There was no need to "dust off” what is perhaps Zoltán Kodály's most popular piece for orchestra. Although the brilliantly scored 1933 dance poem, with its evocation of childhood memories, is no rarity in the concert hall, every new performance can thrill by revealing original colours and flavours in the score. We can regard this particular performance as the Kodály Philharmonic Debrecen's tribute to the great creative artist whose name it bears.
The other two Hungarian pieces being conducted by Debrecen-born maestra and recognised composer Ilona Meskó, however, are indeed true discoveries. The works that Frigyes Hidas (1928-2007) wrote for brass are among the most representative of this extraordinarily prolific composer's entire oeuvre, which also included music for many films and dramatic works. Providing a taste of his music will be his double concerto for tenor and bass trombone - presumably the only such opus in music history - as interpreted by two virtuoso soloists: István Juhász and Mátyás Veér. The Symphony No. 6 from László Lajtha (1892-1963) is also a rare pleasure indeed. Firstly, because the composer's symphonic output is neglected: only his Symphony No. 7, which pays tribute to the memory of 1956, is played with any frequency today. And secondly, because of the Sixth Symphony's unusually cheerful tone - particularly considering what life in Hungary was like in 1955, when it was written.


Presented by: Müpa Budapest