From a musical perspective, the lands of the old Habsburg monarchy boasted fertile soil: great achievements in the world of art music came from here and a fascinating folk music is just as at home here as is the fiery idiom of the gypsies, the full wealth of which can be experienced in this evening’s concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Iván Fischer. Haydn, the composer who established central genres of Viennese Classicism, such as the string quartet and the symphony, is represented this evening by his Symphony No. 88. A good 50 years later, one of the most entertaining misunderstandings in the history of music occurred when Liszt and Brahms tried to lend their rhapsodies and dances an animated Hungarian verve – when in fact it was the music of the gypsies they picked up on. The works of Bartók and Kodály, which are based on authentic folk music, with its hard rhythms and distinctive, uneven melodies, reveal the difference to Magyar music. Coming from Budapest and having studied in Vienna, Fischer is clearly the ideal conductor for such a concert. Among his many recordings, his interpretations of Bartók and Kodály in particular have won several prizes such as the Gramophone Award and the Diapason d’or de l’année.