Can music have a meaning? Should music have a meaning? Anyone who has so much as opened a book about classical music, or distractedly read some programme notes, has probably encountered this question. Ever since Liszt and Wagner coined two notorious terms – ‘symphonic poem’ and ‘absolute music’ – the ebb and flow of music history has left a variety of opinions on the shore. In the case of András Keller, founder of the Keller Quartet and Chief Conductor of Concerto Budapest, the answer is unequivocable: music not only can, but must have a message – and it is a musician’s task to convey it, or bring it to light when it is not immediately clear.
This way of thinking has been a modus operandi informing Keller’s career for decades, and is now in the foreground of his activity as a conductor and artistic director. A few weeks before the start of Concerto Budapest’s upcoming tour in the United Kingdom and Ireland, I talk to Keller about his involvement with the ensemble and their bustling schedule for the new season.
Coming right after a successful all-Bartók festival in Keller's native Budapest, the ensemble’s third major tour in the British Isles is particularly ambitious, covering major venues in Dublin, Coventry, Birmingham, London and Edinburgh. The programme – or rather, programmes – features different combinations of five pieces: Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini, Liszt’s Les Préludes, Beethoven’s Fifth and Piano Concerto no. 3 with the participation of Beethoven virtuoso Paul Lewis, as well as Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. Typically for the conductor, the concerts trace a specific aesthetic route and come with a title, ‘From the Depths of Hell to the Heavens’, reminiscent of a Dantesque ascension. Before stepping into the underworld, however, I ask Keller to introduce the ensemble who will accompany him along the journey.
“In my almost twenty years with Concerto Budapest, I have seen them develop in incredible ways,” he says. “I was appointed as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director in 2007, on their 100th anniversary, and it hasn’t always been easy: at that time the ensemble wasn’t in the best shape, and I could tell there was a lot of margin for improvement. Coming from chamber music with the Keller Quartet, I have always believed in a communicative, horizontal approach to music, so that’s what I pursued. We worked hard to cultivate a common language, so that we could mature together – which meant, first of all, finding our roots again.”
Soon enough, Keller began to arrange the orchestra’s programmes around specific sections of repertoire. A few seasons were dedicated to Mozart’s Piano Concertos and Haydn’s London Symphonies, followed by Beethoven and Bartók and eventually landing on Mahler. Finally, the hard work started paying off: “From those roots we grew a robust tree. This wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and indefatigable efforts of all our musicians. Gathering for a shared goal, creating something together – that’s the very purpose of music. In a way, a symphony orchestra could be seen as a form of real democracy. ‘One for all, all for one’, as Dumas puts it. Sure, there is a conductor, but everyone – regardless of their background and identity – sacrifices so much of themselves just to give something to people. This idea informs our existence as an ensemble.”
These principles have been passed on to the conductor by a very special mentor. “It is what I learnt from my master, György Kurtág. No music can ever be genuine if you don’t give your all. I always keep this in mind when I perform or plan programmes for future concerts.”
As the Artistic Director of Concerto Budapest, Keller adopts an intuitive, rather than cerebral approach to programming seasons and tours. His concerts often have an implicit or explicit theme, constructed through relations that aren’t always obvious. Kurtág’s laconic poetics, of sudden, interrelated, brief illuminations, permeate Keller’s words. “To me, all the pieces in a programme should be connected – not overtly, but through a secret hidden thread that binds them in another dimension,” he explains.
“Most times, these associations come to me instinctively and I realise only afterwards that they were a good choice and had strong emotional resonance. I don’t only care about playing well; I care about leaving people with something that will make their lives better, a purely human core if you will. Ultimately, our job is to uplift society.”
The selection of pieces scheduled for the UK and Ireland tour is a case in point. The title alone, ‘From the Depths of Hell to the Heavens’, suggests an upward journey of heroic magnitude. “Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini is the intended starting point, which immediately precipitates the audience into an infernal storm. Through the terrible winds, however, a love song can be heard,” Keller explains. “It is this hint of peace that we cling to and develop throughout the rest of the concert.
“Liszt’s Les préludes also reflects on life and death, making the mystery of existence tangible through music. As for the two pieces by Beethoven, the exchanges between piano and orchestra make the Piano Concerto no. 3 a combative, monumental piece, while the Fifth celebrates the final triumph of humanity against destiny. It was important to us that we close each evening with a message of endurance in the face of unfavourable odds, because this existential battle gives a meaning to our lives. Shostakovich’s Ninth makes the point, while also standing as an example of art’s defiance of any political pressure.”
Keller and Paul Lewis seem to be aligned in their intents too – the pianist remarking in a teaser ahead of the tour that “Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto is a highly dramatic composition, rich with healthy competition between soloist and orchestra.” Making music with people, as well as making it for people, is one of Keller’s aims.
The collaboration with Lewis also marks an important occasion for the ensemble, whose relationship to the British Isles is gaining in strength. “This will be the third time for Concerto Budapest to tour in the UK and Ireland since 2022”, Keller says. “I have nurtured many important connections to these wonderful places. Ever since my debut at the Bath Festival over 40 years ago, I have returned many times to perform as a soloist or with the Keller Quartet.”
The ensemble has been scoring one success after the other recently. At the end of September, Concerto Budapest organised a three-day festival in Budapest to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Béla Bartók’s death. The demanding programme included some of the composer’s most popular works, like Bluebeard’s Castle and Allegro Barbaro, together with rarities such as Village Scenes, a collection of three folk songs for female voice and piano. The highlight of the festival, however, were the Concerto for Orchestra and the three Piano Concertos, with soloists János Balázs, Mihály Berecz and Fülöp Ránki. (Barnabás Kelemen and Kristóf Baráti also performed the Violin Concertos, and Máté Szűcs performed the Viola Concerto, together with Miklós Perényi in a version adapted for cello.)
“Three generations of great Hungarian artists came together for this wonderful project,” Keller elaborates. “It was encouraging to see not only so much appreciation for Bartók’s works, but also so many people communicating and bonding through music. My intention was to prove how necessary it is, as individuals and as a nation, to find the time to renew ourselves – and Bartók’s music can be a means to that end.”
Having devoted quite some time and energy to Bartók as a researcher, I am particularly interested in what the composer means to Keller. “Through his fieldwork, Bartók grasped the identity of Hungarians. Travelling around villages to collect the local tunes, he came in contact with a variety of communities, each with their distinct heritage. Instead of discarding such diversity, he embraced its richness and incorporated it in his music,” he reflects. “He saw the dignity and potential of folk repertoire and renewed the European musical canon through this synthesis. I wish for the European Union to retrace Bartók’s teachings – only by listening to and respecting each people can we produce something beautiful. Bartók stood first and foremost for a brotherhood of nations, despite any conflict.”
For Keller, being a musician means having an obligation not just to composers, but mostly to the public and to society. In his career, he has always strived for a very simple goal: “To transmit true emotions. Nowadays, it is so easy to get lost in the virtual that surrounds us and be isolated by it. People should meet and share experiences, and concerts are a precious opportunity to feel something real. As artists, it is essential to be mindful of what we take to the stage and why. We have a responsibility bigger than ever before.”
Concerto Budapest and Paul Lewis tour the UK and Ireland from 29th November to 7th December.
Films of Concerto Budapest’s recent performances of Bartók concertos are streaming on Medici.tv.
See upcoming performances by Concerto Budapest and András Keller.
This article was sponsored by Concerto Budapest.
