Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra - Iván Fischer, Kirill Gerstein

A tree on stage, a swallow in the air, and a winding stream that meanders along the music of this evening: the Budapest Festival Orchestra brings an ode to nature in all its splendor. Iván Fischer, founder and driving force of this excellent orchestra with an impressive track record, connects musical freedom with a distinct vision. In Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus, orchestral sounds mingle with birdsong from the far north: fragile, ethereal, and moving. Bartóks Derde piano concerto sounds imposing with Kirill Gerstein at the piano, a soloist who effortlessly switches between intellectual sharpness and pure lyricism and who belongs on the biggest stages in the world. Beethovens Zesde symphony, the Pastoral, closes the evening as a timeless tribute to nature and man. This concert does not want to be a well-thought-out manifesto about nature, but an authentic gesture: music as pure laudatio, brought to life by an orchestra that is internationally admired for its courage, imagination, and humanity. More to experience With free introduction at 7:15 PM