Exhibitions

In co-operation with the Weimar Classical Music Foundation and the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum Budapest

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) engaged with Beethoven and his work more intensively than almost any other composer. He did this as a composer, arranger, interpreter, editor and teacher. He was seen by his contemporaries as having an almost symbiotic relationship with Beethoven. Bonn also owes him a great deal. He paved the way for Bonn to become a Beethoven city by making a significant contribution to the erection of the Beethoven monument on Münsterplatz and the first Beethoven festival associated with its inauguration.

The extraordinary authority Liszt had in his time is demonstrated by the fact that, at his request, 14 master craftsmen from Bonn built the first Beethoven Hall with an audience capacity of 3000 within 11 days in the summer of 1845.

the exhibition displays numerous treasures:
- the oldest known cast of Beethoven's death mask, which Josef Danhauser removed 12 hours after Beethoven's death and later gave to Liszt as a gift
- an original plaster cast of Liszt's right hand, the most important virtuoso hand of the 19th century
- the original manuscripts of Beethoven's song cycle "An die ferne Geliebte" and the "Gellert-Lieder" as well as numerous relevant autographs by Liszt.

The rich holdings of the Goethe- und Schiller-Archiv/Stiftung Weimarer Klassik and the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum Budapest, both of which comprise substantial parts of Liszt's estate, now make it possible to comprehensively illustrate Liszt's manifold endeavours for Beethoven.

Brief Guide