The leader of the lucky orchestra to have been given this honor, the Modern Art Orchestra, Kornél Fekete-Kovács gives us the details.

Q: What should we know of the Modern Art Orchestra [mao.hu]?

A: The nucleus of the orchestra, which was formed in 2005, is a 19-member jazz big band, which mostly plays contemporary Hungarian jazz and classical music. We have been a kind of inspiration for Hungarian composers: here we are, if you have composed something noteworthy, we will gladly play it. Fortunately, more and more composers are using that opportunity. We often dedicate evenings to one composer, especially young ones. This year we have been playing works by Gábor Subicz [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wq0zej-2Jw], Kristóf Bacsó [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne3B8T0ipyk], Szabolcs Oláh [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIbtKgTzxzY] and Attila Korb [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRQtWpscSps].

Q: So you don’t play jazz only?

A: In 2010 we and the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra issued a joint CD, entitled: Integro. That year it earned the Fonogram Prize for best jazz album. That recording was a turning-point in my life. I find it extremely challenging to work with a symphonic orchestra both as a composer and an orchestrator. The three of us: my friend, Balázs Bujtor, who is concert master of Integro, and Gergely Kiss, have been busy organizing the performance of crossover pieces.

Q: Such attempts are rare in Hungary. Are they common elsewhere?

A: The way I know, the best known orchestra walking that path is the Metropol Orchestra of the Netherlands.

Q: Ennio Morricone of Italy, perhaps the world’s most popular living composer, will conduct the Modern Art Orchestra, when he sets out for a tour of Europe to present key pieces of his oeuvre.

A: We began cooperation with Gábor Guba, a producer of Danubius Music, a Hungarian concern organizer earlier this year. Danubius Music has been organizing Hungarian guest performances for eminent foreign performers. This year Danubius Music and we are jointly working on the Hungarian guest performance of jazz organist Rhoda Scott, Hungarian-born violinist Roby Lakatos, jazz–funk fusion band Mezzoforte of Iceland, US vocal music group New York Voices and the Harlem Gospel Choir. It was Danubius Music that suggested to us to organize a temporary orchestra for a European tour.

Q: Was it easy to get that job?

A: We attached to our proposal voice and video recordings and photos. Morricone’s professional staff chose us from among several applicants. Our rivals included the Prague Symphonic and the Bratislava Symphonic.

Q: Did your price also matter?

A: Most probably yes though one of the rival orchestras would have charged much less than we because their musicians would have received only their basic pay, plus the travel fare would have been an expense item. We couldn’t have reduced our prices so steeply.

Q: What will be the venues of the concert series?

A: The first leg of the tour starts next February. The venues will be Bercy Arena in Paris, Halle Stadium in Prague, O2 World multi-use indoor arena in Berlin and Hallen Stadium in Zurich. The first stage will close with Papp László Arena in Budapest and Stadthalle in Vienna. The second leg will take us to Munich, Luxembourg, Brussels, Amsterdam and probably Cologne. On all occasions Morricone will conduct his own works.

Q: Have you already met him?

A: No, so far we have negotiated only with his staff. But we already know that the maestro insists on that we should learn the pieces exclusively on the basis of his instructions. Accordingly, we haven’t received copies of sheet music yet. We will learn what to play when we meet him for the first time.

Q: That means his staff is firmly confident that the best orchestra has been chosen.

A: I’m certain that we’ll do the job properly.

Q: How big the orchestra will be?

A: There will be 85 of us, musicians and probably there will be a choir of 80 persons but as for the latter, no decision has been made yet. It is certain however that in some concerts of next February we will perform alongside the Hungarian National Choir (Nemzeti énekkar) under the directorship of Mátyás Antal.

Q: That means strong appreciation for Hungarian performing artists.

A: Absolutely. It is promising to know that such a major European musical project is based exclusively on Hungarian musicians and singers. It is most assuring for me, who has been an orchestra leader for fifteen years. I have wondered how to let the world learn about the exquisite skills of the Hungarian musicians in various genres and how to ensure them a secure livelihood. Serving on that project will be a strong reference for each participant. Hopefully that project will only be a beginning. It certainly indicates that we are going in the right direction. We have already started wandering how to cooperate with the foreign concert organizers after this project.

Source: Magyar Nemzet

Translated by Budapest Telegraph