Hungarian And Austrian Composer Mini-Musical Portraits Ninety-Eight Years After The Passing Of Gustav Mahler

Two musical events anticipated now that the Inauguration has passed and the Presidential oath of office properly administered -- the world premiere of Gyorgy Kurtag’s "Hommage à Bartók", performed by the composer and his wife Marta, at the Library of Congress on Saturday February 7, 2009; and the Washington premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas’s "In Vain", at the Embassy of Austria, in Washington, on Monday Feburary 9, 2009 (also under the composer's direction).

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I am sad to report that doctoral economics studies will keep me from attending the performance by soprano Tony Arnold and violinist Movses Pogossian of Kurtág's wonderful Kafka-Fragments, this evening, in Baltimore, Maryland. (I fondly recall hearing Phyllis Bryn-Julson sing this masterpiece at the Embassy of Hungary, in Washington, years back.)

Also, tonight pianist François-Frédéric Guy performs absolute musical masterpieces of Brahms, Beethoven, and Schubert at the La Maison Française, Washington, D.C. Tickets may still be available.

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Photo credits: © Embassy of Hungary, Washington, D.C. and Universal Editions/Frank Helmrich. Copyright controlled. All rights reserved.