The current honorary president and conductor of the Savaria Symphony Orchestra is Tamás Vásáry who returned to Hungary in the early nineties following his emigration in 1956. He has selected three works of a heroic character by perhaps the most heroic of all composers, Beethoven. The best known is the Symphony No. 3 which was completed in 1804. According to legend he originally planned to dedicate it to Napoloen but later dramatically changed his mind. The personality of the hero of the Flander’...s war of independence, Count Egmont, was very close to Beethoven. He wrote incidental music for a production of Goethe’s play about the Count. The overture is the most frequently performed of the movements these days and in Hungary, it has become a musical symbol for the 1956 uprising. It shares its tonality with Beethoven’s third piano concerto which is the most dramatic of Beethoven’s five concerto masterpieces. Tamás Vásáry is following the Mozart and Beethoven tradition by conducting from the keyboard. The current honorary president and conductor of the Savaria Symphony Orchestra is Tamás Vásáry who returned to Hungary in the early nineties following his emigration in 1956. He has selected three works of a heroic character by perhaps the most heroic of all composers, Beethoven. The best known work is the Symphony No. 3 which was completed in 1804. According to legend he originally planned to dedicate it to Napoloen; Beethoven initially felt Napoleon was the embodiment of revolutionary ideals with the qualities of Roman consuls of Antiquity. But when he learned that Napoleon had crowned himself Emperor, Beethoven fell into a rage and allegedly used a knife to cut out the written dedication from the page. In the end, he described it as a “Heroic symphony to the memory of a great man”. The tragic but praiseworthy story of Count Egmont, the hero of the Flanders revolution, formed the basis of a Goethe drama, and this historical figure was also close to Beethoven’s ideals. Beethoven wrote incidental music for a production. The music is rarely played now, except for the overture – which moves from its opening bars depicting suffering and torture to a triumphant march – which is now one of the most frequently performed pieces in concert repertoire. (In Hungary, it became a musical symbol of the 1956 uprising.) The Piano Concerto No. 3 was written a decade earlier, a few year’s before the Eroica and is cast in the composer’s favourite minor key (which it shares with the Fifth Symphony, the Coriolan Overture and the Pathétique sonata). This is the most dramatic of all Beethoven’s five concertos, but it has many profoundly moving episodes as well. The tense dark coloured first movement gives way to a comforting elegiac slow movement, which is succeeded by a dazzling and carefree finale. Tamás Vásáry is following the Mozart and Beethoven tradition by assuming the role of both conductor and soloist.
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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