Respire #3 – Arban, Debussy, Schumann

The third event of Festival Academy Budapest commences with a real hit, the variation series written by the 19th century French trumpet virtuoso and music educator, Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825–1889). The main theme is a Neapolitan folk tune, which was first arranged and popularised by violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini under the title Carnival of Venice. The composition, which requires superior technical skills, is performed by Gábor Boldoczki. Following Arban’s piece, we’ll veer onto more emotional ground: Debussy’s uniquely orchestrated Trio Sonata will be staged by Noémi Győri, Máté Szűcs and Andrea Vígh. It is a late composition with an abstract musical texture pointing towards the future, yet its structure and numerous gestures are rooted in French Baroque music. Schumann’s String Quartet in A minor is also a versatile piece, which was dedicated to Mendelssohn and made its debut on his wife Clara’s 23rd birthday. It evokes Haydn, the „founding father” of the genre, explores the abstract polyphony which characterises Beethoven’s later compositions, and it represents the harmonies and musical expression of his own era, Romanticism. The performance of this piece will be the debut of the Kelemen-Rowland-Kokas- Bogdanović quartet: two couples – four worldclass string players.