The Gürzenich Orchestra is one of Germany's most prestigious symphony ensembles, looking back on a history of some 130 years of successful operation. Among its past conductors, we find the names of historically important figures such as Conradin Kreutzer, Ferdinand Hiller and Franz Wüllner in the 19th century, and Hermann Abendroth, Günter Wand and Marek Janowski in the 20th, the latter a regular guest at Müpa Budapest. Its current general music director, François-Xavier Roth, has headed the ensemble since 2015. The French musician grew up in a family long committed to music: his father is Daniel Roth, organist of the historic Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, who has also made a successful appearance at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall.
The soloist for this concert, the German Isabelle Faust, is an old favourite of Budapest audiences and also has close ties to Hungarian musical culture through her studies, having been taught by Dénes Zsigmondy. An outstanding interpreter of Beethoven and Brahms, the violinist is also a committed performer of the music of Bartók, but on this occasion will play Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, a Romantic masterpiece of classical poise.
After sounds of such refinement and elegance, the second half of the concert will be filled with the large-scale gravity of Mahler's masterful Symphony No. 5. This work at once documents the passing of Romanticism and the birth of modernity, while the penultimate Adagietto movement, a concert hall hit of unsurpassed popularity in its own right, is the composer's lyrical declaration of love to his future wife, Alma Schindler.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest