🎵 Our musicians speak 🎶 Two comments about our concerts in Amsterdam, made by people who are regular visitors to the Mahler Festival, caught my ear. One was that it is not typical for the audience to jump up so quickly after the concerts to celebrate standing up. 🤩 The other was that it's unusual for audience members to applaud for so long. 👏 Sometimes we were able to bask in the success for more than 10 minutes. I think that's a huge thing in itself, but if you add the venue and the four orchestras (Concertgebouw Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, NHK 交響楽団 NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, Chicago Symphony Orchestra) we were invited to join, it's more like a miracle. 😍 For me, it was a special pleasure that, after Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Kindertotenlieder and Symphony No. 5 were on the program, so I could play the harp solo of one of the most beautiful works in music literature, the Adagietto twice. ❤️ Today, a very large percentage of musicians strive to play flawlessly, while passion, different characters and timbres take a back seat. Perhaps what distinguishes the BFO from other orchestras is the endless range of emotional expressions. My colleagues gave an amazing performance, playing their instruments with incredible dedication. And Iván Fischer is a master at getting the best out of us at concerts, and playing routinely is not an option for us. ✨ Professionally, we have had a remarkable couple of days, full of unforgettable musical moments, Amsterdam's canals and its vibrant life, and sunshine. ☀️ Not once did it rain, not even once did it get overcast. Ágnes Polónyi #BFOonTour 📸: Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam (fb)

🎵 Our musicians speak 🎶 It is very difficult to talk. 🫢 Isn't that how you felt in Budapest? Above all, this hall, Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and the audience here are always enchanting. 😍 Especially now, because it's a celebration of Mahler! We are guests of the Mahler Festival 2025, in very illustrious company, and with three concerts on the program. 😇 The Concertgebouworkest from Amsterdam, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Japanese NHK 交響楽団 NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and us. ❤️ And the way Iván Fischer is loved and celebrated here... As he descends the famous stairs, the applause that greets him grows louder and louder. 👏 And then the pince, the symphony of Resurrection... in the last two days, twice within 24 hours, we experienced this catharsis that is like nothing else. I simply cannot put it into words. 🔥 Today the question echoes in my mind: how could you write such a work at the age of 34?! 🎼 I hope that we can play it several more times, and I am so glad that many people at home and here in the Netherlands, with the help of the live broadcast, were able to experience the miracle with us musicians. ❤️ Eszter Lesták Bedő 📸: members of the orchestra #BFOonTour (fb)