Ilona Prunyi has been an active fixture on the Hungarian music scene for more than half a century, and a rediscoverer of Dohnányi’s works for piano. Her openness, empathy, selflessness, impressive technical armoury and natural musicality always make her a popular choice among other musicians. On International Music Day, she gifts the audience a personal selection of pieces. The bouquet gathers together jewels from the musical repertoire of some 200 years, including the young Rachmaninoff‘s Elegie, an impressionistic piece for piano by Ravel, the Ländler Dohnányi composed in his late period in 1945, and a famous waltz of Delibes from the ballet Coppélia. Although these are not showy virtuoso pieces, they require no less technical skill.
Adding to the list are three more substantial works. The protagonist of Liszt's legend is the devout saint, one of whose “most touching episodes” – as the composer put it – comes to life on the piano keyboard. The popular and evergreen Jeunehomme piano concerto by the 21-year-old Mozart is often regarded as the first fully-formed masterpiece of the Classical Viennese School, an elegant piece by a young composer that also explores great spiritual depths in its slow movement. Formed in 1998, the Solti Chamber Orchestra accompanies the pianist, who has a number of world première recordings to her name.
In the second half of the evening, we will have the chance to hear a work by one of the distinctive voices of the late Romantic period in the chamber music genre venerated by Brahms, Schubert and Schumann before him. Collaborating in this performance of César Franck‘s Piano Quintet in F minor is the internationally acclaimed quartet bearing the name of Kossuth Prize-winner Barnabás Kelemen. The foursome has achieved outstanding results at numerous international competitions in the short time since its foundation in 2010.

The concert will be preceded from 6.30 pm by a conversation entitled Prelude, where ticket holders will be invited to get to know the performing musician and the works to be performed more closely.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest