With well over 100 years of history, Concerto Budapest may be one of Hungary’s oldest ensembles, but under the 18-year leadership of celebrated violinist/conductor András Keller, it is also one of the most progressive and youthful.

Soloist Paul Lewis is a Symphony Hall favourite and superlative interpreter of Beethoven. His Third Concerto, written during the years when Beethoven realised he was losing his hearing, is full of tension and conflict right until the end, when the sun bursts joyously through the clouds. The iconic Fifth Symphony followed just a few years later. Its famous four-note ‘fate’ motto sets a dark undercurrent that brings intensity throughout this best-known of all symphonies.

Contrast that with the opening work: Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony thumbs its nose at tradition. It’s playful and cheeky, everything a Ninth Symphony ‘shouldn’t’ be, and it’s totally brilliant as a result. With the poetic drama of Liszt’s pioneering symphonic poem Les préludes, this is a concert full of light and shade.

See the full B:Classical Season here

For Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, see Czech Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra on 12 February 2026

For Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, see Tan Dun and the London Philharmonic Orchestra on 29 March 2026