CONNECTIONS – Beethoven / Liszt / Schubert – Cyprien Katsaris, Róbert Farkas and the MAV Symphony Orchestra – E/2

From virtuoso pianist, Franz Liszt became an accomplished composer, and his much-loved symphonic poem Les Préludes is a testament to his mature voice. Nevertheless, his Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major is also a masterpiece, this time featuring Canadian solo pianist Kevin Chen. The soloist won first prize at the 2021 Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in Budapest and was previously the winner of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv. The cantatas by two esteemed composers, János Vajda and György Orbán, were commissioned by the Honvéd Ensemble on the centenary of the Great War as a warning against all wars of all times, as a joint "artistic ritual" for humanity and peace.

The names of Mussorgsky and Ravel became intertwined through the orchestral version of Pictures at an Exhibition. Although thousands of kilometres and decades separated them, due to their elegance and expressiveness, it is no far-fetched to consider them distant relatives. Between the enchanting soundscapes of Mother Goose and Musorgsky's stirring, moving tableaux, Ravel's "two-handed" Piano Concerto in G major, born exactly 150 years ago to the day, is performed by one of the composer's most unique and esteemed interpreters, the two-time Kossuth and Franz Liszt Prize winner Dezső Ránki. Our orchestra is conducted by Maxim Rysanov, a violist of the highest reputation, who steps on the conductor's baton ever more often.

Dmitrij Sosztakovics (1906-1975) a huszadik századi orosz zene egyik legjelentősebb alkotója, akinek élete és művei is tele vannak ellentmondásokkal. Hangversenyünk minden műsorszáma különleges jelentőségű, mert magyarországi bemutató. Szólistaként a világhírű Gustav Riviniust csellóművészt köszönthetjük, aki Saarbrückeni Zeneakadémia és a Maastrichti Konzervatórium professzora.