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Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61

Life-Oeuvre-Pinnacle

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.

Why is the 400-year-old story of Romeo and Juliette, the world’s best known romantic tragedy, still so relevant today? Because love is eternal, the rebelliousness of youth persists, and the world is still filled with inexplicable contraditions.

A magyar-ghánai Sena Dagadu a 21. századi hazai popzene jelentős alakja, akinek az Irie Maffia zenekar és szólóprodukciói mellett meditatívabb, Sena DagaDub nevű triója is igen népszerű. A formáció 2024-ben a magyar zenei élet élő legendáját, Presser Gábort látta vendégül a Müpában, és az együttműködés annyira jól sikerült, hogy a projekt most mindkét fél – és persze a közönség – örömére folytatódik.

Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Söndörgő is Müpa Budapest’s Ensemble of the Season, which means it will be giving several concerts that break with tradition in the course of the 2025-26 season. Among these will be an evening founded on international collaboration that features three outstanding musicians from the world-renowned progressive jazz-funk-fusion band Snarky Puppy: Michael League, Jay Jennings, and Chris Bullock.

His political involvement and premature death have obscured the fact that Géza Szőcs was one of Hungary’s most outstanding and exciting contemporary poets.

The Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun’s landmark opera blends Eastern philosophy with the language of Western music. This is the first time the work will be heard in Hungary, and it will be conducted by the composer himself. Set in the 7th century, it tells the story of the passionate love of a Japanese prince and a Chinese princess, and of their fateful quest for the legendary The Classic of Tea by Lu Yu.

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.

Whether we’re talking textiles or literature, “English” is a hallmark of excellence, and the island nation’s music rightfully deserves similar recognition.

This concerto has all the attributes to make it a genuine celebration for the audience.

FRANCIA ROMANTIKUS ÁRIAEST // Henric / Vashegyi BERLIOZ, BIZET, BONIS, CLAPISSON, DAVID, FEVRIER, GODARD, GOUNOD, JONCIERES, MASSENET, OFFENBACH, OLAGNIER művei

In 2000, Lars von Trier broke free from the Dogme 95 movement he had helped create, and immediately won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 Elgar: Seranade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20

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

The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic are a unique ensemble, composed exclusively of instrumentalists from the cello section of one of the world’s top symphony orchestras.

Every year since 2008, this festive gala of Hungarian folk and world music has filled Müpa Budapest to bursting. On this occasion, the evening will be framed by the Moldavian and Gyimes dance house music of Róbert Kerényi and the Szigony Band, while the still-youthful musicians of the Sarjú Band are also experienced dance house performers.

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

Miles Davis, one of the most recognisable figures in jazz history, would have celebrated his hundredth birthday in 2026. To mark the occasion, a star trumpet player in the world of contemporary jazz, Ambrose Akinmusire, has come together with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra to embark on a joint tour, honour the giant of the genre, pay tribute to his legacy, and go beyond it by creating new works and inventive arrangements that reimagine the Miles Davis’s genius in the context of modern jazz.

What makes the Mass in B minor so unique is the fact that in it Bach – most unusually for a Lutheran composer – set the liturgical texts of the entire mass cycle to music.

Approx until: 9.30 pm

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

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.

Together with her internationally successful early music ensemble, L’Arpeggiata, harpist and theorbo-player Christina Pluhar are renowned for fashioning each and every concert programme out of a unique project. For this occasion, they have chosen one of the greatest masterpieces from the Baroque opera literature:

What music accompanied the life of the Swedish royal court during the reign of Charles XI in the 17th century? Ensemble Correspondances, one of France’s most renowned early music formations, brings the rarely heard treasures of Scandinavian Baroque to Budapest for the first time.

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

In 2026, Müpa Budapest will be spotlighting Hungarian jazz talent through the Jazz Showcase for the nineteenth year running. Alongside established performers, countless young artists have been introduced in recent years to dazzle the jury and captivate audiences. Now, for this special occasion, they return as a one-of-a-kind big band, like members of a large family.

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.

Let’s imagine the opera house is just a few steps from the church, because tonight is the night the organ pipes will bring the most thrilling moments of opera to life.