On 4 February 2023, Müpa (Palace of Arts) Budapest and the Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO) will hold a one-day marathon on the life’s work of Sergei Prokofiev, the Soviet-Russian composer and pianist who passed away 70 years ago.
Every year since 2008, Müpa Budapest and the Budapest Festival Orchestra have put on an all-day marathon production presenting the very best work of a given composer, with a series of consecutive concerts from morning until late evening, according to Müpa’s statement. From Bach and Brahms to Bartók and Bernstein, many prominent composers have taken the starring role on these days – with Beethoven already serving twice, for example, it adds.
“The Russian composer wrote exciting symphonies, concertos, chamber compositions, and piano pieces, among other works, hence we will be able to present a rich cross-section of his diverse œuvre to our audience over the course of the day, ” Müpa writes, adding that students of the Liszt Academy will perform free concerts in the Glass Hall, while memorable performances will be brought to life on the screen in the Auditorium. The Béla Bartók National Concert Hall will be the venue primarily of the symphonic concerts, while the Festival Theatre will host the chamber music events, BFO writes on its website.
According to the orchestra, “the overture performance will be the popular children’s piece, Peter and the Wolf, composed in just two weeks. The finale will be the suite version of a quintessential piece of ballet literature, the story of Cinderella”.
Featured photo via Facebook/BFO