At the start of the 20th century, the music of Dutch composer Johan Wagenaar (1862-1941) was popular and widely played. His most ambitious work is considered to be the symphonic poem Saul and David, which he wrote in 1906 for the tricentennial of the birth of Rembrandt, while he enjoyed his greatest success with his 1905 overture Cyrano de Bergerac. This piece, somewhat reminiscent of the symphonic poems of Richard Strauss, is also equally evocative of the character of Rostand's fictional ...hero and poet.
The Piano Concerto in B flat major, op. 19, is widely understood to be Beethoven's second piano concerto, but the numbering is deceptive, since no lesser authority than the composer of the work himself stated that it had been written in 1794-95. This would have made it the composer's first piece in the genre, excluding an attempt from a few years previously, of which only the piano part remains to us. Also attesting to the work's significance is the fact that Beethoven played it in March of 1795 at his first appearance in front of a Viennese audience. This performance established his reputation as a piano virtuoso in the imperial city.
Shostakovich wrote his Symphony No. 5 in 1937. Its première came in November, at a concert by the Leningrad Philharmonic with a young Evgeny Mravinski conducting. The audience gave the work a standing ovation lasting more than half an hour, which beyond the recognition of the aesthetic value of the work, also spoke to the fact that Shostakovich had fallen into disgrace the previous year, with Stalin himself directing the push against him. As a result of an attack published in Pravda, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District was removed from theatre programmes, and Shostakovich withdrew his Symphony No. 4 - still yet to be premièred - and instead wrote the fifth, the style and sound of which opened a new period in his oeuvre.
Presented by: Budapest Festival Orchestra
Parking information
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.
Safe ticket purchase
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