The BFO rebooted We have a long history of reboots: first in 1983, then in 1992 as the orchestra of the Capital, then in the late 2000s after the recession and now, refreshed and full of zest, like someone who has just made a full recovery from illness. Covid helped us find out we just can’t make do without concerts. Nothing can replace the live concert experience: not streaming, and not ideas to bring music to people in lockdown. It was all right for a sick diet, but now we’ve had enough and are longing to get back to the concert halls, where friends may run into each other, where the faces you know smile down on you from the stage, where there is applause (−God how much we missed it at the end of a performance), gentle coughs, laughter, and lots of love from the audience, where you can discuss the BFO’s latest ideas, where you can complain about the narcissistic nonsense spouted by this or that critic, where already in the cloakroom you can feel it’s a cultured crowd. Come and let the music of Mozart, Mahler, Bartók and Beethoven lend you a sense of renewed hope, security and energy. May the smiling faces emerge from behind the masks, and may we come out of our caves, hop onto tram 2 or into the car and head for the concert halls. Be welcome, BFO audience. It’s so much better with you! Iván Fischer
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