UNFINISHED SYMPHONY

UNFINISHED SYMPHONY

Program:
JENŐ TAKÁCS: Antiqua Hungarica, op. 47
ERNST VON DOHNÁNYI: Variations On a Nursery Tune, op. 25
***
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in B minor (“Unfinished”), D. 759

Zoltán Fejérvári piano
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Gergely Kesselyák

This concert draws a sharp dividing line between the works being played before and after the intermission. In the first part, we will hear two Hungarian pieces. Although these compositions by Jenő Takács and Ernst von Dohnányi were created many decades ago, they are still waiting to be discovered by musicians and audiences alike. Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, on the other hand, is one of the most popular works in the music literature. Serving as our guides through this world of treasures both known and unknown are one of Hungary’s finest young pianists and a popular, versatile and seasoned Hungarian conductor.

Jenő Takács (1902–2005), who lived to the age of 103, was born in the Sopron County town of Cinfalva (Siegendorf) and died in Kismarton (Eisenstadt) in Austria’s Burgenland, but during his long and incredibly varied career, he visited Budapest, Berlin, Cairo, Japan and China, in addition to spending 18 years in America. Antiqua Hungarica is a representative sample of his oeuvre. Ernst von Dohnányi (1877–1960) completed his sparklingly witty and elegant composition Variations on a Nursery Tune in Berlin in 1914. It is based on a centuries-old melody (already developed musically by Mozart) known to the English-speaking world as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony No. 8 in B minor was composed in 1822, and, despite the fact that he completed only two of its movements, this composition that anticipates Romanticism became one of the most popular pieces in music history. With his brilliant technique and always profound musicianship, Zoltán Fejérvári (born in 1986) is one of the most outstanding Hungarian pianists of his generation. Gergely Kesselyák (born in 1971) is a conductor who is at home in all genres and styles, and one whose productions are characterised by confident professional preparation and direct, natural expression.