Conductor: Balázs Kocsár Smetana: The Bartered Bride – overture and three dances Miklós Kocsár: Symphonic Ballad Leó Weiner: Serenade in F minor, op. 3 Janáček: Taras Bulba The orchestra was first known as the Debrecen MÁV Philharmonic Orchestra after it was formed in 1923 and in 1952 it became an independent institution. In 1991 it adopted the name of Debrecen Philharmonic Orchestra and since January 2006 has been jointly run with the Kodály Choir. Its artistic director is Balázs Kocsár ...who regularly directs opera performances in the Debrecen Csokonai Theatre as well as working in Germany, Switzerland and Holland. This Czech-Hungarian programme presents several works rarely heard in concert halls. Besides Czech composer Bedřich Smetana we’ll hear one of the most original composers of the 20th century, Leoš Janáček who composed his orchestral rhapsody, inspired by Gogol’s short story in 1918. He adds an organ to the orchestra. Leó Weiner composed his first orchestral work a good decade earlier. His Serenade in F minor has a distinctly Hungarian sound and Géza Csáth wrote that “it was written by an unselfconscious man who creates with ease and who does not think for a minute what he will write or how he must write music”. The other Hungarian work is by Miklós Kocsár who celebrates his seventy fifth birthday in 2008. This work was commissioned for the 25th jubilee of the Szeged Symphony Orchestra in 1994. The commission originally went to István Vántus who sadly died but Kocsár succeeded in integrating the opening notes from Vántus’s sketch into his own work. The work enjoyed many performances but in summer 2007 Kocsár revised it thoroughly. “I think I prepared the ground better in the introduction. By doing this, I’ve made the appearance of the »Vántus motif« more emphatic. I also significantly expanded the slow central section, making the work’s proportions a little more balanced. This evening, the audience will hear what will be hopefully the final version”, wrote the composer.
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
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