We’re thrilled to bring music closer to you with four vibrant concerts in the 2025-2026 season at Keszthely’s Balaton Theater, 8360 Keszthely, Fő tér (Main Square) 3. Filharmónia Magyarország’s Keszthely subscription offers a journey from the Baroque to Romantic eras, masterpieces by Viennese masters, unique facets of composer dynasties, and two huge romantic crowd-pleasers. Don’t miss out!
The subscription kicks off with one of the world’s most sought-after orchestras, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, arriving with their own soloists. In December, catch the Franz Liszt (Liszt Ferenc) Chamber Orchestra alongside world-famous artists Elisabeth Leonskaja and István Várdai (Várdai István). The Savaria Symphony Orchestra performs under the renowned Bartók interpreter Gergely Vajda (Vajda Gergely), featuring Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C minor with one of today’s most original young piano virtuosos, József Balog (Balog József). It wraps up with Concerto Budapest delivering unmissable gems by Brahms and Tchaikovsky.
What a lineup! Grab your discounted subscription seats for four fantastic evenings. Dates: March 12 and April 21, 2026, at 7 p.m., Balaton Theater. Subscription prices: Category I $55, Category II $48. Single tickets: Category I $20, Category II $18.
Holy Mission: March 12, 2026 – Thursday, 7 p.m.
Savaria Symphony Orchestra
We often judge composers by one hit tune, but this concert proves everyone has multiple sides.
From Beethoven to Liszt to Bartók, teacher-student links form a chain, like representatives from a school driven by strong missions that always take fresh forms. Béla Bartók’s (Bartók Béla) Transylvanian Dances (Erdélyi táncok), composed in the stormy 1910s, sparked his obsession with Transylvanian Romanian folk music—he even arranged these dance melodies for piano and orchestra. In Hungarian Pictures (Magyar képek), Bartók crafts “folk songs” and folk characters; dances and character types emerge, but the hit is Evening with the Székelys (Este a székelyeknél), so perfectly melodic that many Székelys sing it as a folk song today, though it’s pure Bartók. Beethoven’s C minor Piano Concerto emerged during the Eroica and Fidelio era, when he saw himself as a heroic freedom fighter. Yet the slow movement lays down the weapons, revealing his most honest, direct, vulnerable, human side. Franz Liszt’s (Liszt Ferenc) Prometheus (Prométheusz) symphonic poem echoes the ethos of Bartók and Beethoven: bringing fire to humanity, defying gods, enduring suffering to better the world. Liszt’s romantic, passionate orchestral piece captures the myth perfectly.
Experience these grand ideas and diversity live!
Performers: Savaria Symphony Orchestra; József Balog (Balog József), piano; conducted by Gergely Vajda (Vajda Gergely).
Program: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37; Bartók: Transylvanian Dances (Erdélyi táncok); Bartók: Hungarian Pictures (Magyar képek); Liszt: Prometheus (Prométheusz) – symphonic poem, No. 5.
Fates and Passions: April 21, 2026 – Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Barnabás Kelemen (Kelemen Barnabás) and Concerto Budapest
The grand finale of the Keszthely subscription features András Keller (Keller András) and Concerto Budapest’s series of the most influential works of Romantic literature.
Johannes Brahms’s sole violin concerto, like many masterpieces, succeeded long after its debut, becoming a repertoire staple. Critics complained that the violin part felt unidiomatic, too tough without flash, and questioned the memorable oboe solo in a violin concerto—it shows the violin not dominating the orchestra, with the orchestra often stealing the spotlight.
Today’s violinists easily handle the technical demands, the complex symphonic depth suits the concerto form, and the orchestra’s prominence honors the piece. Moody Brahms turns lyrical and dramatic, wildly almost Hungarian by the end. Tchaikovsky’s last three symphonies become deeply autobiographical, probing fate’s struggles and reconciliations. The Fourth’s motto prompted him: “This is the whole symphony’s core, main idea. This is fate… hanging like the sword of Damocles relentlessly over our heads, poisoning the soul. We can’t conquer it—only endure miserably.” Yet, although the motto recurs, the music ends triumphant over fate.
Dive into depths and heights with the uplifting finales of Brahms and Tchaikovsky!
Performers: Concerto Budapest; Barnabás Kelemen (Kelemen Barnabás), violin; conducted by András Keller (Keller András).
Program: Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36.
Tickets available from October 27, 2025. Subscription renewals until July 15, 2025; new subscriptions until November 27, 2025, before the first concert.
