Symphony Orchestra and Woodwind Orchestra of the Bartók Conservatoire Presented by Liszt Academy

“Always conduct with the score in your head, not your head in the score,” Hans von Bülow, one of the most famous, productive and ruthless conductors of the 19th century, is reputed to have once said. Of course, in the matter of sarcasm and perfectionism, his younger colleagues were not necessarily so different; for instance, musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, headed by Gustav Mahler for many years, regularly used to complain about not only his style but his extraordinarily high expectations. And even if verbal cruelty is not an essential part of the vocation of conducting, these two great artists were certainly absolutely correct in believing that orchestral productions of the highest quality can only ever be born out of persistent effort and concentrated collaboration between conductor and members of the orchestra, and the recognition that the acquisition of the complex musical attention required for these goals cannot start at early enough an age. This concert, through a programme which is part classical and part adjusted to the demands of education, gives an overview of the in-depth training that members of the symphony orchestra of the Bartók Music Secondary School receive week in, week out.