Slovak Philharmonic – Closing Concert of the 55th Year of the Bratislava Music Festival

Through Beethoven's overture introducing the concluding concert, we adumbrate the year 2020 dedicated to the genius, whose 250th birth anniversary we will commemorate. The Hungarian István Várdai, one of the most sought-after world cellists, will perform the meditative Cello concerto by Edward Elgar (premiered a century ago) under the baton of the conductor-sorcerer Pinchas Steinberg. The work remained in the shadow of Elgar's other work for a long time. It was its performance given by the soloist Jacqueline du Pré in 1960s which brought popularity to the concerto, which it justly deserves. István Várdai will play solo on the legendary instrument 'Ex du Pré-Harrell' Stradivarius from 1673.

On the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of Ladislav Slovák's birth this concert will be dedicated to the conductor, who was the chief conductor and music director of the Slovak Philharmonic (1961–1988) and a member of the Festival Committe of the BMF for many years. One of his artistic priorities was the work of Dmitri Shostakovich, which he performed with delight with the Slovak Philharmonic. In 1990s the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under his baton recorded the set of all Shostakovich's symphonies.