Anna Pintér Chamber Concert Presented by Liszt Academy

The chamber concert program of Anna Pintér, a student at the Liszt Academy, and Luca Kovács – who will be joined by József Zsupos in the final piece of the program – explores the flute repertoire from the perspectives of musical diversity, virtuosity, and stage presence. The concert begins with Charles-Marie Widor’s Suite Op. 34, in which the French composer-organist of the turn of the 20th century demands performers to highlight the elegance of French music and the kinship of the organ and flute sounds. Similarly, in the four-movement Sonata by Prokofiev, a high level of virtuosity emerges, which is underscored by the fact that the composer dedicated the work to flutist Nikolai Harkovsky and pianist Sviatoslav Richter. The first half concludes with István Matuz’s solo work, an arrangement of a Japanese folk song about a blooming cherry tree. This piece, aside from its technical and musical challenges, also involves deconstructing the flute and playing it as an incomplete instrument.

After the break, the audience will hear three pieces by contemporary British flutist Ian Clarke. The first is inspired by a sunrise in East Africa, the last by the song of whales, and in between, we learn how the flute can imitate the sound of a train through various virtuoso techniques. André Jolivet’s Chant de Linos was written for the flute competition at the Paris Conservatoire and has since become a benchmark of technical prowess for flutists. The evening will close with a contemporary piece composed in 2002, in which the energy steadily builds to a climax, reaching an ecstatic peak.