It’s been ten years that Kodály Centre was opened to the public and started functioning as home to the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s been ten year since this venue became the primary source of classical music concerts for the Pécs-based audience.

You would be right to think that all the concerts cancelled because of the pandemic, people constantly contracting the virus, programmes incessantly undergoing changes due to the restrictions and the concert hall gaping with emptiness have a paralysing effect on an orchestra. It is particularly so if the events of long-awaited special occasions are thwarted. The Pannon Philharmonic, however, has benefited from the situation, as a range of highly popular compositions is now featured on its programmes. In fact, the members of the orchestra have focussed all their energy and creativity to express their love for the audience in person, with their instruments, with their voices, even with their family.

Please click HERE, we offer you the festive music-programme online in English!

In this challenging yet productive period, 16 December takes up a special place, as it is a day with multiple causes to celebrate: the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of Kodály Centre, Zoltán Kodály's 138th birthday, the crowning completion of the Beethoven Memorial Year, which marks the composer's 250th birthday. This night, the Pécs-based orchestra will do its very best to appear before the audience in its full splendour despite all attendance limitations. All three conductors of the orchestra are going to enter the podium, and István Várdai -who also set off from Pécs to conquer the world -  will star as the soloist of the evening. The programme itself is a colourful assortment of music. It entails a composition by Bach featuring a single cello, the orchestra version of a chamber music work, Mendelssohn's Octet and an orchestra piece with the ornamentation of a solo cello: Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme. In addition, the audience can also relish a passionate, romantic night composition penned by Giuseppe Martucci, and we are, of course, not to forget the two composers celebrated on their anniversaries: Beethoven will be paid tribute to with his Egmont Overture, while Kodály will be revered with folk songs and two festive and firey dance music pieces inspired by the verbunkos: the Dances of Galanta and the Dances of Marosszék. We have thus all ingredients of a sublime feast. The Pannon Philharmonic will be playing under the batons of its two principal conductors, Tibor Bogányi and Gilbert Varga as well as of its permanent conductor, András Vass.

Please take a tour virtually in this magnific building HERE!