|
The Budapest
Festival Orchestra directed
and conducted by legendary Maestro Iván
Fischer returned
to Carnegie Hall on Thursday, February 18th to celebrate its 20th Anniversary
in New York.
Friends of the Budapest Festival Orchestra
Chairman Stephen
Benko and Gala
Co-Chairs Sylvia
Hemingway and Kati
Marton welcomed
guests including Ambassador
Donald Blinken and Mrs.
Vera Blinken, Ambassador Ferenc Kumin, Daisy Soros, Peter and
Jamee Gregory and
Adrienne
Vittadini to
hear a performance from the orchestra David Allen of The
New York Times wrote
“might be the best in the world.”
Romanticism dominated the first part of the
concert with Weber’s overture to his supernatural opera Der
Freischütz. Virtuoso
pianist Marc-André
Hamelin played
Liszt’s technically daunting Piano Concerto No. 1 and
Prokofiev’s brilliantly scored, melodic and emotionally
compelling Symphony No. 5 —one of the greatest 20th-century
symphonies - concluded the program.
Following the performance, guests including George
Ledes, Christine Schott-Ledes, R. Couri Hay, Jana Bullock and Stefan
Englert headed to
the Weill Terrace Roomfor a Gala dinner and reception catered by
Starr Catering Group. During
the reception Stephen
Benko and Maestro
Ivan Fischer both
made short speeches to thank attendees and the Friends of the
Orchestra for their 20 years of support and service.
Supporters of The Budapest Festival Orchestra
include Laszlo and Petra
Balassy, Radko Benko, Noreen and Ken
Buckfire, Stephen Fuzesi, Jr., George Kellner, David and Julie
Tobey, Sylvia Toth and Tim
Warner, Chairman Emeritus,
The Budapest Festival Orchestra is one of the
international music scene’s major success stories, being rated
among the top ten orchestras in the world. Its key figure and
founder is the legendary Music Director/Conductor Iván Fischer.
|