One such eminent ensemble is the King Saint Stephen Music High School Wind Orchestra, which was founded by Pál Makovecz, the institution's director, in 2007. As a result of his work, the ensemble has deservedly earned the honourable title of concert brass band in professional circles. The soloist for the evening will be Balázs Rumy, a clarinettist with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra. The programme the ensemble has put together spans centuries, with the oldest work being the canzona (dating from 1597) by the Venetian master Giovanni Gabrieli, who was born in 1554 and died in 1612). Between the 12th and 17th centuries, the canzona (an Italian word for ‘song'), as a musical term, underwent many changes in meaning, in fact almost every century. In the 16th century, the word was used for instrumental pieces. The concert begins with works by Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868), with the popular overture from the opera La gazza ladra followed by the composer's virtuoso piece with its clarinet solo. The composers of the other works with descriptive titles worked or work in the 20th and 21st centuries: Alfred Reed (1921-2005), Johannes Abraham de Meij (1953-) and Jan Van der Roost (1956-) expanded the wind orchestra repertoire with significant works.

Presented by: Szent István Philharmonic