Hough, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Fischer, Royal Festival Hall

Music to usher in the Liszt bicentenary and Hungarian EU Presidency

by Igor ToronyilalicMonday, 17 January 2011

Ivan Fischer's conducting: All about colour and texture and an open-air freshness

Who knew the changeover of the EU Presidency could be this much fun? Amid the formal bowing and scraping at the Royal Festival Hall bunfights last night that signalled that the Hungarians were now at the tiller of this sinking political ship were some dodgy political metaphors, a round of orchestral Where's Wally and some extraordinary music.

It was all about colour and texture and an open-air freshness, about forceful gusts and cooling eddies

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