Some things in life cannot be explained: what makes Mozart's symphonies masterpieces, what makes a Stradivarius violin unique, or what makes Grandma's strudel impossible to imitate? There is no sense in analysing it, no use in trying to explain the secret; we cannot understand because there are so many other ingredients and subtle details beyond the knowable facts that make a perfect work of art what it is that these cannot be demonstrated with instruments or human senses. In this sense, t...he Vienna Philharmonic is a masterpiece in itself. There is no use in our knowing that the orchestra has a standard tuning pitch a few hertz higher than usual, that the timpani use real goatskin drumheads, that the oboes are made of a special African wood, that the horns have an unusual valve system, that four Stradivarius violins can be found among the instruments, and that all these things together result in a unique richness in overtones combined with an individual, Viennese playing style. The Vienna Philharmonic's unparalleled sound still remains a mystery. One thing is certain, since its foundation, the orchestra has remained one of the world's finest symphonic ensembles, and anyone wanting to buy subscription tickets for its concerts today will have to wait six years in the case of weekday concerts, and 13 years for weekend concerts.
Joining the orchestra is no easy goal either, but it is one that double bassist Ödön Rácz achieved at the age of 23, and he has now spent ten years as a member. Another interesting aspect of this evening's concert is that this orchestra with a grand European tradition will be led here by a globally acclaimed conductor from the New World in the shape of Michael Tilson Thomas. Reaching his 70th birthday in the same month as this Budapest concert, Tilson Thomas has been music director of the San Francisco Symphony for almost two decades and has recorded all of Mahler's symphonies. Recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, he also received the highest national decoration granted to artists in the United States from the American president in 2009.
ROLEX is the exclusive partner of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Presented by: Palace of Arts
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.
Safe ticket purchase
Dear Visitors, please note that only tickets purchased from the Müpa website and official ticket offices are guaranteed to be valid. To avoid possible inconvenience, we suggest buying tickets to our performances and concerts via the mupa.hu website, the Interticket national network (jegy.hu) or at our official ticket offices.