This concert offers four works by four composers, each piece dating from the peak of its creator's career. While Verdi is the prince of 19th-century Italian opera, Paganini created the cult of the virtuoso genius and was adulated not only by other violinists, but also by the pianist Franz Liszt. The Turkish composer Ahmet Adnan Saygun was a friend of Bartók's who found success in the West with his music and attempted to organise the musical life of his entire country. Much like Kodály, whose Dances of Galánta are impossible not to love.
Verdi's triumphs with Rigoletto, La traviata and Il trovatore made him a central figure in Italian musical life, and through his involvement in politics he became one of the midwives of the birth of a unified Italy. This period of his career was already underway when he premiered La forza del destino. Its overture gathers the melodies of the opera into a bouquet, as if announcing in advance: what you are about to hear is a popular work. Referred to as the devil's violinist, Paganini played the i...nstrument like no one else of the time. Even his first violin concerto already reveals a kind of conceptual sorcery. Scored in E-flat major, it makes the orchestra seem velvety. The soloist, however, plays in D major on an instrument tuned a semitone higher, producing a D-flat major sound brighter than any other of the time. Saygun's fifth symphony is also his last, the culmination of his symphonic works, and in it we can hear the Turkish music of the Eastern tradition oriented towards the West. Unlike Saygun, Kodály never attempted to westernise Eastern culture, but instead endeavoured to return Hungarian music, which was dependent on German culture, back to its own roots. Dances of Galánta is an example of this effort.
Presented by: Pannon Philharmonic
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.
Refreshments – Without the Queue
Thanks to our new catering service at the Átrium Snack Bar, you can forget about waiting in line during intermissions for some refreshments and get your order prepped especially for you by the time the intermission actually starts. Find out more about pre-ordering here.
Safe ticket purchase
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