The first half of the programme on this winter’s night has a Mediterranean feel, while the three-note motto of the symphony in the second half is all about freedom and happiness, or as Brahms put it, “Frei aber froh”. Discovered by Zubin Mehta and well known to the Hungarian audiences, Carlo Montanaro is a much sought-after performer of the Italian repertoire. Having made his début in Verdi’s La Traviata at the Scala in Milan in 2008, he has opened numerous seasons at festivals and theatres, and was musical director of the Grand Theatre (Teatr Wielki) in Warsaw between 2011 and 2014. He presents the exotic Aranjuez Concerto, inspired by the garden of the Spanish royal palace. Blind from the age of three, Rodrigo claimed to have captured by musical means the fragrance of magnolias and the gurgling of fountains. The work has a curious atmosphere and is played by one of Hungary’s most important young guitarists.