The City Centre Summer Symphony Concert Series, to take place in front of the basilica, will feature concerts by the Hungarian Radio Symphonic Orchestra, the Kodály-Bartók Youth World Orchestra, the Magyar Telekom Symphony Orchestra and the Budafok Dohnányi Ernő Symphonic Orchestra. The church?s Géza Szabó, who will host the concerts, has promised St. Stephen?s 9,300-kilogramme bell will not interrupt the concerts.
Even though the bell will be switched off, concert-goers will still find the concerts have a certain charm which can?t be reproduced in a concert hall. "Summertime open air performances have an inimitable atmosphere, which makes up for the somewhat lower-quality acoustics compared to a concert hall," according the festival?s artistic advisor Gergely Kesselyák.
The Buda Castle Summer Nights, to be staged in the Hilton Dominican Courtyard, will feature eleven concerts, including performances by the Hungarian State Opera, the Budapest Klezmer Band, the Bolyki Brothers, the Hungarian Virtuoso Chamber Orchestra and the Hot Jazz Band. The venue will also host a flamenco night and a Latin night.
The Summer Jubilee Opera and Ballet Festival, which will be held at the Hungarian State Opera, will include performances of Puccini's Tosca, Verdi's Othello and Seregi-Goldmark-Hidas's The Taming of the Shrew.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
