SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

The concert featured the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of its director, Zoltán Kocsis, a native of Budapest and champion of his country’s music. He kicked off with Brahms’ Hungarian Dances no. 1 and 10 (mercifully avoiding that weary war-horse, no. 5 in g minor). Although not exactly genuinely domestic fare, these pieces immediately revealed the unique rapport he has built with this fine ensemble, from which he draws a splendid sound.

It is interesting, though, that the Brahms was a last minute substitute for Liszt’s Les Préludes, which suddenly disappeared from the previously announced program. Could this have been prompted by someone’s recollection that during World War II, the “Russian Fanfare” from the Préludes was played as an introduction to the Wochenschau, the weekly German newsreel of battle reports during the Third Reich? It would seem plausible in a city so aware of the horrendous crimes committed here by the Nazis - the Budapest Holocaust Memorial is one of the most powerful and evocative in the world: metal casts of shoes lined up along a Danube embankment in memory of those who were shot into the river.

Next came what was most definitely the highlight of the evening, Liszt’s Piano Concerto in E flat major, with the maestro leading the orchestra from the piano. The first of Liszt’s piano concertos is undoubtedly the more festive in tone, and who better to perform it that Kocsis, a brilliant all-round musician, who also has a great deal in common with its legendary composer: not only an accomplished pianist, he is also a composer and the author of Wagner transcriptions, an advocate of contemporary music (one might go out on a limb and say that he has done for Kurtág what Liszt did for Berlioz), a showman - and by all accounts a ladies’ man. His was at his best playing the seemingly endless melodies of the second, slow movement and the (likewise endless) trills of the third, right through to his majestic tone during the rousing finale, together with the exhilarating sound of a triangle – an unconventional touch which Liszt had the courage to introduce at the time.

This was followed by a more subdued piece, Kodály’s Pange Lingua, sung with the most delicate of nuances by the Hungarian National Choir (chorus master: Mátyás Antal), and featuring virtuoso László Fassang at the hall’s massive organ. Together they created the minimal, devout atmosphere this piece calls for, devoid of any trace of pomp and circumstance.

Bartók’s Dance Suite made for a rousing conclusion. It is a sunny piece, written in 1923 (the year of the composer’s 2^nd marriage!) and no doubt inspired by the travels he undertook with Kodály in search of Magyar folk melodies. Their findings came as a surprise and overturned the common misconception, shared by Liszt and Brahms, that Hungarian folk music was Gypsy music, and establishing that in truth many of the nation’s old folk songs were based on pentatonic scales and “irregular” rhythms similar to those of Central Asia and Siberia. Kocsis knows his Bartók, and his musicians were so manifestly at ease with him that the result was an exceptionally memorable performance.

What a pity that although well attended, there were nevertheless quite a few empty seats. Admission was by invitation only, and it included a (mercifully brief) speech by Minister of Culture István Hiller and an awards ceremony in honor of various deserving Művészetek Palotája personalities, but it seemed a shame that the general public had no access to the remaining space. Surely many a music student would have been more genuinely interested in this concert than some of the well-heeled guests keen to have their picture taken for society magazines. The arts everwhere are forced to rely so heavily on sponsorship these days that all of this is hardly reprehensible, and it is presumably the reason behind the evening’s fairly mainstream program too.

However, there is hope for those who missed hearing the voice of contemporary Hungarian composers: the annual Hommage à Ligeti concert on May 27^th (read a review of last year’s here . A visit to www.mupa.hu will provide you with all the information you need about their many intriguing events. Better yet, visit the city of Budapest itself!

Bettina Mara