大象传媒

In this concert renowned conductor Iv谩n Fischer and his critically acclaimed Budapest Festival Orchestra are joined by a small Gypsy band led by violinist J贸zsef Lendvay Sr., in a programme exploring the spirit of Hungarian music, as seen through the eyes of three 19th-Century composers: Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and Pablo de Sarasate. Hungarian folk tunes mixed with gypsy rhythms to create an intoxicating blend of dances and rhapsodies, like the ones we鈥檙e hearing in this Prom, which became so popular during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in Central Europe, that they even managed to crawl into the repertoire of Classical Music鈥檚 big symphony orchestra. While Liszt was Hungarian himself and always found inspiration in the music of his fatherland, Brahms loved the gypsy music he heard with increasing confidence in his adopted Vienna, and used it in some of his festive pieces. The Spanish Pablo de Sarasate completes the picture with his Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), only to testify how popular these local tunes and rhythms had become well beyond the boundaries of Hungary.

Presenter Suzy Klein is joined by 19th-Century music expert Nicholas Baragwanath to discuss the repertoire and its cultural context.

Image: Hungarian violinists J贸zsef Cs贸csi Lendvai and J贸zsef Lendvay perform Brahms with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under conductor Iv谩n Fischer (Credit: 大象传媒/Chris Christodoulou)