Pannon Philharmonic

The Pannon Philharmonic is launching the 2015/2016 season with innovative and forward-looking professional plans but permanent management structure.  Tibor Bogányi, chief conductor, is starting his new two-year commission in September continuing his work as a conductor of which success has been confirmed multiple times by the music profession and professional reviews in the past couple of years.
‘I’m starting my fifth season leading the orchestra. I consider this period as a straight path of development.’ − said Tibor Bogányi at press conference starting the new season.
Apart from the chief conductor, the orchestra is conducted by a reliable circle of conductors: András Vass, as permanent conductor and Zoltán Kocsis as permanent guest conductor helping and professionally mentoring the orchestra since its renewal in 2003.
‘The Pannon Philharminic performs better and better year by year, that is for sure. The premiere performance of the season is a challenge and members of the audience will leave completely changed at the end of the concert.’ – said Zoltán Kocsis to the press.

The orchestra has started the new season in September, 2015 for the sixth time within the walls of Kodály Centre. Not only the circle of conductors but also the orchestra’s programme portfolio has become fully fledged in these past few years. Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra is starting the season with a professionally well-established and stable musical programme structure in its defined role as a resident orchestra. The fully fledged and multilateral construction of season ticket series and the individual concerts are the culmination of the professional experiences of a five-year period.
The convincing proof of success achieved by the season ticket series is the number of people attending the concerts. The Pannon Philharmonic is celebrating a professional success this year because the popularity of the Pannonicum season ticket series has grown by now, nearly reaching that of the Kodály and Breitner season tickets, the first series (for adults), and it is reflected in the number of people buying season tickets. The Pannonicum series was created in the year when the ensemble moved to Kodály Centre. The target audience for the series, apart from the people of Pécs, are music lovers in the region and tourists visiting the town looking for a cultural programme while staying in Pécs. The fact that the series has become a real success can be clearly seen because the increase in the number of Pannonicum season ticket holders has not been achieved at the expense of the other season ticket series, in fact, it produced a substantial surplus so it is an absolute success.
Apart from the celebrated season ticket series, the orchestra is going to start the additional two programmes for adults as well: Kodály and Breitner concert series, which can be visited by the audience of Pécs on Thursdays. On major public holidays it is still the Musica Sacra series which provides an intimate musical experience. The Pannon Philharmonic welcomes the young ones with unaltered programmes for children, (Belly dweller, BeanSack, SnailShell, Help, Classical Music!) satisfying the demands of all age groups.
This season is going to be about harmony hidden in the right proportions. The architectural core idea behind the structure of Kodály Centre turning five in 2015 is the golden ratio hidden in the Fibonacci sequence.  The Pannon Philharmonic, as the resident orchestra in the building, wishes to reflect on this essence of thought with its programme of the season. Apart from its presence in the arts, the golden ratio is originally present in nature as well and the Pannon Philharmonic is going to focus on nature and its protection as part of the orchestra’s active participation in society. The ensemble is joining Our Living Planet programme on an organisational level as well and it is going to encourage the audience to do the same during the season.
Apart from actively participating in the life of Pécs, the orchestra’s presence in the season of 2015/2016 is growing exponentially in Budapest as well as abroad. The orchestra’s five-performance concert series going on for twelve years in MÜPA, in the capital, is going to double, emphasising the orchestra’s presence in Budapest.
The self-financed season ticket series represents merely one pillar of the cooperation with MÜPA while the strategic cooperation promoted by Zsolt Páva, mayor of Pécs, on behalf of cultural institutions in Pécs represents the other one. This provides a framework for international projects the precedent of which was the performance of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre. The Pannon Philharmonic is giving a concert with the world famous soprano, Anja Harteros, in MÜPA this October, Budapest, and the orchestra is going to take the production to Lisinski Hall in Zagreb.
The Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra is an integral part of prestigious cultural festivals organised in the capital which means frequent invitations to the orchestra. According to the programme in autumn, the ensemble is going to give a concert within the framework of CAFe Budapest in October, the orchestra is going to perform in MÜPA in a classical music marathon series organised by Budapest Festival Orchestra in January and in March the orchestra is going to give a concert in the concert hall of The Liszt Academy.
The orchestra gave an outstanding performance at the international Armel Opera Festival so much so that the international jury finding the orchestra’s performance excellent at the annual competition in 2015 awarded it with a special prize created especially for this purpose. The cooperation with Armel is entering a new phase with the 2016 festival programme since the Pannon Philharmonic is going to perform two out of the three pieces it provides orchestral accompaniment for within the walls of Kodály Centre, Pécs; one of which is Senza Sangue – Bloodless – an opera by Péter Eötvös, which won the Szent István award this year.
The professional and artistic work of the Pannon Philharmonic cannot be truly be evaluated without international participation in 2015 and 2016. Apart from performing productions belonging to the world’s musical elite, the orchestra is going on a tour to be a frequent performer in Europe’s famous concert halls. ’The success of the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra is a complex success due to the collaboration of background disciplines during the work of the orchestra. All this plays a crucial part of the fact that the Pannon Philharmonic represents a brand. We are trying to establish this reputation abroad as well.’– said Zsolt Horváth, director of the orchestra, summarising the plans for the season.
Two years ago the Pannon Philharmonic started a tour in Switzerland and Germany which is about to continue in London. The orchestra is going to perform to the Hungarian audience living in London in the rightly recognised 950-seat Cadogan Hall on 23 October, 2015. Apart from housing the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the concert hall with excellent acoustics is a popular place for top English bands, international tours and it also hosts the world famous BBC Proms Chamber Music series. The Pannon Philharmonic is travelling abroad on 23 October to give a festive concert performing pieces by Hungarian composers conducted by Tibor Bogányi.
In December, 2015, the orchestra is going to be a returning guest in the most distinguished concert halls of Switzerland. The Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra debuted in front of a Western European audience in the winter of 2013. The ensemble’s successful debut in Switzerland, in concert halls such as Tonhalle in Zurich, Victoria Hall in Geneva, and Konzertsaal in Luzern opened up the opportunity for the orchestra to return this winter. This time the orchestra is going to perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at six concerts in 4 different places in front of the music-loving Swiss audience.
This season, the Pannon Philharmonic is going to play an important role as the mediator of Hungarian culture as well. For further details click here.