Two extraordinarily popular Romantic concertos are performed with the collaboration of two young soloists, while the day also sees the orchestra and its home city showcased at a number of other events – at children’s and chamber music concerts.
The concerto by British composer Edward Elgar will be performed by Dóra Kokas, who studied under Miklós Perényi and László Mező at the Liszt Academy of Music, while also participating in courses led by János Starker, Steven Isserlis and Ferenc Rados. She has achieved excellent results at numerous international competitions. Ernő Kállai embarked on his career as the scion of a famous musical dynasty, with accordingly favourable prospects. He was personally invited by Itzhak Perlman to study at one of the most renowned centres of music, New York’s Juilliard School of Music, where he gained his diploma on a scholarship in spring 2012 – while also performing with the New York Philharmonic. In the same year, he won second place and an audience prize at the Joseph Szigeti International Violin and Viola Competition.
This beautiful programme opens with Dances of Marosszék, which features folk melodies collected and noted by Kodaly himself. The piece was written first for piano in 1927 and later arranged for orchestra in 1930. Interestingly, although the melodies originated in Marosszék, Kodály happened upon them in other geographical areas. As he himself wrote in an annotation, “Born in Kecskemét, raised in Galánta. Marosszék is the place I always wanted to go but never succeeded.”

Presented by: Müpa Budapest