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Berlioz in Germany and Central Europe

PESTH (BUDAPEST)

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Berlioz’s concerts in February 1846

    Berlioz gave two concerts in Pesth in February 1846, on the 15th and the 20th. The illustrations on this page are all taken from the book by Émile Haraszti, Berlioz et la Marche Hongroise (Paris, 1946), a copy of which is in our collection.

First two pages of the autograph of Berlioz’s Rákóczy March
(original version)
Original version

(Large view)

    The autograph is in the Széchenyi National Library in Budapest.

First page of the autograph of Berlioz’s Hungarian March
(Paris version)
Autograph

(Large view)

    This more developed version of the March was included in the score of the Damnation of Faust. See further the page on Berlioz in Pesth.

National Theatre poster for the concert on 20 February
Poster

(Large view)

Count Gédéon de Ráday
Gédéon de Ráday

    Ráday was director of the National Theatre and may have been responsible for inviting Berlioz to give his two concerts in Budapest. This contemporary engraving is based on a portrait by Eybl.

Ferenc Erkel
Ferenc Erkel

    Erkel was the conductor at the National Theatre and a composer of distinction in his own right. This contemporary engraving is based on a portrait by Barabás.

Madame Schodel
Madame Schodel

    Madame Schodel, ‘a true lyric tragédienne in the school of Madame Branchu’, according to Berlioz (Memoirs, Second Trip to Germany, Third Letter), sang the bolero Zaïde at the concert on 20 February (third item in the second of half of the programme, see above). This contemporary engraving is based on a painting by Barabás.

Count Casimir de Batthyány
Count Casimir de Batthyány

    Batthyány, the future Foreign Minister of the revolutionary Government of the Republic of Hungary, purchased from Berlioz his score of the Rákóczy March for 200 gold florins.

The Hector Berlioz Website was created by Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin on 18 July 1997; this page created on 1 October 2005. Revised on 1 February 2024.

© (unless otherwise stated) Michel Austin and Monir Tayeb

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