MÁV Symphony Orchestra Presented by Liszt Academy

Gergely Kesselyák, who has been conductor of MÁV Symphony Orchestra for many years, has a particular affinity to Russian music and enjoys surprising audiences with unknown works. The great Russian composer of the 20th century Shostakovich is associated with many dramatic, indeed tragic works, and was not averse to the worlds of circus, jazz and operetta, too. His stage work Moscow, Cheryomushki (1959) represents the latter genre, presenting the lives of the residents of a new housing estate, and while it complied with all the political strictures of the time, it also evinced a refined irony. Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2 dates from a completely different period, the early years of the 20th century. It is a profoundly Russian work. The evening’s violin soloist, Alexandre Dimcevski performs the Violin Concerto written by Samuel Barber in 1934 is out-and-out American music.