Budapest Festival Orchestra Salutes Vilnius

Tuesday 7 June, 19.00 Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre

BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA (Hungary)
Conductor IVÁN FISCHER (Hungary)
Soloist DÉNES VÁRJON (piano, Hungary)

Programme:

IGOR STRAVINSKY – Jeu de cartes
FERENC LISZT – Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 2 in A major, S. 125 / R. 456
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK – Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Internationally acclaimed Budapest Festival Orchestra appears in the Vilnius Festival for the first time. Established more than thirty years ago it is often heard in such concert venues as Musikverein Konzerthaus in Vienna, Salzburg Summer Festival, Carnegie Hall in New York, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Royal Festival Hall in London. The Budapest Festival Orchestra has collaborated with Sir Georg Solti, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Kurt Sanderling, Charles Dutoit, Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich, Agnes Baltsa, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Radu Lupu to name but a few great masters.

The podium will be graced by Iván Fischer, the artistic director and one of the founders of the Orchestra. He has been at the Orchestra’s helm for thirty years. Fischer regularly collaborates with Berlin Philharmonics, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and various American orchestras. In 2008–2010, he was the principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington; currently he is the principal conductor of Konzerthausorchester Berlin.

Pianist Dénes Várjon is a universal musician: excellent soloist, first-class chamber musician, highly sought after piano pedagogue and artistic leader of festivals. As a soloist Várjon has appeared with Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonics, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Kremerata Baltica, London’s Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and other orchestras. The pianist has recorded for the Naxos, ECM, Teldec and Capriccio labels, appeared at leading international festivals from Edinburgh to Salzburg.