Conducted by Péter Halász, this concert offers a classical programme. The first piece is Haydn‘s Symphony, named “The Bear”, which is one of the six Paris symphonies that the composer wrote on the request of the Concert de la Loge Olympique in 1786. The by-name was not given by Haydn to this piece, but attached to it by posterity in association to the humming bass of the bassoon and bagpipe in the final movement, which has the effect of a kind of bear dance.
Ákos Zarándy is one of the outstanding representatives of the young generation of composers. His Rákóczi Concerto, although modern in style, evokes the atmosphere of the Rákóczi era, sometimes with humour, sometimes with a touch of nostalgia. A special moment of the work is the solo duet of the shawm (tárogató) and the cimbalom.
Mozart‘s “Prague” Symphony was inspired by his trip to Prague in 1787. Unusual in form, it is composed of three movements – as Mozart omitted the minuet movement. The first movement evokes the agitated tone of Don Giovanni, while the second, andante movement is reminiscent of the opera’s sinister, demonic atmosphere. The third movement brings in the intriguing turbulence of The Marriage of Figaro through a musical material that’s both airy and exciting.
