On January 17, 2012 Ambassador Laszlo Pordany bestowed the Knight’ Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary granted by the President of Hungary to Professor Alan Walker in recognition of his dedicated research and publication on the musical achievements of Ferenc Liszt, the internationally acclaimed Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist of the 19th century. Alan Walker has spent a lifetime studying and writing about the life and music of Liszt, the bicentenary of whose birth has been recently celebrated worldwide. His monumental trilogy (Liszt: The Virtuoso Years; Liszt: The Weimar Years; Liszt: The Final Years) is considered as one of the most influential studies on the subject, which has helped shape comtemporary understanding and appreciation of the highly complex Hungarian musician who – among others – founded the Hungarian Academy of Music and was its first Rector.
The diplomatic reception held at the Residence of the Ambassador of Hungary was attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps and representatives of cultural life in Ottawa.