Budapest
KODÁLY 135
Kodály weekend celebration
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
This concert marking the 135th anniversary of the birth on 16 December 1882 of Zoltán Kodály reveals nearly every facet of his identity as a composer.. The key work of Kodály the arranger of folk songs is the set of variations he wrote to the folk tune The Peacock. One of the most beautiful choral works he set to the verses of Hungarian poets is his Wish for Peace, written to the lines of Benedek Virág. Kodály’s Jesus and the Merchants, set to Hungarian-language text from the Gospel of John, and the Te Deum of Buda Castle, sung in Latin, are two of the most exquisite compositions he ever wrote. Representing the genre of art song are his Two songs, composed for a baritone or bass with orchestral accompaniment. Like other pieces Kodály wrote for the cello, his Sonatina for cello and piano demands a significant level of technical skill and intense musicality from the artist playing the instrument.