This year’s Béla Bartók Art Days will open on March 23 with a flash mob by a brass ensemble performing from the balcony of Szeged’s iconic Reök Palace, setting the tone for the days ahead. The second venue of the day will be the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Hall, where audiences can attend an engaging music history lecture exploring the lives of women composers before the 20th century. The opening day will conclude with a festive evening concert featuring distinguished faculty artists from the University of Szeged’s Bartók Béla Faculty of Arts.
Throughout the festival, audiences can enjoy a wide range of special performances, including a guitar recital, a concert by the Faculty’s wind orchestra, and an appearance by Liszt Ferenc Prize-winning pianist József Balog. Clarinetist and saxophonist Nándor Götz, artistic director of the free public concert series Zenélő Budapest, will also take part with a lecture accompanied by a mini concert.
Continuing a long-standing tradition, students from the Király-König Péter Music School, the Vántus István Catholic Secondary School of Music, Grammar School and Elementary Arts School, and the University of Szeged’s Bartók Béla Faculty of Arts will come together for a joint performance on March 24 in the Fricsay Ferenc Concert Hall.
On March 25, Béla Bartók’s birthday, the festival will present a Bartók sonata conducted by Zsolt Hamar, followed by Római láz (Roman Fever), a chamber piece by Gyula Fekete, performed by students of the University of Szeged.
In the lead-up to the festival’s finale, internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso Barnabás Kelemen will perform on March 30 at the Bartók Béla Faculty of Arts together with violinist and violist Katalin Kokas.
The closing program will feature a masterclass by Dr. Vera Balogh, followed by a lecture on the history of the flute, with participants invited to try a range of instruments.
Throughout the festival, classical music will also be played in unexpected places across the city as part of a series of flash mobs, bringing the spirit of the event directly into public spaces. These surprise performances are set to bring music into everyday city life while also inviting passersby to discover the festival’s wider program.
All events are free of charge, and open to all.
Source: SZTEinfo
