To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the historic "Friendship Treaty" between Hungary and Türkiye on Dec. 18, 1923, the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) spearheads the commencement of the "2024 Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year."
Marking its inauguration, the AKM is set to host a gala concert by the esteemed Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra on Jan. 21. The momentous event will be complemented by the unveiling of an exhibition spotlighting the pivotal role played by Hungarians in the construction and development of Türkiye.
The inauguration will be actualized by Peter Hoppal, who is also the State Secretary for Culture and deputy in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Established in 1811 by Viennese conductor Johann Georg Lickl, the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in Pecs, a city in the south of Hungary. The ensemble serves as the resident orchestra of the Kodaly Centre, an extraordinary concert hall renowned for its exceptional acoustics, built in 2010. Under the direction of conductor Tibor Boganyi, the orchestra has hosted numerous international soloists.
During the concert, the orchestra will perform renowned works by world-famous Hungarian composers Zoltan Kodaly and Bela Bartok, alongside Symphony No. 5 by Ahmet Adnan Saygun, recognized as the "Turkish Kodaly-Bartok." Saygun, a friend and companion during Bartok's visits to Türkiye in 1936 while collecting folk songs, was deeply connected to him.
Furthermore, the presence of Atala Schöck, portraying the role of "Judit" as a mezzo-soprano, whose father's uncle, Dr. Laszlo Rasonyi, was formerly the head of the Hungarian Studies Department (Hungarology) at Ankara University, adds a remarkable dimension to the concert. Rasonyi was also instrumental in inviting Bartok to Türkiye for the compilation of Turkish folk music. At the concert, Atala Schöck will perform as a mezzo-soprano and Levente Molnar as a baritone under the baton of conductor Gergely Kesselyak.
Simultaneously on the same day, the inauguration of the "Hungarians in the Construction of Türkiye" exhibition, narrating the contributions of Hungarian experts in various fields such as architecture, music, engineering and agriculture during the early years of the Republic of Tuürkiye, will take place. Curated via collaboration between the Hungarian National Museum and the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center, the exhibition will remain open at AKM until Feb. 4. The opening ceremony will be presided over by the museum's director, Judit Hammerstein.