Ákos Hernádi and Károly Mocsári played an arrangement of Bartók?s "The Miraculous Mandarin" for two pianos at the concert, which was staged in the Emperor's Hall of the former Wittelsbach residence. The performance, which was attended by Culture Minister András Bozóki, also included Ernő Dohnányi's "Suite en valse" and Géza M. Tóth's "Symphonic Animation". The same concert was earlier performed in Berlin.
The Hungarian Cultural Season in Germany officially started on Thursday, with the laying in Berlin of the cornerstone for the Collegium Hungaricum, a cultural and scientific centre.
The 18-month Cultural Season, which will take place in three phases, will focus on the 125th anniversary of Bartók's birth and the 50th anniversary of the 1956 revolution. The programme of events includes photography exhibitions and workshop discussions to mark the anniversary of the revolution, and concerts by Hungary?s Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra to celebrate the anniversary of Bartók?s birth. Gábor Péter Mezei, a young Hungarian composer studying in Munich, has even composed an opera for the occasion.
Other events include a performance by the Győr Ballet in Regensburg, an exhibition of Hungarian sculptor Miklós Borsos's work, also in Regensburg, and an exhibition of contemporary Hungarian art in Munich.
Hungarian author Péter Esterházy's new book on the world of football, ?A Journey Through Germany Within the Penalty Area?, already available in Germany under the title ?Deutschlandreise im Strafraum?, will be introduced at the International Spring Book Week in Munich. Esterházy, one of Hungary?s most highly-acclaimed living authors, and widely read in Germany as well as in Hungary, will read from the book at the festival.
Hungarian films also have their place on the Cultural Season programme: Munich's Rio Palast cinema will show a retrospective of Academy Award winning director István Szabó's works, and in Regensburg, a selection of the most important Hungarian films of the last 20 years will be shown.
Both Munich and Regensburg will exhibit examples of the art of Herend, one of Hungary?s most famous porcelain makers, and Munich's Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski will include a selection of Hungarian dishes on its menu as part of the Cultural Season.
