The concert started with improvisations by the cimbalom master Oszkár Ökrös, followed by traditional Gypsy music and classical pieces inspired by Gypsy music. On the programme were Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2; Brahms' Symphony No. 1, Hungarian Dances No. 1, No. 11 and No. 15; and Pablo de Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen. The orchestra was joined for several pieces by the father-son violin duo of József Lendvay Sr. and József Lendvay Jr. The audience gave a standing ovation at the end of the concert and showed special enthusiasm for improvisations by Lendvay Jr.
The critic James R. Oestreich called Lenvay Jr.'s performance of Zigeunerweisen "as revelatory in its blisteringly virtuosic moments as in its soulful ones," writing in the New York Times.
Oestreich said Budapest Festival Orchestra conductor Iván Fischer drew a "stirring reading" of Brahms's Symphony No. 1. "But it was good to see the cimbalom still onstage throughout that performance, hinting at an encore to come. And come it did, in the form a jam session, led by several string players from the orchestra, joined by Mr. Okros and, ultimately, the Lendvays," Oestreich said.
Photo: Shan Jayakumar
