Mozart's "Haffner" Symphony was originally composed as a serenade.
At the request of Siegmund Haffner, Mozart wrote two serenades. The first (K. 250) was composed for the wedding of Elisabeth Haffner, while the second was commissioned to celebrate Haffner’s ennoblement. Mozart later asked for the second piece to be returned so he could revise it significantly: he removed the serenade-style movements and a minuet, ultimately presenting the work in Vienna as a symphony. His satisfaction with the transformed piece is evident in a letter to his father: “The new Haffner Symphony surprised me entirely, as I no longer remembered a single note of it. It must be quite an effective piece.”

"Des Knaben Wunderhorn" ("The Youth’s Magic Horn") is a collection of German folk poetry published between 1805 and 1808.
This influential anthology gave voice to the Romantic generation’s nostalgic idealization of “the common folk.” Mahler was deeply moved by the immediacy, emotional depth, and variety of these texts—so much so that for nearly a decade, he set no other texts to music. He began engaging with the collection in the late 1880s, eventually composing twelve orchestral songs between 1892 and 1901. Tonight’s concert features selected songs from this cycle.

Bartók composed his "Concerto for Orchestra" at the request of the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
This commission revitalized Bartók, and he completed the work in less than two months. As music historian Bence Szabolcsi noted:
“In his deepest despair, he composed with the greatest joy and spiritual fervor. These final works—his farewell to Europe and a new beginning in America—radiate reconciliation and renewal, the joy of homecoming and elevation, and a wealth of melody. Never had Bartók written so melodiously and accessibly; perhaps never had he been so filled with compassion and humanity. Never before had he synthesized the achievements of his life into such a powerful artistic unity. The grand-scale works of this period once again bring together stark contrasts: the great orchestral Concerto unites the elegy of homesickness and solitude with startling grotesque episodes and the glittering brilliance of a swirling folk celebration.”

Performers:
Adrienn Miksch – soprano
Zsolt Haja – baritone
Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra 

Conducted by: Participants of the conducting masterclass

Programme:
Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 "Haffner"
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn – selected songs
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra

Organized by: Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra 
Supported by: Hungarian Academy of Arts
Photo credit: Péter Mocsonoky