UK, Ireland Tour 2023

- Review by Irwin Hewitt Telegraph - By what miracle did a superb Hungarian orchestra appear last night in a regional concert hall, with a top-rank solo pianist? As an economic proposition the concert was very risky, as the venue was modestly sized and in any case the orchestra does not have the lustrous name that can bring in huge crowds.

In Keller’s Hungarian-accented reflections, and in his conducting of Concerto Budapest, their philosophy lives on. “We have a very strong identity together as an orchestra. Each sound has meaning. This is what I fight for every day. And it’s normal that I must push the musicians, because each of them would like to be better from one day to the next. And in pushing for more, we are searching for our own sound, and our own understanding. It’s important not to stay on the surface of the music, because when you imitate something, it’s not yours.”

via bachtrack.com

Boasting a rich history that spans over a century, today it is recognised for being one of the most progressive and versatile symphonic orchestras whose playing is characterised by the passion, energy, and the commitment of its musicians which they bring to every performance.

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. 

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.

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.