Introduction

The 2023 Cziffra Festival concert will feature highly acclaimed works by composers of the eponymous artist’s second home country, France. The concert promises to offer not only a first-rate musical experience, but also a true festival atmosphere and many moments of cheer and laughter. While the motifs of Carnival of the Animals ring in all our ears, by its sophisticated wit, the piece never fails to surprise us. This time, the musical surprises are complemented by a literary experience that is no less frivolous, as János Lackfi will be reading his poems written for the occasion, giving a voice to the main characters of the piece – chickens, swans, mules – or even pianists. Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra will be joined on stage by two other outstanding musicians: Kossuth Prize-winning János Balázs and the Italian Sandro De Palma, whose romantic artistic personality and versatile repertoire has conquered many stages of Europe, America and Japan.

Few people know that Bizet, the composer of the second work to be performed, was a child prodigy. At the age of just 17, he composed his surprisingly mature, fresh and lively Symphony in C major, in which the worlds of Mendelssohn, Gounod, Mozart and Rossini can also be detected. Yet the genius of the work lies in the individuality, wit and inventiveness of the composition whereby the young Bizet created an excellent piece with superb orchestration. Franck’s Symphonic Variations, on the other hand, is one of the compositions of the mature composer, meticulously worked out, not only for the greatness of its thematic development but also for the exemplary balance created between the orchestra and the solo piano. As is tradition, the exhilarating programme will be preceded by the presentation of the Georges Cziffra Festival prizes, which continue the eponymous artist’s commitment to talent promotion.

Performers

János Balázs – piano
Sandro de Palma – piano
János Lackfi – prose

Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra

conducted by: Gábor Hollerung

programme

Saint-Saëns: The Carnival of the Animals
Bizet: Symphony in C major
César Franck: Symphonic Variations

2023-02-26 - 19:30
Muaic Academy - Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8, 1061
The Golden Age of Paris – CZIFFRA FESTIVAL 2023
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