"Traditionally, the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra commences its new season on or near to the anniversary of Béla Bartók’s death. This time, the concert falls the day before. The 2008–2009 season begins on 25 September with the work of a composer who had a great influence on Bartók starting his career: Claude Debussy.He is, along with Bartók, one of conductor Zoltán Kocsis’s favourite composers. His popular orchestra poem Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune was inspired by a verse by Stéphane Mallarmé and was the first part of what was originally planned to be a three part work, but the second two were never written.
The Prélude, however, is now exceptionally popular and was a tremendous success even on its première.
Even better loved is Beethoven’s only Violin Concerto which will be played by a world famous guest violinist. Vadim Repin began his career as a child prodigy and made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of fifteen. Since then he has been regarded as one of the world’s leading violinists.
He now returns as a guest of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra: in April 2007 he performed with them at the Palace of Arts in Brahms’s Violin Concerto to tremendous acclaim. Little wonder that music lovers are excitedly looking forward to hearing him again.
In the second half of the concert, Zoltán Kocsis will be conducting a work by another favourite of his, Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2. Written a hundred and one years ago – and interestingly, a hundred and one years after Beethoven’s violin concerto – it was slammed by some critics because of its alleged sentimentality, but they failed to notice just what a highly precise and intelligently structured work it is, with its own embedded system of close motific relationships.
Conductor: Zoltán Kocsis
Soloist: Vadim Repin – violin
Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, op. 27
Ticketprices: 1800.- 2500.- 3200.- 3800.- 4600.- HUF
Source: Palace of Arts
25.09.2008