LUKÁCS bérlet

The Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra’s Lukács subscription series presents four concerts that focus primarily on major symphonic works of the Austrian and German Romantic era – by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms – together with a single Haydn symphony representing the Viennese Classical period. At the same time, each concert offers an exciting excursion into the more accessible and easily approachable works of 20th- and 21st-century Hungarian music. On the first evening, the Hungarian middle generation is represented by Tímea Dragony (b. 1976) with her piece Splendour. The second concert features the work of Sándor Szokolay (1931–2013), the composer of Blood Wedding and other highly successful 20th-century Hungarian operas, with his Violin Concerto written in the early phase of his career (1956–57). On the third evening of the season ticket, two works that have already become classics from the first half of the 20th century will be heard: Dohnányi’s Symphonic Minutes and Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The closing concert pairs Haydn’s Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major with a piece by one of Hungary’s outstanding young composers, Máté Balogh (b. 1990). His Symphony No. 1 (2021) is subtitled Omaggio à Giuseppe Haydn (Homage to Joseph Haydn). Those purchasing season tickets can look forward to Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in D minor and the Reformation Symphony. On the second evening, the lightness of Schubert’s Five German Dances is balanced by the tragic intensity of his Unfinished Symphony. The subscription series also includes Fourth Symphonies by both Brahms and Schumann, both of which promise rich and memorable musical experiences. The soloists for the series, Ildikó Rozsonits, Gáspár Kelemen and Mihály Berecz, represent the vanguard of young Hungarian instrumental virtuosos. In addition to György Vashegyi, the Kossuth Prize-winning general music director of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, guest artists on the conductor’s podium will include Róbert Farkas, chief conductor of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra, the celebrated violin virtuoso Barnabás Kelemen, and Ádám Cser, music director of the Miskolc National Theatre.