In 1867, to seal the Compromise, Emperor Franz Josef I was to be crowned Hungarian king. In Hungary it went without saying that Ferenc Liszt was to compose the celebratory music for the ceremony. The Austrian authorities, by contrast, wanted to commission a composer who was close to the imperial court. In the end, the heated protest of the Hungarian press had its effect, and six weeks before the coronation, Ferenc Liszt was officially commissioned.
The composer listened to the performance from the pews, and was greatly satisfied. "The musical success of my mass is complete. Everyone was surprised by its brevity and simplicity - and, if I may put it that way, by its character.”
In 1867, the composition was performed at the Matthias Church by musicians brought from Vienna; now, at the Budapest Spring Festival, the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic will join forces with the Choir of the Vienna State Opera and the Hungarian National Choir.


Presented by: Budapest Spring Festival