At the Arcus Temporum Art Festival in Pannonhalma the works of Eötvös Péter and Mozart will engage in a unique musical dialogue this year. For the first time, the opening concert is planned to take place outdoors, on the bastion in front of the 800-year-old St Martin’s Basilica, as announced by the Pannonhalma Archabbey.
The 20th instalment of the festival, scheduled for 23–25 August, will commence with a promenade concert titled ‘Steps’. The canopy walkway will be transformed into the Eötvös Path, featuring nine short compositions by the late composer Péter Eötvös, who passed away on 24 March. The pieces were personally selected by Eötvös, who participated in the festival’s planning. Among the works to be performed is the eight-movement piece Sequences of the Wind, for flute and ensemble, which Eötvös insisted be included. To honour his wish, the organizers have integrated sections of this composition into the Sunday mid-day prayer. Another Eötvös work will accompany the Saturday vespers.
The opening concert, titled ‘Dialogues’, will feature a programme starting with Dialogue with Mozart, where Eötvös reinterprets Mozart fragments. This will be followed by Mozart’s Concerto in E-flat Major, Clarinet Concerto in A Major, and another Eötvös piece. The concert will conclude with the classical Haffner Symphony.
Saturday’s chamber concert, named ‘Words’, will not only showcase interactions between Eötvös and Mozart but also highlight the dialogue within their music. The concert opens with one of Mozart’s rare minor key works, the Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, inspired by Bach but rendered in a distinctly Mozartian dialect. Among the Eötvös pieces, one will set the words of Ulysses to music in a style reminiscent of Liszt.
The evening concert on Saturday, titled ‘Encounters’, will feature the Horn Concerto in D Major. This piece is a meeting point of Mozart and Joseph Leutgeb, for whom Mozart composed all his horn works. The humour of the composer and his collaborator Süssmayer, who completed the piece, is evident in this work. The Eötvös composition Hommage à Domenico Scarlatti, performed in the Archabbey’s classical library, is based on an aria by the Baroque master. Eötvös selected this after playing through over 500 Scarlatti sonatas. The evening will also feature a duet for flute and harp by Mozart, followed by another Eötvös piece, and conclude with a work by Mozart.
The early morning concert on Sunday, dubbed ‘Surprises’, will feature Mozart’s only work in E minor, composed during a time of personal loss for the composer. In contrast, the Eötvös piece will focus on improvisation.
The closing concert on Sunday, named ‘Farewells’, will reflect on the sorrow of parting with a beloved person, as expressed in Eötvös’s piece Respond, a reworking of his earlier trumpet concerto. The melancholic tone of the work will be lightened by Mozart’s Gran Partita, which will leave the audience with beautiful moments and a positive message as they depart the festival.
The artistic director of Arcus Temporum is András Keller, with renowned Hungarian actor Pál Mácsai hosting. The festival will feature performances by soloists from Concerto Budapest, pianists Dénes Várjon and Izabella Simon, the Keller Quartet, and the Korossy Quartet. In addition to the musical offerings, the festival will also provide literary, visual art, and spiritual experiences. The literary guest of honour will be Géza Röhrig, currently residing in the United States and known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Son of Saul. Röhrig will offer insights into his literary work during the festival.
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