pensée des morts, S173/4

Derek Wang
∙ Vierter Mephisto-Walzer, S696
∙ Valse de l’opéra Faust de Gounod, S407
∙ Gretchen aus Faust-Symphonie, S513
∙ Totentanz, S525

➤ Tickets

Chamber music recital (14:30 – 15:15)
Matyáš Novák
∙ Schubert – Piano Quintet in A Major ‘’Trout’’, movement 2 & 3
∙ Liszt – Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, S382

Leonardo Pierdomenico
∙ Schubert – Piano Quintet in A Major ‘’Trout’’, movement 4 & 5
∙ Liszt – Zweite Elégie, S131

➤ Tickets

Extra NLiszt piano recital (16:00 – 16:40)
An extra piano recital performed by an upcoming Dutch pianist. This ‘NLiszt’ performance is excluded from the competition. However, our jury will award one of these Dutch pianists with the ‘Henk de By’ award and an opportunity to perform with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra during the finals of Liszt Utrecht.

Youngjae Kim
∙ R. Schumann – Carnaval Op. 9
∙ Schubert/Liszt – “Die Junge Nonne”, D828
∙ Liszt – Rhapsodie Espagnole, S254

➤ Tickets

Song recital (17:00 – 17:40)
Minkyu Kim
∙ Im Rhein, im schönen Strome, S272ii
∙ Freudvoll und Leidvoll, S280i
∙ Rastlose Liebe, D138
∙ Wantenaar – ‘Wandrers Nachtlied’ (commission work)

Tamta Magradze
∙ Der Wanderer, D489
∙ Comment disaient-ils (1st version), S276
∙ Es war ein König in Thule (2nd version), S278
∙ Wantenaar – ‘Wandrers Nachtlied’ (commission work)

➤ Tickets

All-Schubert piano recital (20:00 – 22:20)
Viktoria Baskakova
∙ Schwanengesang, S560

Yukine Kuroki
∙ Müllerlieder, S565
∙ Mélodies hongroises (d’après Schubert) 3. Allegretto, S425/3
∙ Sei mir gegrüsst, S558/1
∙ Auf dem Wasser zu singen, S558/2
∙ Erlkönig, S558/4
∙ Ave Maria, S558/12

➤ Tickets

Vitaly Starikov
∙ Harmonies poétiques et religieuses no. 1 ‘’Invocation’’, S173/1 
∙ Ave Maria, S173/2
∙ Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, S173/3
∙ Pensée des morts, S173/4

Derek Wang
∙ Vierter Mephisto-Walzer, S696
∙ Valse de l’opéra Faust de Gounod, S407
∙ Gretchen aus Faust-Symphonie, S513
∙ Totentanz, S525

➤ Tickets

Matyáš Novák
∙ Schubert – Piano Quintet in A Major ‘’Trout’’, movement 2 & 3
∙ Liszt – Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, S382

Leonardo Pierdomenico
∙ Schubert – Piano Quintet in A Major ‘’Trout’’, movement 4 & 5
∙ Liszt – Zweite Elégie, S131

➤ Tickets

Een extra pianorecital door een aanstormend Nederlands pianotalent. Deze NLiszt-concerten zijn geen onderdeel van de officiële competitie, maar zeker de moeite waard om te bezoeken. De jury prijst een van deze Nederlandse pianisten met de ‘Henk de By Award’ en de mogelijkheid om tijdens de finale met het Radio Philharmonisch Orkest op te treden.

Youngjae Kim
∙ R. Schumann – Carnaval Op. 9
∙ Schubert/Liszt – “Die Junge Nonne”, D828
∙ Liszt – Rhapsodie Espagnole, S254

➤ Tickets

Minkyu Kim
∙ Im Rhein, im schönen Strome, S272ii
∙ Freudvoll und Leidvoll, S280i
∙ Rastlose Liebe, D138
∙ Wantenaar – ‘Wandrers Nachtlied’ (commission work)

Tamta Magradze
∙ Der Wanderer, D489
∙ Comment disaient-ils (1st version), S276
∙ Es war ein König in Thule (2nd version), S278
∙ Wantenaar – ‘Wandrers Nachtlied’ (commission work)

➤ Tickets

Viktoria Baskakova
∙ Schwanengesang, S560

Yukine Kuroki
∙ Müllerlieder, S565
∙ Mélodies hongroises (d’après Schubert) 3. Allegretto, S425/3
∙ Sei mir gegrüsst, S558/1
∙ Auf dem Wasser zu singen, S558/2
∙ Erlkönig, S558/4
∙ Ave Maria, S558/12

➤ Tickets