Special Exhibition Reveals the Secrets of Hungarian Piano Teaching

The exhibition “From Franz Liszt to György Cziffra – The History of Hungarian Piano Teaching” opens on February 20 at the Old Academy of Music, followed by a matinee concert entitled “The Essence of Dohnányi” at the Cziffra Festival the following day.

The exhibition, tracing the history of the Hungarian school of piano teaching originating with Franz Liszt, will be open to visitors from February 20 to June 30 at the Old Academy of Music, the organizers announced.

The joint exhibition of the Cziffra Festival and the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and Research Center outlines the history of the school of piano teaching from its beginnings at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music to the 1950s.

The material provides a comprehensive picture of the excellent and unique piano teaching methods that have given the world such legendary Hungarian artists as Géza Anda, Béla Bartók, György Cziffra, Ernő Dohnányi, Annie Fischer, Lajos Kentner, Ede Kilényi, and Imre Ungár.

The exhibition reveals the secret of the school: the close unity of high-level practical training and theoretical knowledge, and the fact that the teachers were often also composers.

In addition to the early decades of piano teaching at the 150-year-old institution, the exhibition presents the defining teachers and artists, as well as the cultural milieu in which these exceptional careers were born.

Admission to the opening is free, but registration is required at jegy@cziffrafesztival.hu.

The opening will be followed by a special matinee concert on February 21 at 11 a.m. entitled Dohnányi Essence, performed by Elemér Balázs Jr. and János Balázs (piano), Ernő Kállai (violin), and the Kállai String Quartet.

The concert also pays tribute to the Hungarian school of piano teaching, that can be traced back to Liszt and later gained worldwide fame through the work of Ernő Dohnányi.

On this occasion, Dohnányi’s works will be performed, including the Sonata in C-sharp minor for violin and piano, which the composer himself played the piano part at its 1912 premiere in Vienna, and the Piano Quintet in C minor, perhaps one of the most frequently performed pieces in Dohnányi’s oeuvre. The host will be Kálmán Dráfi, a student of György Cziffra and former teacher of János Balázs.

The Cziffra Festival’s program for February 2026 will also feature additional concerts, talent development workshops, educational discussions, and children’s programs.

Via MTI, Featured image: Pexels

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