In a concert featuring the greatest Italian symphonic composers of the 19th and 20th centuries and Nora Fischer, Iván Fischer’s world-renowned daughter, we are building bridges between nations, periods and styles.

In addition to Orfeo – performed with Iván Fischer’s own ending – the Bridging Europe festival will also introduce audiences to Luciano Berio’s and Ottorino Respighi’s encounters with early music. The programme will also include original works by the two composers.

An original work… Berio’s Rendering could also be called thus, for even though it is based on Schubert’s sketches, the piece is far more than mere reinterpretation. Notes produced by the Austrian composer prior to his death suggest that a symphony No. 10 was in the making; spiced with Berio’s music, however, the sketches provide the foundations for an exciting and vibrant piece bridging periods. Folk Songs brings together nations: from the Americans and the Armenians to the French, the Italians and the Azeris. The eleven songs showcase a total of nine languages or dialects. The song cycle, which was composed to highlight the abilities of an outstanding singer of the day, Berio’s first wife, Cathy Berberian, will be performed this time by the extraordinarily versatile Nora Fischer. Moving adroitly between styles and languages, Fischer has been called a worthy successor to Berberian by the composer Louis Andriessen.

Bach’s arrangement of the chorale “Come, Saviour of the Pagans” has been reworked many times over the centuries, among others by the Italian impressionist composer Respighi, who transformed Bach’s chorale prelude into an orchestral piece. “Roman Triptych” is arguably Respighi’s best-known work. The second piece of the cycle describes in four movements the pines of Rome at various times of the day. The richly orchestrated music makes use of an organ and a celesta, while the nightingale’s song is reproduced by a phonograph in the third movement.

Bridging Europe festival is the joint production of the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Müpa Budapest.