Pannon Philharmonic

What is happening around the orchestra?

We live our lives in our region; each season, 42 performances should be staged at Kodály Centre, which is a big number, a big burden, and at the same time is a challenge for the orchestra. In addition, our subscription series is running in Budapest; now, it has been on for 11 years, always with packed house, which is a very big achievement. I hope it does not seem immodest to say that, but we are a very good orchestra; the success of the European tour just proves that. We did not play easy pieces at venues like the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, and the Victoria Hall in Geneva; the tour gave very important feedback to the orchestra. The finishing concert was in Berlin, where we have received standing ovation. It gives great satisfaction that we accopmplished that there, and now we feel we entered in thed club of the great orchestras…

What is your programme policy?

The season programme is built on a very wide range of aspects. A large number of concerts already imposes a limit and of we can not play very modern pieces, because the concerts also are to be sold, which is not easy. In Hungary, it is still a typical tendency to have to play anything that is romantic or that is known. The audience rather listens to Beethoven or Brahms heard for the fifteenth time, despite the fact that a modern programming is sometimes want to forget certain works. My principle is that we should bring in new stuff - of course, on a healthy level. The audience need to be educated.

What is your experience, how are the chanses you can educate people to be receptive for innovations?

The Pécs audience is very good, one can not play bad music for them. This will help us, as if we are very careful and really select masterpieces, than even a Hartmann symphony or a Hindemith-work, which might be a bit "sour" music for a Hungarian ear can be accepted. There are many composers whose works would be very important to play; in terms of the education of the orchestra and the education of the audience, too; for example Schönberg. For the next season, we had planned two symphonies by Hartmann. One has to be cautious and not pushy, but it is possible to educate the concert visitors. Well, I have experienced that at my Finnish orchestra, too, where at the first such pieces, the concert halls were empty; and then a few years later the patrons were waiting for them. IYou cannot always perform the "safe" works of Mozart and Haydn, there always ought to be some little innovations…