MAV symphony orchestra Liszt Academy Budapest
Nov 6th 2019
What a great concert – and in that wonderful hall whose décor makes the Musikverein in Vienna seem dully understated!
The orchestra was first-rate; not one I had heard of but technically up to the considerable challenges of the programme although from where I was sitting (balcony mid-left) balance could have been better particularly in the Barber Violin concerto.
The opener was Shostakovitch’s suite Cheryoumuski where he managed to create music that (apparently) would satisfy the censors (not least with the scenario) but had his hidden and at times not-so-hidden sharply satirical edge. This was, I thought, largely through the harmonies and the at times deliberate vulgarity – the trombone section certainly had a good time with this piece and were put through their paces. Rhythmically it was admirably tight and ensemble, as for the whole concert, was impeccable.
The Barber violin concerto (which I do not know as well as I should, was equally powerful although balance left something to be desired for a good part of the performance; I may have been too close so that the sounds were not properly blended. Passionate and controlled soloist Alexandre Dimcevski did justice to the work.
The final work was Rach 2 – a wonderfully emotional and powerful performance that showed the orchestra superbly well and was admirably controlled by the conductor (Gergely Kesselyak) so that the climaxes were as devastating as they should be but the performance as a whole was not overly fevered and frantic.
A marvelous evening then and one I intend to try and repeat more regularly – as long as I keep my eye on the programme.