EUYO PERFORMS LISZT'S ONLY OPERA, DON SANCHE, IN CELEBRATION OF EUROPE DAY

In a fitting tribute to the talents of Europe's youth, the musicians of the EUYO had the rare opportunity to perform excerpts from Liszt's Don Sanche, written when he was still only 13 years old, at a private concert in St John's Smith Square, London, on Monday 9th May. The concert was hosted jointly by the European Commission and Parliament offices, along with the Hungarian Embassy and Cultural Centre, in celebration of 'Europe Day', which marks the official 'birthday' of the European Union.

Fifty-five of the EUYO's players were joined by four soloists from the European Opera Centre, to perform the pieces which were taken from a new edition of Don Sanche, prepared by the Austrian composer and musician Gerhard Krammer. According to Krammer, "in 1824, at the age of thirteen, Franz Lizst was commissioned to write an opera by the Royal Academy of Music in Paris. The young virtuoso had arrived in the French capital in December 1823 but was rejected by the Music Conservatoire due to strict regulations which had only been put in place weeks before. His father, Adam Liszt, continued nonetheless to promoted 'le petit Litz' as a prodigy. And it was Adam, too, who pressed for the commission of the opera. [...] The world premiere was on Monday 17 October 1825. It was five days before Liszt's fourteenth birthday. [...] Three more performances followed before the opera disappeared from view for many years. The score was believed to be lost until it was rediscovered in 1903, in the library of the Palais Garnier."

(c) Photoshot

According to a contemporary account, Adolphe Nourrit, who sang the role of Don Sanche, swept Liszt up in his arms at the end of the performance and presented him to the audience to tumultous applause - no doubt to his acute embarrassment. Thankfully, none of the young musicians of the EUYO were subjected to such treatment at Monday's concert, which was received with tremendous enthusiasm by the assembled public of diplomats and figures from London's diverse cultural scene.

At the invitation of the European Opera Centre, the EUYO will repeat the performance in Amsterdam on Friday 10th June, as part of the Europa Nostra Awards ceremony, to be held at the famous Concertgebouw.

For more details, including to apply for tickets to attend the ceremony and concert, please visit:

http://www.europanostra.org/news/151/