Tamás Pálfalvi plays three Hungarian Folk Songs by Belá Bartók for trumpet solo at the special acoustic of the multistorey car park in the Elbphilharmonie.
The Artist
Born in Hungary in 1991, Tamás Pálfalvi actually wanted to play the drums as a child. At an Open Day at his music school, the trumpet teacher stopped him in his tracks and said, »Tamás, you have a mouth like a trumpeter.« He was apparently right: at 28, Tamás Pálfalvi is one of the most sought-after trumpeters of his generation, a professor at the University of Music in Budapest and appears as a soloist with renowned orchestras worldwide. He made his Elbphilharmonie debut in 2018 as a »Rising Star«.
The Music :Béla Bartók: »Three Hungarian Folk Songs from Csík«
As a veritable music researcher, the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók traveled across the country with his phonograph in the early 20th century. He collected folk melodies, some of them old musical treasures, which were previously only passed on orally by the farmers. He heard the melodies of the »Three Hungarian Folk Songs from Csík«, played on a peasant flute, in a remote village with the wonderful name Gyergyótekerőpatak, in what is now Romania. Bartók recorded the music, transcribed it onto sheet music at his desk at home, and published it in 1914.
The Location
The multistorey car park in the Elbphilharmonie is located in the rugged brick base of concert venue, a former quayside warehouse. The warehouse was completed gutted for the construction of the Elbphilharmonie and is now home to offices, storage areas and the Elbphilharmonie »World of Instruments« in addition to the six-storey car park with its 500 parking spaces. The sound of the trumpet is ideally placed in the echoey acoustics of the turning circle, the ramp to the upper parking levels. If you listen closely, you can even hear one or two cars driving by!
About the Series
Artists record exclusive music videos at the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle for Elbphilharmonie Sessions – sometimes in unusual locations offstage. Discover the concert halls from the inside. Discover what they sound like.
Text: Philipp Seliger, Fränz Kremer, Last updated: 10 Jan 2020
