The Society
The initiator of the establishment of a nationwide Liszt society in Wrocław was Izabela Bojkowska - Deputy Director of the Department of Theatre, Music and Stage at the Ministry of Culture and Art in Warsaw, who passed this suggestion to Juliusz Adamowski - Member of the Presidium of the Main Board of the Association of Polish Music Artists (SPAM) in autumn 1988in Warsaw and a teacher at the Academy of Music in Wrocław.The organizational meeting, prepared by the Wrocław Branch of SPAM, was held on March 2, 1989 in the Music and Literature Club in Wrocław at 9 Kościuszki Square.The participants discussed the directions and the nationwide scope of the Society's future activities and elected the Founding Committee, which led to the formal registration of the Society. Ferenc Liszt. June 2, 1989 by the Provincial Court in Wrocław.TiFL was entered into the register of associations under the number 1/89, i.e. as the first association in the region registered under the Law on Associations of April 7, 1989, which is an important legislative component of the process of systemic transformation in Poland that began at that time.
Activity so far (until August 15, 2023)
Competitions
International F. Liszt Piano Competitions took place in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008. They were at a high artistic level and met with relatively considerable interest on the international arena. Their winners achieved a number of further artistic successes. A particularly spectacular example may be the career of Sofya Gulyak - one of the current stars of world pianism. We also organized 4 nationwide piano competitions named after F. Liszt (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997). Their winners, in addition to high annual scholarships, had the opportunity to take part in several concerts in the country and abroad. A total of about 250 candidates applied for the piano competitions; 198 pianists from 28 countries participated.
Courses
In the years 1993-2018, we organized 25 annual international piano master courses in Wrocław, which enjoy a considerable reputation in the professional music community. 712 pianists from 31 countries took part in them. The professors of the courses were the most outstanding artists-pedagogues: Halina Czerny-Stefańska (Kraków), Andrzej Jasiński (Katowice), István Lantos (Budapest), Lee Kum Sing (Vancouver), Victor Merzhanov (Moscow), Alexei Orlovetsky (St Petersburg), Borys Petruszański(Imola – Italy) and Roman Salyutov (Bergisch Gladbach - Germany).
In addition to over 2,000 hours of very interesting public classes, 123 concerts of course participants were held.Some of the participants achieved significant artistic successes (see www.liszt.art.pl).We also organized 12 national piano courses led by Alexei Orlovetsky with the participation of approximately 780 teachers and 261 students from 70 music schools.In addition, we participated in the organization of about 10 other courses in Poland.
Concerts
From December 1989, we implement "Liszt Evenings" - a series of popularizing concerts, in which the presented musical repertoire is always accompanied by a specially prepared verbal commentary, which, in addition to conveying a certain scope of basic musical knowledge, is intended to motivate to the fullest possible perception of the presented pieces and to further contacts with artistic music. In 1470 concerts completed so far in 86 venues in 32 cities in Poland and 7 abroad (including in Budapest, Moscow and St Petersburg), almost 800 artists from 31 countries performed(some of them many times). Including 401 pianists, 53 other soloists, 29 chamber musicians, 6 conductors, 6 actors, choir and 4 orchestras. In addition to outstanding artists with a large international reputation (among others, ZsuzsEleks, Sofya Gulayak, Eugen Indjic, István Lantos, Victor Merzhanov, Karol Radziwonowicz, Janusz Olejniczak, Olga Pasiecznik) appeared about 380 young artists, including nearly 300 Poles. The concerts were led by 16 speakers and 3 translators, presenting about 2,000 musical pieces of about 220 composers from the Baroque era to the present day (including nearly 200 compositions by F. Liszt).
Concerts, Competitions and piano courses were implemented with the financial participation of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, local government authorities of the Lower Silesian Voivodship, Brzegpoviat, Trzebnickipoviat, communes of Brzeg, ObornikiŚląskie, Trzebnica, Włoszakowice, Wrocław, Municipality of Głogów, Culture Center in ObornikiŚląskie, Art Center in Oława, the Association of Artists of Stoart in Warsaw, K. KurpińskiMusic Society in Włoszakowice and the Ferenc LisztSociety. The obtained subsidies and reimbursement required supplement by own financial contribution (obtained from membership contributions and donations) and by a personal contribution. For example - in 2019, the TIFL financial contribution to the cost of implementing 43 concerts (PLN 95,080) amounted to about PLN 5,500, and the value of the personal contribution (works made free of charge) amounted to PLN 11,250.
Pianos.
We have enriched the instrumental base of musical life in Wrocław with 4 pianos, including the new Steinway B-211 (the first instrument intended for chamber halls, purchased after World War II in Poland outside Warsaw), purchased in 1995 at verysignificant support of the Polish -German Cooperation Foundation.This piano has already served over 6,000 concerts and still meets the highest parameters in the field of sound and technical values (which is a sensation on an international scale).Thanks to the exceptional work of the piano tunerDr. Stefan Pilcer, who has been looking after this instrument continuously since the purchase in 1995. We also contributed to the equipment of concert halls in several cities in the provinces of Lower Silesia and Opole in pianos useful for the purposes of professional activity.
Publications.
We published 4 popular scientific "ZeszytyLisztowskie" and 16 information bulletins documenting our activities in three language versions, brochures of all our courses and competitions, program books of international competitions and programs of all concerts.We also released 13 CDs.These are recordings from international F. Liszt piano competitions(Wrocław 2002, 2005, 2008),and recordings of piano recitals of Sofya Gulayak (two CDs), Alexey Komarov (two CDs), AlexeyOrlovetsky (two CDs), Tomasz Marut (two CDs) and Maciej Pabich. Lisz-KowaySocietyin Spain released a DVD with a recording of a concert from the series "Liszt Evenings" (recital of the Spanish pianist Carlos Gallardo on April 21, 2006 at the Music and Literature Club in Wrocław).
Media
The website www.liszt.art.pl functioning since 2000, contains over 3,000 subpages informing about our activities and documenting it in two language versions (Polish and English). Our international master piano courses and "LisztEvenings" have Facebook fanpages.We also have a YouTube channelpresenting a number of recordings from our concerts.There are several dozen recordings of live broadcasts from the series "Liszt Evenings" available on the Internet.
Headquarters
The headquarters of TIFL is Wrocław - a city where Liszt in 1843 toured up to 15 times, for the first time in his life he conducted an opera spectacle and gained a wide range of admirers.He also performed in Brzeg and Nysa - now the places of our "Liszt Evenings".In 1859, Liszt performed again in Wrocław, this time as a composer and conductor.After the World War II, Wrocław became one of the centers of musicological research in the field of Liszt.
Members
TIFL has nearly 250 members (including 34 musicians) inhabited in 8 provinces.
The Society activity is based on the social contribution of its members and on the financial assistance of the authorities of various levels, many institutions, companies and private individuals.The Society has no paid TIFL's employees, accounting is conducted by an accounting office, all functions in the TIFL authorities, organization of concerts, editorial and computer composition of posters and concert programs, and about 600 tuning of pianos were implemented free of charge. Juliusz Adamowski is the president (continuously since 1989).In 1989-94, TIFL had a regular sponsor CENT currency exchange in Wrocław, and in 1997-2004, Atlantic s.c.of Grażyna and Andrzej Krzywik in Wrocław.
About 2,800 musicians from 45 countries took part in our activity.
Founding of the Ferenc Liszt Society in Poland in March 1989 largely contributed to the registration of the Frederic Chopin Society in Hungary in September 1989.
Juliusz Adamowski, 17th August 2023
Honorary members of TiFL: Izabela Bojkowska
Honorary members of TiFL: Alexei Orlovetsky
Honorary members of TiFL: Victor Merzhanov
Honorary members of TiFL: Stefan Placek
Honorary members of TiFL" Andrzej Jasiński
Honorary members of TiFL: Ryszard Sławczyński
Society activity in numbers
Managment of the Society - current term
Ferenc Liszt Society (TiFL) elected new management
Managment of the Society - remaining terms
Managment of the Society (21.10.2001 - 24.02.2008)
The Patron of the Society
A Hungarian pianist and composer, one of the greatest virtuosi in the history of music, had a great knowledge of Polish history and culture.
Patrons of the Society
The activity of the Society would not be possible without the patronage of the following Municipalities, Institutions and Companies. We would like to thank all of them. We hope our further co-operation to be equally fruitful.
Sponsors of the Society
The Society does not employ office workers; its activity is based in wide extend on a social contribution of its members. However, the activity would not be possible without the kindness, cooperation and help of many people, institutions, companies, and municipalities. In the period of 1989-94, "CENT" exchange office in Wroclaw was a permanent sponsor of TiFL; between autumn 1997 and spring 2004 - Grazyna and Andrzej Krzywik.