Tickets on Monday 5 May from 10 am

Rain date: Sunday, July 20

RAIN RULES

Symphony No. 6 in F major (“Pastoral”), Op. 68
Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Róbert Farkas

The closing evening of Beethoven in the Park pairs two symphonies. Symphony No 6 (1808) is rare in that it was Beethoven himself who gave it the distinguishing title of “Pastoral”, alluding to the harmony between Man and Nature. The composition is gentle and cheerful in tone, while its attempt to depict certain scenes is a revolutionary innovation that foreshadows programme music, according to which every movement has its own theme: the first evokes the joy of the man arriving in the countryside, the second is a scene by a stream with singing birds, the third envisions a lively peasant dance, the fourth paints a frighteningly authentic audible image of the sudden outbreak of a storm, while the closing fifth movement (because the symphony breaks the mould by comprising five movements) is a song of gratitude that the storm has passed. The untitled Symphony No. 8 (1812) is, like the Sixth, in F major and – akin to the Second and Fourth Symphonies – celebrated for its cheerfulness, lively momentum, rich contrasts, energy and rhythmic vitality. Taking to the podium for the concert, Róbert Farkas is the outstanding representative of the middle generation of Hungarian conductors. Following his studies in Hungary and Berlin, he achieved many years of success primarily abroad – above all in Germany – and has been the chief conductor MÁV Symphony Orchestra since September 2021.