The teaming up of Concerto Budapest and Muzsikás Ensemble has been a feature for many years, while the main idea of their joint productions remains unchanged: to explore and present the opportunities and practical results of dialogue between orchestral composed music and traditional folk music. The deep-rooted, authentic power of Carpathian Basin (Transdanubian, Transylvanian, Szatmár etc.) melodies is well-known to have entranced and inspired numerous classical composers from Brahms to Bartók and Janáček; this fusion always resulted in something exciting and, for audiences, highly likeable.

This time the superb musicians of international renown bring the audience Liszt’s Hungarian rhapsody, recruitment music, the csárdás and Gypsy music mood, while Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances cycle naturally functions primarily with Czech motifs although there are Russian and Hungarian influences apparent as well. Whereas Liszt’s virtuoso episodes are mostly characterized by joy and strength, Dvořák speaks on multiple occasions here in a weightier, more profound tone. Placed among the standards of the grand masters of the classics there is something out of the ordinary: a contemporary composition, and what is more, one expressly written for the artists on stage. Levente Gyöngyösi, born in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, has proved himself as a creative force in the chamber, choral, symphonic and opera genres, thus the quality of this latest work of his (Concerto for Muzsikás Ensemble and Concerto Budapest) is guaranteed. And naturally, because of the special range of instruments and soundings, there is a similar warranty on the musical adventure!