Budapest Festival Orchestra

“I feel that when I play Haydn and Mozart with the Festival Orchestra, I become younger,” professes Gábor Takács­Nagy, who continues his interpretation of the inexhaustible symphonic output of the two greats, this time with the sympathetic piano solo of Jean­Efflam Bavouzet. “Both of them have a fantastic positive life force and energy!” continues Gábor Takács­-Nagy, who has been attracted to these two composers since childhood. This life force is reflected in the two magnificent symphonies in C major, and Mozart’s piano concerto. Haydn managed to smuggle some mischief into the vast majority of his symphonies. In the case of the Symphony in C major, this is a sleight of form: both segments of the two-part finale are in miniature sonata form. Of course, this is evident only to the most attuned ear, so it seems the composer was mainly entertaining himself with this. Mozart was similarly innovative in the Piano Concerto in E-flat major, which takes its nickname from Victoire Jenamy – incorrectly Jeunehomme. “Because I don’t have a single symphony with me, I’m working head over heels on a new one,” Mozart informed his father when, with his newly married wife, he was travelling from Salzburg to Vienna and stopped off in Linz to give a concert. Thus was born the Linz Symphony, which despite the great haste is a colourful, witty and acute work.