The Spring Festival is upon us, and Saturday evening brought a concert which promotes one of the themes of this year’s festivities, “Our Guest, Denmark”.
Ádám Fischer has been a notable figure on concert rostrums and in opera pits for many years now. Along with his commitments with the Hungarian National Opera, the Austrian-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra and others, he’s been chief conductor of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra since 1998 – and it shows. They know each other and there is an empathy there which results in a high caliber of music making. The Danish Orchestra were in excellent form and, for all the clarity of maestro’s direction, there were times when he appeared rather to be caressing the music rather than conducting it, a sure sign of the understanding that exists between him and his players.
You would expect the players to be comfortable with the music of one of their great national figures and, with Nielsen, they were on home territory. Even so, Nielsen’s highly original and sometimes quirky approach to orchestration requires a special attention to detail, which the players delivered in abundance. The Aladdin Suite was given with spirit and vigor. But before this, there was a real treat. Dóra Seres is a flautist out of the top drawer. She is one of that generation of bright young musicians who have emerged from Hungarian music academies since the changes to make a huge impression on the wider world. She has also been closely involved with this orchestra and it all came together in a performance of technical brilliance and sensitivity with which gave this concerto a performance worthy of its originality.
Sixteen years separate Betracht dieses Herz and Misera, dove son and it is fascinating to compare the 11 year old Mozart with the mature composer. Miah Persson, the Swedish soprano, is a well known figure hereabouts. Her repertoire is varied and extensive, but her Mozart is especially to be cherished and she gave these two pieces with all the artistry we have come to expect from this special singer. Finally, we had the Haffner symphony, in which Fischer had his players eating out of his hand. The dynamic contrasts of the second movement were especially fine and a high spirited finale had the audience calling for more, which Fischer delivered with a sparkling Figaro Overture.
The Spring Festival is upon us, and Saturday evening brought a concert which promotes one of the themes of this year’s festivities, “Our Guest, Denmark”.
Through April 5
30th Budapest Spring Festival
All around Budapest
Tel.: +36.1.486.3300
www.btf.hu (Hun, Eng, Ger)