Joseph HAYDN: Symphony No. 80 in D minor, Hob. I:80
Béla BARTÓK: Cantata profana, BB 100, Sz 94
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Igor STRAVINSKY: Symphony of Psalms

The son Boldizsár László tenor
The father Miklós Sebestyén bass-baritone
Hungarian National Choir (choirmaster: Csaba Somos)
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Mátyás Antal

Mátyás Antal, the former choir director of the Hungarian National Choir, is turning 80. This versatile musician, who led the choir for a quarter-century from 1990 to 2016, has a double connection to the Hungarian National Philharmonic, having previously been a flautist with its predecessor, the State Concert Orchestra, for decades. To mark the occasion, he is not the one receiving but giving the gift, by conducting a celebratory concert first featuring – as a playful nod to his age – Haydn’s Symphony No. 80 in D minor, followed by exceptionally significant oratorical works from Bartók and Stravinsky, Cantata Profana and the Symphony of Psalms. The solo parts in Bartók’s piece will be performed by two outstanding figures on the Hungarian vocal scene, Boldizsár László and Miklós Sebestyén.

While specialization is a defining feature of our era, there remain some prominent musical figures who excel in producing memorable output in multiple disciplines. Mátyás Antal is one such individual. In his student years, he played piano, flute, double bass and percussion, before earning degrees in the flute and choral conducting at the Liszt Academy, and subsequently studying conducting at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. His career is accordingly rich and varied. From 1967 to 1986, he was a flautist with the State Concert Orchestra (now Hungarian National Philharmonic); from 1990 to 2016, he served as choir director of the Hungarian National Choir, while also working continuously as a conductor and choir director with ensembles like the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra and the Budapest Chorus. He is turning 80 in 2025 and we are celebrating this milestone with a concert. Under his baton, the National Philharmonic Orchestra will first perform Haydn’s Symphony No. 80, followed by two defining 20th-century oratorical works: Bartók’s Cantata Profana and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, featuring the Hungarian National Choir, with Boldizsár László and Miklós Sebestyén the soloists for the Bartók piece.

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Named after the founder and former leader of the Hungarian State Choir, the predecessor of the National Choir, the Pászti season ticket unsurprisingly offers a rich bounty of vocal music: early music and contemporary pieces, as well as a cappella works and oratorical masterpieces, all courtesy of composers from both Hungary and elsewhere.

Conducting the first concert will be Mátyás Antal, who headed the Hungarian National Choir for a quarter of a century and is turning 80 this year. After appropriately kicking off the occasion with Haydn’s 80th symphony, he will then go on to lead the ensemble in two legendary masterpieces: Bartók’s Cantata Profana and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. For the second concert, current choirmaster Csaba Somos invites music lovers on a journey through Italy with works (where either the composer or the theme is Italian) by Bruno Bettinelli, Pietro Clausetti, Morten Lauridsen, Jonathan Dove, Willem Jeths and Tamás Beischer-Matyó.

The third concert commemorates yet another birthday, this time that of the Hungarian National Choir itself, which to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding will perform – again with Somos wielding the baton – works by Brahms and Mendelssohn: the former’s Schicksalslied (“Song of Destiny”) and the latter’s anthem Hör’ mein Bitten and the massive but rarely heard Lobgesang, the “Song of Praise” catalogued as Mendelssohn’s second symphony. The soloists for this evening will be Polina Pasztircsák, Lilla Horti and Szabolcs Brickner.

The final event in the subscription will be truly sensational. The 2025/2026 season of the Hungarian National Philharmonic features several remarkable events, one of which is Massenet’s oratorio La Vierge, now being presented for the first time ever in Hungary, with György Vashegyi on the podium. Taking the stage to sing the title role will be the outstanding French mezzo-soprano Aude Extremo.