Budapest Festival Orchestra: Haydn‐Mozart — 3

About the Event

Immerse yourself in the stunning architecture of Budapest's breathtaking Liszt Academy Concert Center for the ultimate concert set to awake your understanding of classical music.

The BFO's Haydn‐Mozart concert in April stands as a splendid counterpart to the March program. Beginning with one of Haydn’s acclaimed Paris symphonies, the evening progresses to feature one of Mozart's most beloved piano concertos. In the concert's latter half, audiences will be serenaded by another Mozart masterpiece, with the unique touch of a posthorn in the orchestration. Dmitry Shishkin, a Russian pianist in his early thirties hailed by Le Temps as 'captivating', will grace the piano solo. Boasting a second‐place win at the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition and a first‐place triumph at the Geneva International Music Competition, Shishkin comes with an endorsement from Evgeny Kissin, who celebrates him as a fusion of earnest dedication and innate artistry. Gábor Takács‐Nagy, a maestro intimately familiar with both composers, will be the evening's conductor.

By the 1780s, Haydn's fame had soared in France, leading the Concert de la Loge Olympique, a renowned Masonic concert society in Paris, to commission six symphonies. Haydn delivered these compositions within two years, garnering instant acclaim. Among these, the Symphony in D major stands out with its opulent orchestration, incorporating trumpets and timpanis to the traditional ensemble. Following a contemplative introduction, the first movement unfurls with a theme that seems to search for its voice. The symphony then meanders through a liberally paced capriccio, a graceful minuet, and concludes with a finale echoing recurring motifs.

D minor holds a distinctive resonance in Mozart's repertoire, being the chosen key for sections of the Requiem, parts of Don Giovanni, and his 1785 Piano Concerto. While many of his compositions went underappreciated during the 19th century, this concerto became a cherished exception, even receiving Beethoven's nod. Remarkably, Mozart completed this masterpiece just a day prior to its premiere. Rather than a grandiose unveiling, the piece unveils with a mystical rise, with the piano making a subdued, almost tentative entry. Amidst the tranquility of the slow movement, there's a dramatic tempest, culminating in a sunlit D major finale.

Typically, minuets in multi‐movement classics are predictable—light, straightforward, and unassuming. However, it's intriguingly a minuet movement that catapults Mozart’s 1779 Serenade in D major to fame. This seven‐movement composition takes the audience on a journey from a poignant slow opening to a spirited subsequent section. Leading the next pair of movements are the flutes, oboes, and bassoons in concert‐style showcases, before delving into the piece’s most somber music, setting the stage for the renowned minuet highlighted by the post horn.