Appropriately enough, the Finnish conductor for this evening’s concert brings two Finnish works to Budapest: a contemporary piece from Magnus Lindberg, who was born in 1958, and Symphony No. 2 by Finland’s internationally best-known classical composer, Jean Sibelius. Lindberg’s orchestral work Feria was written between 1995 and 1997. The title alludes to the Spanish word for “fair,” emphasising the animated bustle of the work. Reviews of the 1997 première highlighted the exuberant energies of the Spanish fiesta emanating from the piece, as well as the composer’s dazzling and colourful, but also very bright orchestration.
Sibelius’s symphonic works comprise the most important part of his life’s work: his seven symphonies and five symphonic poems are an organic part of the concert canon in the northern and western regions of Europe. Beyond their originality, his symphonies are characterised by a blend of the Romantic and a nascent modernism in their sound, as well as the influences of Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Finnish folk music. The impact of Tchaikovsky can also be felt in Symphony No. 2 from 1901.
Between the Finnish compositions that bookend the concert will be a familiar piece from Antonín Dvořák, one of the favourite composers of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, which made a highly successful recording of the concerto with violinist Akiko Suwanai and conductor Iván Fischer. Written in 1879 and revised twice, the originally intended dedicatee was Joseph Joachim, one of the greatest violinists of the age, who would aid the composer considerably with his advice.

Presented by: Budapest Festival Orchestra