Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Don Giovanni – overture, K. 527
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
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Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550

Mihály Berecz piano
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: György Vashegyi

An evening with Mozart: could there be any greater happiness? The answer to this rhetorical question is never in doubt even if we add that the works to be heard on the fourth evening of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra’s Ferencsik season ticket are all in minor keys, so the concert will be steeped in dark tones, tragedy and drama. The Don Giovanni Overture, the Piano Concerto in C minor and the“Great” Symphony in G minor were written when Wolfgang Amadeus was at the peak of his creative powers, so it is no coincidence that these are all later masterpieces. The conductor for the evening will be the Hungarian National Philharmonic’s Kossuth Prize-winning general music director György Vashegyi, while the soloist is the excellent young pianist Mihály Berecz, who is also at home in the world of early music.

The main ‘musical hunting ground’ of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra’s  Ferencsik season ticket is the Viennese Classical period, and the concept largely comprises rare and colourful treasures waiting to be discovered. On this evening, however, we will hear solely from one of the three greats, the immortal Mozart, and in the language of his greatest masterpieces. Is it of significance that all these works strike a tragic note, and that all three were written in a minor key? Let’s not look for any rhyme of reason here: Mozart was able to formulate eternal truths in tones of both blue skies and grey. The Don Giovanni Overture, the Piano Concerto in C minor and the “Great” Symphony in G minor all present the serious side of his being beyond doubt: weighty, powerful, dramatic and dark tones await. And, of course, great pleasure – we are talking about his most significant works, after all. The soloist for the piano concerto is one of the most outstanding Hungarian discoveries of recent years, Mihály Berecz, who is also well versed in historically informed performance. The orchestra will be conducted by the Kossuth Prize-winning general music director of the orchestra, György Vashegyi, who is Hungary’s most dedicated interpreter of early music.

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As in previous years, the 2025/2026 Ferencsik season ticket is aimed primarily at lovers of the Viennese classics. Once again it, offers a wealth of enriching experiences. From Joseph Haydn, we will hear the Symphony No. 87 in A major, the Notturno No. 5 in C major, the “Clock” symphony and the Violin Concerto No. 4 in G major. The works by Mozart to be played include the Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major and, on the penultimate evening of the subscription, an all-Mozart programme consisting of the overture to Don Giovanni, the Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, the “Great” Symphony No. 40 in G minor, with the “Linz Symphony” featured on the final night. Representing Beethoven on the programme for the third concert will be his Second Symphony.

Interspersed among these greatest of composers will be lesser-known ones who spoke the same common musical language of the time. It is in this spirit that we will also hear music by Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Johann Nepomuk Hummel, as well as pieces by the English composer William Boyce, who hails from the same generation as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and Sweden’s Joseph Martin Kraus, born in the same year as Mozart. The final concert expands the focus into the 19th century with the oboe concerto that the Italian Antonio Pasculli based on themes by Donizetti, as well as Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture and Fifth Symphony.

This season ticket brings to the stage such instrumental soloists as the trumpet wizard Gábor Boldoczki, horn player László Gál Jr, the outstanding French violin virtuoso Chouchane Siranossian and the pianist Mihály Berecz, with a chance at the last concert for us all to enjoy François Leleux not only conducting, but, as usual, also playing his oboe. In addition to György Vashegyi, who will take the podium for two of the concerts, we will also get to meet some other excellent conductors specialising in early music like the Australian Benjamin Bayl and Italy’s Andrea Marcon.