The National Philharmonic Orchestra has begun a series of young people's concerts, under the direction of Zsolt Hamar, which attempt to address the youngest age group in unusual locations, environments and interesting repertoire. Besides his work at the National Philharmonic, since last year Zsolt Hamar has been the music director of the Pécs Symphony Orchestra: […]
It is rare to be able to sense from the happy buzz of the public leaving the Music Academy that the concert gave them such a memorable experience that it survived the scrum to retrieve hats and coats. On a ghastly November evening, when the final concert was heard of the National Choir's Verdi series […]
The National Choir's jubilee Verdi cycle – celebrating the ensembles 15th anniversary – reached a fitting finale (November 22) with a concert hall performance of Un giorno di regno at the Music Academy. Its premiere in Milan in 1840 was a catastrophic failure. Ever since, this comic opera has been regarded (fairly) as a folly […]
The State Audit Office (ASZ) has issued the results of its examination into the operation of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, Choir and Bibliotheque. In summary the report paints a favourable picture of the institution's finances and structural transformation, but also draws attention to certain defficiencies. Géza Kovács, the director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, in […]
Beethoven might by rights have been the third name. Although sitting between the symphonies of the titular giants, and not exactly stylistically. Chopin's F minor piano concerto was heard, through the fingers of the 28 year old Argentinean Ingrid Fliter. It was heard and asked to be heard: the Music Academy audience was not witness […]
Those less informed, attending last Sunday's concert, could pick up a 128 page mini-book as they arrived at the Music Academy. It contained details of the programmes for all the National Philharmonic Orchestra's concerts this year, along with programme notes and biographies of the performers. In recent years, it has been a common complaint that […]
The Hungarian National Philharmonic in LeverkusenZoltán Kocsis is a pianist, conductor and composer. In the first of two concerts at the Bavarian Kulturabteilung, where he conducted the Hungarian National Philharmonic orchestra, he introduced himself to us as a master of transcription. (…) The backbone of the program began with Béla Bartók's Third Piano Concerto. The mood […]
