Amidst the creative ferment of turn-of-the-century Europe, the young composers of Hungary searched for their sound. And when they found it, there was an unmistakable tang of paprika. Dohn谩nyi鈥檚 First Violin Concerto is a twilit fin-de-si猫cle romance from the world of S谩ndor M谩rai鈥檚 'Embers', and it鈥檚 played by probably its greatest living champion. Zolt谩n Kod谩ly, meanwhile, evokes the flying fiddles and Roma rhythms of his childhood village band with infectious glee. The young Hungarian conductor Gergely Madaras has a way of making this music catch fire 鈥� and then he looks east to Russia, and Alexander Borodin鈥檚 gloriously tuneful, mini-swashbuckler of a Second Symphony. Music to warm the blood and quicken the pulse.
Prelude: 6.45pm in the Recital Room Hungarian-born conductor Gergely Madaras introduces the works in tonight鈥檚 concert, in conversation with 大象传媒 SSO violinist Alex Gascoine (free to ticket-holders, subject to seating availability).
The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 3.