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Experiential Liszt
The concert Experiential Liszt brings the festival aboard the ship Harmónia, combining a cruise on the Danube with music and gastronomy inspired by 19th-century Pressburg cuisine. Performed by Gypsy Devils, Liszt’s music meets traditional Romani music, the spirit of improvisation, and dazzling virtuoso reinterpretations of well-known classical themes.
Musical inspirations from Joseph Haydn, Johannes Brahms, Georges Bizet, János Bihari, and Niccolò Paganini evoke the rich cultural environment and performance traditions that also influenced Franz Liszt. The cruise from Bratislava to Hainburg and back unites a concert, the scenic Danube landscape, and a traditional three-course Pressburg menu into a unique cultural and gastronomic experience unlike any other in Slovakia.
Programme
- Traditional Romani music, songs, and virtuoso improvisations
- Fantasias on themes by Joseph Haydn, Johannes Brahms, and Georges Bizet
- Franz Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3, Hungarian Rhapsodies, and virtuoso fantasies
- János Bihari / Franz Liszt: Verbunkos and rhapsodic inspirations
- Franz Liszt/Ernest Sarközy: Fantázia on the theme of Caprice No. 24 and Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Performer
Gypsy Devils (known internationally under the same name) present original virtuoso compositions, genre fusions, and unique arrangements in which extraordinary musical combinations are brought together with exceptional temperament and energy.
They enrich the musical world not only through their own projects but also through collaborations with symphony and chamber orchestras, as well as numerous renowned artists. Their artistic partners have included Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Vienna String Quartet, the Košice, Zlín, and Moravian Philharmonic Orchestras, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paul Gulda, Ramón Vargas, Peter Dvorský, Gypsy Kings, Rick Astley, Lucie Bílá, Jaroslav Svěcený, Desmod, Katarína Knechtová, and many others.
Their repertoire combines works by classical composers such as Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt, Tomaso Albinoni, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Niccolò Paganini, Johannes Brahms, Pablo de Sarasate, Antonín Dvořák, and Georges Bizet with genres including jazz, ethnic music, flamenco, and Romani music. The result is their unmistakable musical signature known as Music à la Gypsy Devils.
Since 2007, Gypsy Devils have represented Slovakia around the world, performing on all five continents and in more than 35 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, China, South Korea, Mexico, Egypt, and throughout Europe. They have also represented Slovakia at Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Expo 2010 in Shanghai, and at major international sporting events.
They have performed in prestigious venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Komische Oper Berlin, Konzerthaus Berlin, the Royal Opera House in London, Hans Max Saal in Munich, Smetana Hall in Prague, Konzert und Kongressaal Luzern, Concert Hall Melbourne, the Golden Hall of the Musikverein Vienna, Is Sanat Hall in Istanbul, and the Culture Palace in Novosibirsk.
Their festival appearances include Bad Kissinger Sommer, Beethovenfest Bonn, David Oistrakh Festival Pärnu, Liszt Festival Raiding, Euroclassic Pirmasens, World Arts Festival Jeju, Prague Spring, and the Silk Road International Arts Festival in Xi’an, China.