This year, the Pannon Philharmonic celebrates its 20th NAME day and the success of a national and international-standard art workshop and brand. The ensemble, never making professional compromises, will reach another critical stage on its path in January 2024. Tibor Bogányi is taking farewell from his position as chief conductor and is succeeded by Gergely Kesselyák. Bogányi has worked on the professional development of the orchestra for 12 years. Thanks to this excellent conductor, the Pannon Philharmonic raised the fine harmony of chamber music to a symphonic level, the audible results of which significantly increased its appeal to the audience and its international recognition. To increase its flexibility, the orchestra will move towards the East-Central European opera repertoire and symphonic music with a complex portfolio. As a philharmonic orchestra, the resident ensemble of the Kodály Centre, capable of performing even works requiring a large performing apparatus, has appointed their new chief conductor, Gergely Kesselyák in the hope of qualitative progress inherent to the overall artistic performance of the opera and the large-scale symphonic works. Bogányi, however, won't break with the orchestra either: as its First Permanent Guest Conductor, he will continue the building process he has started with the ensemble.

The Pannon Philharmonic has been renewed in the past two decades following the model of Western European orchestras considered cradles of classical music. Over the course of these twenty years, Pécs and the Hungarian symphonic scene have changed radically: the Kodály Centre, with its world-class acoustics and atmosphere, as well as its resident Pannon Philharmonic, have become an outstanding artistic brand in this country. The national presence of the Pécs-based orchestra is unique in the Hungarian music scene, but at the same time – according to international standards – it represents excellent quality, both artistically and in its way of operating. The artists' orchestra, with its complex work setup and stable professional values, always invites musicians to the position of chief conductor of the ensemble who are ready to take on the developmental challenges of the coming period. The resident orchestra of the Kodály Centre sees the completion and flexibility of its multifaceted activities in the renewal of its so-called philharmonic role, or in other words, its active presence in opera performances and the interplay of large symphony orchestras. The complex success of the twenty-year development arc showed best in the press conference held on 21 November 2023, when the outgoing chief conductor of the orchestra passed on his baton to the new one while both of them commended each other's professional and human merits.

As Director Zsolt Horváth put it at the PFZ press conference, "Zsolt Hamar shook the ensemble and set it on a new track. Zoltán Peskó joined the orchestra during the challenging period of Pécs, the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2010. Gilbert Varga made his mark with his highly quality-oriented approach and his extremely demanding and meticulous workshop work. Over the past 12 years, Tibor Bogányi has successfully transformed the orchestra into a community appreciating one another, endowed with European values and its own musical image. From 2024, the ensemble and the management expect Gergely Kesselyák as chief conductor to provide added professional value – besides conducting the symphonic repertoire – by processing and performing the opera literature requiring a large, modern concert orchestra while exploiting the possibilities of the Kodály Centre."   

 

Since September 2010, Bogányi has conducted nearly 300 concerts and  has taught them almost a thousand new works. He shaped the timbre of the orchestra along the lines of the great romantic orchestral repertoire, and during the various seasons, he performed, among other things, all of Bruckner's symphonies. Under his leadership, the orchestra made award-winning recordings with cellist István Várdai and violinists Benjamin Schmid and Barnabás Kelemen. He conducted the orchestra at the Cadogan Hall in London, the Philharmonie Berlin and the Musikverein in Vienna. They performed several times in the concert halls of Osijek, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Belgrade and Zagreb. As a recent professional recognition, his Bartók evening featuring Kristóf Baráti was presented on Mezzo TV, and several of his concerts were broadcast on Bartók Radio. As a conductor, Bogányi graduated from the Sibelius Academy of Music in Finland and believes that the secret of the success of leading a symphony orchestra lies in collaboration. As an intuitive and impulsive performer, he trusts in music instead of strong control: the success of his performances lies in the integration of the composer's intention and the musicians' individual voices, resulting in a new interpretation articulated by collaboration. His cooperative approach was well reflected in the three-year period during which Gilbert Varga co-led the professional work of the orchestra. From January 2024, he will continue the work he started with the ensemble as its First Permanent Guest Conductor.

 

As Tibor Bogányi summed up, "If I had to play it on the cello, I could easily turn into music what these twelve years have meant. With words, it's more challenging. I see myself as a builder of the orchestra whose job is to move its collective sound forward. Most importantly, with this ensemble, you can certainly work. This company was able to overcome even the greatest of challenges. In comparison to international practice, we devote more time to a concert, which is very productive. I gave and received back the best of my skills in this job. It is also quite rare that we did not get bored with one another or wear each other down, so I am glad that we can continue working together with me as Permanent Guest Conductor. A conductor can never be satisfied, but the progress in the musical efforts of the last five years has given me genuine musical experience. We found a common wavelength mainly during the Bruckner concerts. The ensemble, which is a bit my baby too, will come into marvellous hands. I am grateful to have been the orchestra's chief conductor, and a dream came true for me with the opportunity to conduct the ensemble at the Musikverein.” 

 

Gergely Kesselyák is a Liszt Prize-winning Meritorious Artist, Head of the Opera Department of the University of Theatre and Film Arts, and guest conductor of the Hungarian State Opera. At the request of the Pannon Philharmonic, he undertakes the further development of the orchestral sound, primarily through the processing of operas and symphonic music composed by late Romantic and – mainly Central-Eastern European – contemporary composers. One of the engines of the cooperation of the Pannon Philharmonic starting in January 2024 is the further exploitation of the acoustic and stage potentials of the Kodály Centre. With opera performances, the flexibility, learning routine and collective performance of the orchestra can be developed in an incomparable way, which will also make an impact on the quality of symphonic concerts. The large orchestra pit and stage of the Kodály Centre make it possible to present the compositions of the East-Central European music repertoire that require a large-scale orchestra. The former head of the Miskolc Opera Festival sees great potential in the high-level quality and organisational setup of the orchestra and in its operation beyond catering for local needs. He considers the operation of the Pannon Philharmonic and the Kodály Centre a kind of high-quality software-hardware combination whose uniqueness, as well as its domestic and international positioning, still has lots in store.

 

 

"A standard either rises or falls. For progress, it is always necessary to open new territories and set new goals. The work I'm about to do will focus on new music and a new area in genre that will bring innovation. An incredible combination of willpower and ability characterises this ensemble. I never once felt that they were unmotivated while working or unable to meet a challenge. I'm going to lead a very well-prepared and high-quality orchestra. In the joint work, I'll be in the quest for 20th-century operatic and symphonic compositions, searching for the understanding of the audience. I would like to convey a Central European message: the beautiful 20th century seemed to have been silenced, and therefore, the audience has an image of contemporary music they don’t like. To break this pre-conception, I found a professional partner in the Pannon Philharmonic, both in concerts and opera performances. Everything is available in Pécs: the Kodály Centre provides an excellent space for us to harvest the fruit of our efforts. Taking advantage of the Western-type setup of the orchestra and the high standard of the concert hall, we can present the previously mentioned Central-Eastern European artistic content to the world, which may lead to a new quality. All this, of course, to the satisfaction and delight of both the audience and the musicians.”  said Gergely Kesselyák.

Tibor Bogányi will perform his final concert in Pécs and Budapest as chief conductor with pianist János Balázs and organist Ferenc Szilárd Kovács in 2023 on 24 and 25 November in Müpa and the Kodály Centre, respectively. On 2 January 2024, the much-loved New Year's applause will take farewell from Tibor Bogányi. As chief conductor, Gergely Kesselyák will conduct the orchestra at two concerts opening the Hungarian season in Türkiye in Istanbul and Ankara in mid-January, and then he will introduce himself to the PFZ subscription holders and other concert-goers at the orchestra's two main performance venues – in Müpa on 26 January and then in the Kodály Centre on 27 January, alongside the violinist Barnabás Kelemen.

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