The concert will open with the enchanting music of Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits, who will take us on a journey across fantastic landscapes. The Hymns to the Nordic Lights reveal the magically pulsing natural phenomenon through the eyes and soul of one man.
The evening's soloist, Portugal's Pedro Carneiro is an oddity as one of very few percussion players to have made an international career as a soloist. His playing is fiery, refined and emotional. A spectacular piece was written for him by the favourite composer of Estonian audiences, Erkki-Sven Tüür. In the marimba concerto Ardor (meaning fervour, passion, intensity), the orchestra does not merely accompany the soloist; they merge and disrupt one another as the orchestra 'translates' the message of the marimba. Passion is the middle movement of the piece written for strings entitled Action, Passion, Illusion. The passion slowly and gently unfolds to reach an even higher state of exaltation.
Eduard Tubin used many folk motifs in his works, and was even encouraged to do so by Kodály when they met in 1938. With the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Tubin fled to Sweden and grew distant from folk influences. Instead, he began experimenting with international trends. An example of this is his rarely performed, concise and dark Symphony No. 7.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest, Budapest Festival Orchestra