Savaria Symphonic Orchestra

We often judge a composer by a single famous work — but this concert will convince you that every artist has many faces.

If we look closer, from Beethoven through Liszt to Bartók, we can trace an unbroken line of teacher–student relationships. In that sense, they could almost be seen as members of the same “school” — united by a deep sense of artistic mission, though each expressed it in a distinctly different way.

Let’s see how:
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C minor was written around the time of the Eroica Symphony and Fidelio, when the composer saw himself as a kind of heroic freedom fighter. Yet in the slow movement of this concerto, it is as if he lays down his weapons to reveal his most honest, vulnerable, and profoundly human side.

Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances were composed during the turbulent 1910s, when he was deeply engaged in the folk music of Transylvania. These dance melodies were arranged both for piano and orchestra. Unlike in Hungarian Sketches, where Bartók invented folk-like melodies and characters of his own, here he transforms authentic folk tunes. The dance rhythms and vivid characters are ever-present, but the best-known movement, Evening in Transylvania, has become so beloved that many Székely people still sing it as a traditional folk song — unaware that it was composed by Bartók himself.

Franz Liszt’s symphonic poem Prometheus shares the same spirit as the artistic creed of Beethoven and Bartók: bringing fire to humankind, defying the gods, and embracing suffering in order to make the world a better place. Liszt’s passionate, Romantic orchestral work vividly portrays the mythological story of Prometheus.

Experience the great ideas and rich variety that inspired these composers — all in one unforgettable concert!