Ferenc LISZT: Orpheus – symphonic poem, No. 4, S. 98
Edvard GRIEG: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
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Richard STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) – tone poem, Op. 40

József Balog – piano
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Lawrence Foster

The guest appearance of the world-famous American maestro Lawrence Foster, who represents the senior age group of the international community of composers, promises to be among the outstanding events of the season. The musician with Romanian parents has conducted the Hungarian National Philharmonic on several occasions and each visit has attracted an enthusiastic response. This will therefore be like a “homecoming” to the ensemble on which he will conduct three romantic masterpieces. Liszt’s peacefully idyllic Orpheus and Richard Strauss’s grandiose Ein Heldenleben, which alternates heroism with self-deprecating humour, present two stages in the development of the symphonic poem. Between them will be one of the most popular piano concertos of the 19th century, Grieg’s passionate Piano Concerto in A minor, which will be performed by József Balog, one of Hungary’s most versatile pianists.

There are artists – both conductors and soloists – with whom the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra has developed a particularly fruitful relationship in recent years. The audience welcomes performances by these musicians with great enthusiasm time and again, and members of the ensemble itself always look forward to their return. One such special relationship has grown between the orchestra and Lawrence Foster. Although the American conductor was born in Los Angeles in 1941, his parents were Romanian immigrants, so it was no wonder that he often showed an interest in the music of the region during the course of his work, and was always happy to conduct Hungarian and Romanian music (including pieces by Bartók, Kodály, Ligeti and Enescu).

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The concerts on the Kocsis season ticket mainly feature 19th-century masterpieces, with a primary focus on the musical literature of the Romantic movement. Each night will feature a different large-scale, representative work: Ravel’s arrangement of Mussorgsky’s cycle Pictures at an Exhibition, the Richard Strauss symphonic poem Ein Heldenleben, Saint-Saëns’s ‘Organ’ Symphony, the Rossini Stabat Mater, and Brahms’s Symphony No. 3.

Adding yet more colour to the overall picture will be such compositions as Smetana’s Bartered Bride Overture, the Liszt symphonic poem Orpheus, and Bizet’s L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1. The selection of concertos for this subscription includes both greatest hits (Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor and Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor) and some treasures deserving wider attention (the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor and his Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor). However, these evenings are not restricted to Romanticism or even the 19th century: we will also get to hear Debussy’s symphonic prelude L’Après-midi d’un Faune, as well as some Mozart, in the form of his Kyrie in D minor and the instrumental suite compiled from his opera Thamos, König in Ägypten.

As for the soloists: Valentin Magyar and József Balog are both local favourites when it comes to Hungarian pianists, and the voices of Selene Zanetti, Francesco Demuro, Atala Schöck and Gábor Bretz are always a delight to listen to. Also on the schedule are the world-famous French cellist Aurélien Pasca and the celebrated Russian piano virtuoso Alexander Malofeev, along with a host of international star conductors: Carlo Montanaro, Lawrence Foster, Jean-Claude Casadesus and Pier Giorgio Morandi. Taking up the baton for the final concert will be the ensemble’s general music director, György Vashegyi.