Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1987. július-december (41. évfolyam, 26-48. szám)
1987-09-24 / 35. szám
Thursday, Sep. 24. 1987. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO 11. BOOK REVIEW | IMMORTAL FRANZ BY ZSOLT HARSANY1 " The Life and Love Affairs of Franz Liszt" Blue Ribbon Books 486 pages Everyone knows that Franz Liszt was one of Hungary's leading composers. Chances are that most of us know that Franz was a pretty good piano player. If that's all you know, it's just the skin of the apple. There is much more. Mr. Harsanyi in his book takes us to the core. Liszt was a child prodigy. At the age of nine, he was playing for the Esterhazy Court in Vienna. The Court subsidized his public debut and arranged his musical education. After that he was the rage of the continent, not only on the piano but as an attractive person. Listen to what Hans Christian Andersen says when he saw Liszt at a concert at the age of twenty-nine. "An electric shock seemed to thrill the hall as Liszt entered. Most of the women rose. A sunbeam flashed across each face as though each eye was seeing a beloved friend. As he played, his pale face assumed a noble, more beautiful expression...." There is more but I think you get the idea. This was no fairy tale. This attraction extended to many affairs of the heart. He' taught > every leading piano virtuoso of his time. He also developed the form known as the symphonic poem and he was a fervent champion of Wagner. Not all of us will greet this information cheerfully, but Liszt was enamored with Wagner's composing ability. Liszt's daughter, Cosima, married Wagner and Liszt furnished financial support for Wagner to produce his operas. After a period as director of music for the Court of Weimar, he became disenchanted with court life and entered a monastery. Here, after studies and meditation, he became an abbe. His teaching and composing continued and he emerged from the monastery to become President of Hungary's new Academy of Music in 1875. His romantic life style also continued and the book notes that he had a mistress at the age of seventy-one. At the age of seventy-five, attending a Wagner Festival at Bayreuth, he suffered a chill and died. Wagner-devotees, including his daughter, did not want to disturb the spectators. When a passing stranger asked who the funeral was for, he was told "Wagner's father-in-law." The life-story of Franz Liszt would make a compelling presentation for Masterpiece Theatre. From July 1, 1986 the senior citizen of Hungary over 70 years of age can use the public transport system free of charge. "There are many more nuclear weapons left than will be eliminated by this agreement, but you've got to start, and this does get us going." Secretary of State George P. Shultz ... .. rVtí3DL‘‘.l ’• V • • _• r* ^5 ! tfjrJ AMERICAN HUNGARIANS Few nations had the unique experience of America in receiving large masses of immigrants. They came from many countries with varied historical and cultural heritages. As each group entered this country, its succeeding generations coped with the conflicts of their heritage and the new society they were growing up in. Hungarians were no exception. They had been coming here for over a hundred years. Each generation has made its entrance and had been absorbed into the American scene. Third and fourth generation Hungarians may not know the language of their fathers and mothers but they remain Hungarians. Their heritage persists. We propose on this page in Magyar Szo to write for and about these people, to include features which will remind them of their origin with pride. We aim to keep it light, nothing earth- shaking. There is a lot to enjoy. Stay with us For the Editorial Board of the English Page Bernie Kay. Hungary's National Theatre has recently given a number of guest performances in Cologne. The performance of "Stephen, the King", a rock opera was given a standing ovation. This was the first presentation of the rock opera abroad. It recounts the story of Hungary's first king who established a modern state. The performance aroused great interest in Cologne with all tickets sold out. GEORG LUKACS: SELECTED CORRESPONDENCE 1902-1920 Dialogues with Weber, Simmel, Buber, Mannheim, and Others. SELECTED, EDITED, TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED BY JUDJTH MARCUS AND ZOLTÁN TAR Georg Lukács, the Hungarian philosopher and literary critic, has long been regarded as the most important, most sophisticated, and most original Marxist thinker. The 161 letters translated here reveal the man himself: the enigmatic personality of the Jewish banker's son turned Bolshevik Commissar of Culture of the 1919 Hungarian Commune. These selections highlight Lu- kács's complex personality and extraordinary diversity as well as his evolution from bourgeois esthete to Marxist philosopher._____________________ Columbia University Press 136 South Broadway Irvington, New York 10533( Please send: Georg Lukacs: Selected Correspondence, 1902-1920. Judith Marcus/Zoltán Tar List Price:$25.- Check enclosed for $22.-. Price includes 20% discount plus $2.- to cover postage & handling. Please ship to: Name.......................................................... Address......................................................... City......... State........... Zipcode............. J r.'r'Jr -iO • • 1* FRIEDA SOMLYO Our beloved mother, Frieda Somlyo passed away, after long suffering on Aug. 14, 1987 in Sarasota, Fla. She lived through two world wars with her beloved husband, Geza who worked as an electrical engineer in Budapest till 1946. In that year, their oldest son, Frank, brought them to Washington, D.C. Not having been able, to get a job in Washington, they moved to New York where he worked for five years. In 1969 they moved to Sarasota, Fla. where three years later he died. Their other son, István lives in France with his daughter, son and grandchildren. Frank is now living in Washington, D.C. One of their daughters is living in Maryland, the other in California. Each has two children. The memory of our beloved parents will live in our hearts till the end of times. S. F. Through their children, Frank and István, Mrs. Somlyo transmitted her love and devotion to the essence of Hungary's liberal traditions. The Editorial Board of the Magyar Szo shares in the grief of the Somlyo family. A SUCCESSFUL COOPERATIVE The "Sasad", one of the most successful cooperatives in Hungary, operates at Budaörs, just outside Budapest. It was founded in 1951 by ten dedicated horticulturalists. They had 10 acres of land, assets worth $5,000.-, a horse and a cow. The cooperative now provides work and a good livelihood for 3,500 persons, including 150 university graduates, 900 persons with secondary schooling and 1,700 skilled workers. Their annual earnings now is 500 million dollars. The world literary review Panorama of Sofia published a selection of poems by Miklós Radnóti and excerpts from his diary.
