Concerto Budapest

The concert will feature three grand, festive works involving both organ and orchestra – pieces that are rarely performed individually, and whose joint presentation is truly extraordinary. Each organ solo piece will be performed by a distinguished organist. Richard Strauss composed his Festive Prelude for the inauguration of the Wiener Konzerthaus at the height of his career, around the same time as his Alpine Symphony. The music’s bold, optimistic, and clear harmonies and fanfares radiate a special dignity. Liszt’s grandiose organ work, based on a theme from one of Meyerbeer’s operas, was transformed by Marcel Dupré into a kind of organ concerto, showcasing not only the colorful orchestral sound but also the organ’s versatility. The evening concludes with Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony, in which the organ crowns the sound of the orchestra. Although Saint-Saëns was invited to write a Fourth Symphony, he declined, saying he could not create anything greater than the Third.