Fischer will open his first program with a recent work, Einstein's Violin by American composer Richard Henderson. Fischer calls his decision "a kind of tribute to the National Symphony Orchestra and particularly Leonard Slatkin, who has pioneered so many new American works." The rest of the program includes Sibelius's Valse triste, Dvoršk's Slavonic Dance No. 7, Kodšly's Dances of Galšnta and Brahms's Symphony No. 2.

"Overall," Fischer adds, "the program is designed so that there is great collective variety, offering a taste of what will come in our work together."

The program will be repeated on December 1 and 2; all performances will be in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Fischer next conducts the NSO in an all-Mendelssohn program in February.

Fischer founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra in 1983 and remains its director. As a guest conductor, he has led the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw, Los Angeles Philharmonic (with whom he made his U.S. debut in 1983), Orchestre de Paris, Bavarian Radio Symphony and Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. This past summer he made his Glyndebourne debut with a new production of Mozart's CosÐ fan tutte.