The Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra will be performing at the Fairfield Halls next month, the latest highlight in the Croydon venue’s International Orchestral Series. 

As Concerto Budapest performs Ligeti’s Century – Roaming in the Past, Kurtág sits behind its music director, András Keller, shadow-conducting from the score which quivers in his hands, and making the sounds he thinks the instruments should be making. “Yo-reee, not yo-ri”, he says. “Pa-DAL!”, he shouts, his elbow pushing into the arm of his wheelchair. As his opera arrives at the Proms, the avant garde master gives a rare interview for The Guardian. 

Review of Thoroughly Good Classical Music: I’ve been in Budapest for a few days at the concluding concerts in Budapest’s week-long centenary celebration of Hungarian composer György Ligeti. These celebratory events programmed by lifelong friend and peer György Kurtág, included music by both composers. The experience has been profound. Exactly what Thoroughly Good is fuelled by: opportunities for discovery.

A few years ago, a CD review in The Guardian compared five different recordings of Tchaikovsky’s first symphony. The journalist described Russian conductor/pianist Mikhail Pletnev’s version as “impressionist hibernal gloom” in contrast to other, more peppy interpretations. I could also use that phrase to describe a recent program at Müpa Budapest with Pletnev conducting the Concerto Budapest orchestra

We are honoured that MEZZO TV, celebrating the 25th anniversary of its existence, will broadcast our concert film Carpathian Rhapsody (Kárpát Rapszódia) several times among its special programmes, thanks to its remarkable success!
 

Review from the director of Bela Bartok Centre for Musicianship in London