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classical music, opera, theatre
Reitze Smits and the Budapest Saxophone Quartet
2 May 2018, Wednesday
5:30 pm - 8 pm
one interval
Béla Bartók National Concert Hall
Produced by Müpa Budapest

Handel

Music for the Royal Fireworks - excerpts

Bach-Vivaldi

Concerto in D minor, BWV 596

J. S. Bach

Sei gegrüsset - chorale partita, BWV 768

Mendelssohn

Variations sérieuses, op. 54

interval

Rachmaninoff

Études-Tableaux, op. 39, No. 9

Rachmaninoff

Prelude in B major and G-sharp minor, No. 11 and 12

Rachmaninoff

Vocalise, op. 34

Poulenc

Sonata

Milhaud

La création du monde

Regular visitors to Müpa Budapest's organ concerts have long been aware that these programmes endeavour to expand and enrich whatever previous images the audience members might have had of the instrument. They do this by pairing the organ with new genres and instruments that it would not have encountered in previous centuries. This evening will be no exception.

From his native Netherlands, Reitze Smits is bringing to Müpa Budapest the message of the modern heirs to the venerable Dutch organ tradition. He himself, however, is a modern-minded and receptive artist. A multi-faceted musician, he has learned to play harpsichord in addition to the organ and even pursued studies in musicology. After achieving outstanding results at prestigious international organ competitions (in Toulouse and Bruges), he spent decades working as a church cantor and organist, first in Zaltbommel, and later in Vianen. Just like previous organists to visit Müpa Budapest such as Cameron Carpenter and Frédéric Champion, Smits enjoys creating organ transcriptions from piano works and symphonic compositions.
His Budapest concert programme also gives some indication of his experimental spirit. Stylistically speaking, he will be playing a diverse set of works ranging from Vivaldi and Handel to Poulenc and Milhaud, with lots in between, including works Rachmaninoff originally composed for piano. The other clue is that the organist gladly agreed to share the playbill with the musicians of the Budapest Saxophone Quartet. This means that, in terms of arrangement, the audience is going to get to hear a quite varied selection: there will be some works played on the organ alone, others just for the saxophone quartet, as well as some examples of collaboration between the two, including a saxophone solo with organ accompaniment.

The concert will be preceded from 6.30 pm by a conversation entitled Prelude, where ticket holders will be invited to get to know the performing musician and the works to be performed more closely.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest

  • We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.

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