Concert, music

Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61

Age: 0-3 year

The dice and the stopwatch will be coming out again at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall as it hosts another round of musical ‘battle’. When we talk about instrumental duels in the Hungarian capital these days, it is no longer necessarily Bach and Marchand, or even Liszt and Thalberg, that we are thinking of, because we have our own riveting concert series right here at Müpa Budapest.

For Hungarian audiences, Okvsho is more than just one of the most promising and exciting bands on the vibrant European jazz scene.

Jazzbois first burst onto the scene at the 2017 Müpa Budapest Jazz Showcase. By 2023, they were hosting Kaláka as guests at the Festival Theatre, and, a couple of years later, they were conquering major international festivals: the Leverkusener Jazztage, the Montreux Jazz Festival, Jazz à Vienne, and the Montreal Jazz Festival, to name but a few. Jamie Cullum also dedicated an entire BBC radio show to the band, including a conversation with Viktor Sági.

Formed in the late 1990s, the Polish Warsaw Village Band is one of Europe’s most celebrated world music acts, revitalizing and preserving traditional Polish folk music while boldly blending it with modern elements.

Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z. 629 – cross-section

Age: 6-10 year

Vladimir Kostadinović has come a long way since being introduced to the Hungarian audience as a young talent at the 2013 Jazz Showcase.

Twenty-five years ago, four highly skilled French musicians decided to take the freedom of jazz and the pulsating sound of funk, and shape them into an entirely new concept by exploiting the possibilities offered by electronica. The experiment proved successful, and Electro Deluxe was born in Paris. Later, courtesy of American singer James Copley, the band discovered new vistas to explore.

Elgar Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84

Das Rheingold is the introduction to the storyline, depicting the central conflict. Starting from a primeval state of peace, the opera shows how the original sin was committed, triggering a chain of events that eventually lead to complete annihilation.

Two trumpets at the same time? Now that’s a party! Gábor Boldoczki and Sergei Nakariakov arrive in mid-December bearing an ideally timed sonic gift in advance of the lights of the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Purcell: Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary – March, Z. 860
Elgar: Cockaigne Overture, Op. 40
Britten: Peter Grimes, Op. 33a – Four Sea Interludes

In March, the Gallery Concerts series takes listeners on a journey through the organ music of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

Elgar: Violin Sonata in E minor, Op. 82
Britten: Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 6

A rainbow of sounds from the orchestra, enigmatic dialogues and mysterious riddles. Not to mention a treacherous dwarf and a glorious young hero. Who after slaying a dragon and tasting its blood, is able to understand the prophetic singing of a bird. And then crosses through a wall of fire to discover both the woman who is his mate and, through his love for her, fear.

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance – March No. 1, Op. 39
Britten: Matinées musicales, Op. 24
Britten: Simple Symphony, Op. 4
Elgar: The Crown of India, Op. 66 – March of the Mogul Emperors

There can hardly be imagined in our time a work that conveys a more important message to humanity, as it debates the possible fate of the earth, about threats to the natural environment than Götterdämmerung does. Perhaps there is still time for us to return the ring to the Rhinemaidens.

The Japanese singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba, who is also recognised as a music publisher and acclaimed film composer, creates enchanting, ambient folk-pop songs that explore the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Her latest album, Luminescent Creatures from 2025, is considered one of the year’s most celebrated releases.

The globally beloved Portuguese genre of fado is already familiar to the Müpa audience, and now one of its greatest contemporary stars is visiting Budapest for the first time. Nominated for a Latin Grammy, Carminho is a true heir to her mother, Teresa Siqueira, and was celebrated as the genre’s great hope in 2005, even before she reached the age of 20.

Elgar: Enigma Variations, Op. 36
Britten: Soirées musicales, Op. 9

Szüts Apor – zongora
Budafoki Dohnányi Zenekar
Vezényel: Hollerung Gábor

The Clair-Obscur project is the coming together of two storied ensembles, and a unique interplay between two musical traditions.

A 29-year-old female bass player from India. These few words are enough for most people to immediately think of Mohini Dey. Despite her young age, pages could be filled listing all the artists and festivals she has performed with and at since the age of nine. It was her father, also a bass player, who started her on her professional path, a journey which has so far brought her into contact with Steve Vai, Zakir Hussain, Quincy Jones, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Gergő Borlai.

Nagyszerű tanáregyéniség, méltatlanul elfeledett remekművek és kortárs kompozíciók ihletett felfedezője, a magyar zenésztársadalom egyik legkedveltebb kiválósága – Prunyi Ilona valamennyi minőségében megérdemli az ünneplést.

Wagner
Parsifal – festive musical stage play in three acts (German-language performance, with Hungarian surtitles)

Although the concept behind the productions has always been a mature one, over the years the Ring has been rejuvenated within the framework of a constant idea and reborn in the details. Another permanent feature is the conducting method - one combining humanism with perfectionism - of music director Ádám Fischer.

“Loved to the gallows” could be an alternative title of Umberto Giordano’s opera, which serves up a grand historical tableau, a love that even defies death, and, last but not least, three brilliant leading roles.

Born in Vilnius and with Armenian roots, the soprano Asmik Grigorian is one of the biggest favourites – and no longer an outside favourite – on today’s international opera scene.

Korosztály: 5-9 év

Like her previous shows, Advent Adventures promises an exciting line-up, this time focusing specifically on the upcoming holidays, with Eszter Bíró and her ensemble relating the folk and urban customs of the weeks before Christmas with lots of games, catchy melodies, and an initiation that relies on the active participation of the young audience, with discussion also being devoted to the singer's appealing themes of the passage of time and the meaning of letters.

World-Wide

Age: 1,5-3 year