Piano passion, Hungarian style: Emilia Hoving conducts Bartók, Kodály and Liszt.

“The forests, the cascading Danube, the wide, open fields… this is my homeland, this wild, untamed nation!” Franz Liszt never did anything by halves, and when he discovered the folk music of his native Hungary, his imagination caught fire.

That passionate spirit blazes through this sizzling concert from RPO Associate Conductor Emilia Hoving, a celebration of untamed rhythms, endless longing and melodies that tingle like paprika. Zoltán Kodály tells the tallest of musical fairytales, and his friend Bartók toasts the foundation of the city of Budapest, throwing a chain of dances right across the Danube.

But first, we’ll hear from Liszt himself – music by the greatest pianist who ever lived. No problem for our soloist, Hungarian pianist János Balázs: “I’m a real romantic,” he says.

This concert is jointly presented by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Cziffra Festival.