Prom 55: Budapest Festival Orchestra/ Fischer *****
Royal Albert Hall, 23rd August 2018
Crossover is nothing new. In the 19th century, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms appropriated Hungarian gypsy melodies for the salon and concert hall, drawing on the verbunkos fiddler style in their collections of rhapsodies and dances. After their glittering Mahler 4 on Wednesday, encrusted in Klimtian gold, the Budapest Festival Orchestra voyaged back down the Danube for a night in old Café Budapest. With Iván Fischer as amiable host, they drew the music back to its folk roots, inviting three players from that tradition to add a liberal sprinkling of paprika to the orchestral goulash.
József Lendvay Jr, József Lendvay Sr, Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra
© BBC | Chris Christodoulou
Read the full review on Bachtrack.