Kurtág 100

This concert celebrates the 100th birthday of György Kurtág, one of the most influential composers of our time.

The programme opens with Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, heard in the orchestral arrangement by Leó Weiner. This magnificent Baroque masterpiece is followed by a world premiere: our guest conductor Gergely Vajda’s new work, …fantasia concertante…, composed in honour of György Kurtág’s forthcoming centenary. The composer has dedicated the work to the MÁV Symphony Orchestra and to its soloist, András Szalai.

The concert concludes with Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, the "Rhenish" Symphony, composed in 1850. The programme illustrates how effortlessly music history can bridge centuries, while also acknowledging the close artistic affinity that has long existed between Schumann’s musical spirit and the work of György Kurtág.