GLOBAL STARS WITH THE ORCHESTRA OF THE SEASON HUNGARIAN-BRITISH VARIATIONS – MIKLÓS PERÉNYI AND THE FRANZ LISZT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Bartók Béla National Concert Hall Bartók: Divertimento Ferenc Farkas: Trittico concertato Ferenc Farkas: Concertino all’antica Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge Fifty years in the life of a person is a good age, but it can also be looked upon as the beginning of a second youth. Formed in 1963, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra has reached its half-century, during which time it has given thousands of concerts while its members have forged a genuine family through playing music together and pursuing a common goal. Only a handful of the founding members remain among the current membership as in recent years the ensemble has truly undergone a rebirth; its tradition, however, has remained unbroken. The key figure is the one-time concertmaster, now artistic director János Rolla, who took over the baton from the legendary Frigyes Sándor. In the form of concerts and recordings alike, the orchestra has created work of inestimable value both in Hungary and abroad, furnishing listeners with unforgettable concert experiences. Over the 50 years of its existence, it has played with greats such as Sviatoslav Richter, Yehudi Menuhin, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Henryk Szeryng, Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich, Maurice André – and the list goes on. The orchestra begins its jubilee year in the Palace of Arts in the company of a Hungarian cellist of the highest order, the 65-year-old Miklós Perényi, and an exciting programme of 20th century music. The work by Bartók which serves as an overture has symbolic value in the life of the chamber orchestra, as it was Frigyes Sándor who premièred it in Hungary in 1939. One of the most important composers of the generation after Bartók, Ferenc Farkas, wrote two works for cello and orchestra – both of which will be performed this evening for the first time on a concert stage in this country.