The Danube Symphony Orchestra

Informazioni generali

Destinazione
Budapest, Ungheria

Il programma nel dettaglio

Music always had a special place in the Hungarian culture. The country’s unique folklore traditions, its numerous world famous composers and musicians had great influence in the European music life inspiring numerous foreign composers and artists.


Now you have the chance to experience this one of a kind harmony with the guidance of the country’s best performers. The show combines all the captivating elements of Classical, Operetta, Hungarian folk and Gypsy music, forming a truly exciting and precious event. One of the most famous Hungarian classical music ensembles, the Danube Symphony Orchestra is leading the performance, accompanied by professional ballet dancers for a more complex and vivid experience.


The programme also features operetta performances by the soloists of the world-famous Budapest Operetta Theatre.


To make the experience more colourful, a special Hungarian instrument, the cimbalom will be introduced. It is a truly unique traditional stringed instrument, which provides perfect harmony, accompanying the grand symphonic orchestra. We would also like to show you the Hungarian folk music heritage, by featuring traditional folk song adaptations performed by an authentic Gypsy ensemble. The show also includes a performance by one of Hungary’s great talents from the national “Virtuosos” talent show.


The 90 minute long concerts consist of two 45 minute sets with a 15 minute intermission in-between. The performances are taking place in two of the city’s most prestigious concert halls, the Danube Palace and the recently renewed, historical Pesti Vigadó, in central downtown locations.


Danube Palace

The former Casino of Lipótváros, built in 1895, is one of the most famous Neo-Baroque building of Budapest, where world-famous composers like Bartók, Dvorak and Kodály conducted their own compositions. At that time it was known as an aristocratic club for entertainment not a casino in terms of gambling. After the war, since 1951 the building has been carrying out the cultural programs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.


Pesti Vigadó

Pesti Vigadó, one of Hungary’s most famous theatres, was finished in 1864. It was built on the place of its predecessor, which was destroyed following the Hungarian revolution of 1848 as a form of retribution. Following the defeat of the revolution in 1859, architect Frigyes Feszl created a completely reformed, new design for the building. He mixed the Hungarian architecture with Moor, Romanesque and Gothic elements. Feszl’s concept gained so much popularity, that it was used on the construction of numerous buildings all over Hungary at the time. Since its opening, Pesti Vigadó was a centre of the cultural life and entertainment in Budapest. It was the venue for the gala dinner in 1867, following the coronation of the Austrian emperor and Hungarian king, Franz Joseph I.


There is a long list of famous composers who performed in its beautiful concert hall, which includes, Richard Wagner, Johann Strauss Jr., Pietro Mascagni, Antonín Dvořák, Claude Debussy, Arthur Rubinstein, Richard Strauss, Sergei Prokofiev, Sviatoslav Richter and Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi. The Vigadó was also the home to the largest amount of Franz Liszt’s performances. Pesti Vigadó was the place where the National Anthem of Hungary was performed for the first time, and it was also the venue for the certification of unifying the three cities of Pest, Buda and Óbuda into the city we call Budapest. The building was heavily damaged in the final months of WWII. The reconstructions lasted for almost 35 years, and the concert hall temporarily reopened in 1980. Its latest restoration works continued for 10 more years, when the building finally opened in its current form in the year 2014 to welcome you in its full glory.Meeting/pick-up point: Inside the neo baroque theater hall, Danube Palace.

Duration: 90 minutes.

Start/opening time: At 8pm.