Budapest Festival Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Iván Fischer Conductor
Andris Nelsons Conductor
József Lendvay Violin
Baiba Skride Violin
Bartók Hungarian Peasant Songs, Sz100 Violin Concerto No 1 Mahler Symphony No 5
Sofia Gubaidulina Offertorium, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Sibelius Symphony No 2
Iván Fischer founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra 29 years ago and today it is one of central Europe’s most prestigious ensembles, its unmistakable sound combining Magyar fire with thrilling spontaneity. It is just the orchestra to bring a spellbinding authenticity to its compatriot Béla Bartók’s folk-inspired Hungarian Peasant Songs, and to his youthful First Violin Concerto, a tender musical love letter that went unanswered. Soloist József Lendvay, too, is steeped in Magyar culture: the son of a Hungarian folk musician, he brings a virile virtuosity to the music of his homeland. The famous Adagietto used in Visconti’s 1971 film Death in Venice forms the slow movement of Mahler’s Symphony No 5. It is a beautiful love song without words. Hearing the whole symphony is a triumphant journey from tragedy to jubilation. ‘The Budapest Festival Orchestra filled the Royal Albert Hall with pounding, blinding energy.’ The Daily Telegraph
Often considered to embody the spirit of Finnish nationalism, Sibelius’s Second Symphony is one of the composer’s warmest pieces, emerging from forest murmuring at its opening to the blazing light of its grandiose conclusion’s triumphant fanfares. The violin concerto Offertorium by Tartar-born composer Sofia Gubaidulina has become a modern classic, its profound spiritual message conveyed in music of glowing transcendance. Written in defiance of Soviet oppression, its score was smuggled out of the USSR for its 1981 premiere in Vienna. It is just the piece to showcase the lyricism and emotional depth of Latvian-born violinist Baiba Skride’s playing to the full. ‘Andris Nelsons is six-and-a-half feet of pure energy’ The Daily Telegraph ‘there really is something going on between Nelsons and the CBSO… an alchemy that makes the combination irresistible in concert.’ The Guardian
‘the sheer power of the Budapest players took the breath away’ The Scotsman This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.
Sunday 26 August 7.30pm
Sponsored by
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Photo Marco Borggreve
Photo Kürti Ákos
Photo Marco Borggreve
Music
Tuesday 28 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
2 hours 15 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/budapest
eif.co.uk/cbso
Baiba Skride’s performance supported by
Mr and Mrs James Anderson