Liszt Jubilee 2011
Franz Liszt 1811 - 1886. A European in Thuringia.

The state of Thuringia will be celebrating Liszt’s 200th birthday with its cultural theme year “Franz Liszt – a European in Thuringia” in 2011 and some 200 concerts, competitions, exhibitions and installations.

Together with Johann Sebastian Bach, Liszt was the outstanding musician in this central German cultural region. After travelling for more than ten years as a star virtuoso celebrated throughout Europe, he came to Thuringia for concentrated work in 1848. As a phenomenal pianist, as a composer and conductor, as a teacher and music organiser, as an outstanding personality, Liszt had a far-reaching influence both geographically and beyond his own time.  The focus of his activities was Weimar, which he made into a musical centre of European standing in the 1850s, following in the footsteps of Beethoven as well as Goethe, Schiller and Herder.

The Thuringian theme year in 2011 aims to pay tribute from a contemporary viewpoint to Liszt’s extraordinary achievements that set such very high standards.  In this way our present life can be enriched in many different ways.
Liszt has a lot to tell us – let’s listen!