So I was walking along that famous pedestrianized street all the way to the bridge, but then instead of turning around as most people do, I went further. Imagine that: the street kept going. I continued along, although there weren’t as many people and the stores were closed. And then all of a sudden, I came upon a nice church. A small girl ran out of its gates, thrust a flyer into my hand that listed works by Bach, then ran back inside. I followed her, and saw that some people were already sitting inside, and before the altar there was a harpsichord. Donations were collected before the church’s entrance, so I gave them some money and sat down. The early baroque concert was amazing!
When I go abroad, I tend to take a look inside churches, no matter how small they may be. It was this same kind of experience that I was looking for here: some local musicians practicing or a small concert, where no matter how different one city may be from another, Bach is still Bach. I become a tourist who sees what few others do: similarities in place of differences.
The Downtown Saint Michael’s church can be found in Váci Street. Advertisements announcing concerts are frequently placed on its gates, in English too, since this is Váci Street after all. So a Bach concert isn’t exactly a surprise around here, but for those who accidentally wander to this part of the pedestrian street in the evening, just as the show starts, they may find themselves thinking that they’ve found the least populated location inside the Small Boulevard. You will barely find anyone outside – compared to the many folks inside the church at 8 in the evening.
The musicians Benedek Csalog and Dóra Pétery recently launched a multi-part Bach concert series.
The latter plays harpsichord, while the former a baroque flute, so the composer born 301 years ago might be able to spy the pair from one of the corners and hear his music as it was originally performed. The sound produced by the two instruments was fantastic, especially considering that, although I like the harpsichord, I consider the piano an unequivocal forward leap in terms of instrument evolution.
Benedek Csalog has performed in Leipzig in a concert series featuring eight performances, and the idea for the series here at home was similar, except that it would focus on sonatas. Bach wrote 50 chamber music pieces for the flute, most of which were composed during his stay in Potsdam. After he left Potsdam for Hamburg, he no longer concerned himself with this specific style, although the final flute quartets composed before his death revealed what can be accomplished in the genre.
The second concert will be later this year in the fall. It’s worth acting like a tourist, wandering around there and checking out the advertisement. The recommended donation is only 1000-1500 forints, which is truly pocket change for a wonderful show.
Translation provided by Helpers Business and Immigration Services. Find us at www.helpers.hu
You may find the original article here.
