Concerto Budapest

Our ensemble's long-established tradition of a Christmas concert is an unmissable event as we approach the feast of Nativity, even if this year, we are sadly forced to present it to the audience online. Exceptionally, instead of the usual Tchaikovsky programme scored for a full symphony orchestra, at this Christmastide, we have compiled a programme that doesn't only accommodate to the pandemic situation that accompanied the entire year but also reflects the spiritual message of Christmas. The compositions scored for smaller apparatuses promise a representative assortment ranging from Handel's anthem to the unmissable element of Christmas Concerts, Tchaikovsky's string sextet, Souvenir de Florence. The event's representative nature is also underlined by the fact that the performers taking to the stage each represent the various sections and instrument groups of Concerto Budapest, spanning from the brasses' Handel package to the percussionists' Debussy performance. The presence of our returning guest musician, the Kossuth Prize-winning pianist János Balázs, is also a key ingredient of the event's success. He will evoke a traditionally Christmassy composition, The Nutcracker, with his self-composed paraphrase on the piece. This time, the music director of Concerto Budapest, András Keller will not guarantee the unique joy of the end-of-season concert of the orchestra as its conductor but as a chamber musician and as 1st violinist of Keller Quartet.