The famous musical Dances of Death by Liszt and Saint-Saëns, along with Thomas Adès’s Totentanz, now have a new companion: Máté Balogh’s piano concerto Danse macabre. The approximately ten-minute, single-movement work draws on the world of medieval French Dance of Death mystery plays. Its variation-and-development form evokes death’s power over all humanity: no one is excluded from the dance, rich or poor, young or old. The music is energetic and grotesque, with ritualistic, primordial sounds shaped by distinctive musical devices.
A melodic fragment from the Dies irae sequence of the Requiem Mass—the central motif of Liszt’s Totentanz, his work for piano and orchestra—lies hidden throughout much of the piece. It can be heard in different modes in the central section built from clusters, while the tubular-bell ostinato at the opening presents it in mirror form. In the finale, the bells sound the melody in hocket, and the ending evokes the opening of Liszt’s Totentanz.
In Máté Balogh’s work, the grotesque world of medieval Dance of Death imagery meets modern musical techniques and the composer’s individual voice. This distinctive sound shapes the piece’s energetic, unsettling character.
The composer dedicated the work to József Balog and the Pannon Philharmonic. Its premiere will take place in Pécs on 5 November 2026, with József Balog and the Pannon Philharmonic conducted by Zsolt Hamar.