A pair of timeless favourites is presented this evening in the interpretation of two outstanding soloists and a superb orchestra and conductor. Tchaikovsky’s most popular piano concerto and his only (but no less universally cherished) violin concerto were premièred in similar circumstances. The first to be completed was the Piano Concerto No. 1 (1875), which the composer initially intended for Nikolai Rubinstein, founding director of the Moscow Conservatory, but which was instead dedicated to Ha...ns von Bülow following an unusually harsh initial rejection by Rubinstein. The première took place in the same year in Boston. The concerto has three movements – Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso, Andantino semplice and Allegro con fuoco – in each of which a folk melody can clearly be heard. As themes of the three successive movements, the composer adapts a Ukrainian, French and Russian melody respectively. The Violin Concerto, which Tchaikovsky composed several years later in Clarens, today Montreux, on the shores of Lake Geneva, was intended for the highly regarded Hungarian violinist Leopold Auer, professor at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. However, Auer refused to perform the work, declaring it unplayable. The wounded composer eventually dedicated it instead to the 28-year-old Adolph Brodsky, who first performed the concerto in 1879. The first movement (Allegro moderato) is the large-scale and extensive portion of the work, while the second (Canzonetta: Andante) takes a three-part song-like form with extraordinarily varied instrumentation. The third movement (Finale: Allegro vivacissimo) almost implodes into an unrestrained Slavic dance, which is followed by a contrastingly slower, subdued and almost peaceful melody section, before the movement closes with a sweeping momentum. “I learned the Piano Concerto in B-flat minor many years ago for the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. I later had the pleasure of performing the exciting and highly challenging piano solo of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece both at home and abroad on a number of occasions. Taking part in the 'recreation' of the work with an outstanding orchestra affords both musician and audience the opportunity to experience catharsis. I wish this for everyone with all my heart.” Endre Hegedűs, pianist “Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major first became a subject for my everyday study through David Oistrakh. Later, I was delighted to be able to play it while still a student in the great hall of the Liszt Academy of Music. However, I never would have thought that for me it would join the list of most frequently played violin concertos, right next to concertos by Bartók and Dohnányi. What is more, I even got the chance to record Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece on CD with the wonderful Russian conductor Yuri Simonov. The accompanying orchestra on this recording was the then debuting Danubia Symphony Orchestra…” Vilmos Szabadi, violinist Presented by: Stúdió Liszt Kft.
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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