Áron Tálas, who is, even by European standards, an outstanding pianist in the generation of young Hungarian musicians, is a rare exception: though he writes and playes music deeply embedded in tradition, the quality of his music admitted him into the catalogue of BMC Records, which comprises mainly modern productions. In Tálas’s second trio album, tracks with groove, melodies, and full of emotion represent the cream of the world of traditional jazz piano trios. The title New Questions, Old Answers indicates that once again, Tálas is reluctant to break with his predecessors. Brian Blade, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Erik Satie, melodies from the Carpathian Basin – this list is merely the surface of the bottomless well from which Tálas draws his inspiration. But what we hear on this album is not the sound of the artists mentioned; it is Áron Tálas, his inimitable cheerfulness, his cheeky humour and optimism, which shines through even melancholy. Indeed, we are even “ear witnesses” to the sympathetic vibes between three good friends, all musicians of high quality.  

Daveform Quintet with Krisztián Oláh, Gábor Subicz, Dániel Mester, Ernő Hock and composer Dávid Szegő has been enthralling listeners with their unique and ecstatic music for over a year. After several sold-out concerts, this evening marks the debut of their album Arrival, which the audience can hear live in its entirety for the first and last time. Daveform Quintet is a modern jazz group that combines American, Scandinavian and Balkan musical elements in a unique way, with plenty of room for improvisation. From jazz ballads to contemporary classical music to modern grooves, the quartet showcases a wide range of styles, featuring well-known excellent players of the Hungarian jazz scene. The bandleader is composer and drummer Dávid Szegő, who, together with Krisztián Oláh, Dániel Mester, Gábor Subicz and Ernő Hock, unleashes a force that guarantees to captivate all listeners.  

Károly Binder is a musician of high calibre, who puts his talents at the service of the synthesis of new trends, different musical cultures, compositional techniques and improvisational systems, not forgetting his own musical roots. He is an autonomous composer whose piano playing and compositions cannot be classified by style or genre. Since the late 1970s, Binder has pursued with unrelenting consistency the path he set for himself, a path on which he had no Hungarian predecessors. In his musical development, alongside the immense oeuvre of Béla Bartók, we can clearly trace the influence of the folk music of the Carpathian Basin and the melodic world of the Volga-Kama region, and even the American repetitive school hallmarked by Steve Reich. He has released more than 85 albums to date; this evening, he and his trio will present their latest album, inspired by Béla Bartók's masterful pedagogical miniatures, For Children.

If you’re feeling sacrilegious, call them the contemporary trinity: drawing back the curtain on future sound spheres, The Transcendent Triptych calls on early, classical and folkloric music to redefine modern avant-garde Jazz. Akin to the still-standing architecture of old, this ensemble of storied composer-musicians is built upon a tried-and-true triangular foundation: percussionist Tilo Weber – a force in the Berlin music scene (David Friedman Generations Trio, Y-Otis, Keno, winner of the Deutsche Jazzpreis 2022) – lends his mallets to the drums and vibraphone while Austrian pianist David Six (Bill Frisell, Bryce Dessner, Stargaze) sets himself to the piano and harpsichord. Rounding out the trio with his tenor saxophone, János Ávéd (Randy Brecker, Benny Golson) brings his stratified musical voice, informed by more than a decade at the Budapest Modern Art Orchestra and countless collaborations with icons of the Hungarian and international jazz scene. In this constellation, the star-studded troupe has produced pieces such as “Lound”, the dreamy, intimate embodiment of their name. As if in meditation, all musical streams flow into one whitewater torrent – the avid listener, however, is not thrown off-course by the jutting powerplays. Fickle rhythms, profound structures and nuanced melodies course through the piece with tenderness, ready to cross their own aqueous boundaries at a moment’s notice. Our visionary trio goes on to moonlight as musical time-travellers, lifting the musical veil with “Minta”. Tastefully lyrical, sophisticated and subtle, this piece approaches its audience with open arms from a time yet to come. In 2025, the debut of this all-star trio will be released on renowned Budapest label, BMC Records. Victoriah Szirmai

Valuska was the first opera written in Hungarian by Péter Eötvös, the internationally renowned composer, and the 13th opera of his career. The work is an adaptation of László Krasznahorkai's novel The Melancholy of Resistance. The premiere was scheduled to celebrate the composer's 80th birthday. During rehearsals, Eötvös suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Despite this, he continued working with the orchestra and the actors. This film tells the story of an artist confronting death and an enthusiastic group of collaborators striving to bring the production to its premiere, hoping the composer would live to see his own work performed.THE LAST OPERADirected by András KalmárCamera: János Hives, Péter RibbSound: Sándor NyíriEdited by Réka PinczésProducer: Csaba SándorAfter-screening talk András Kalmár film's director will present the artistic concept in a dialogue with composer Marcell Dargay, and music historian Szabolcs Molnár.Produced by Szalakóta EgyesületFounded by Mol Új Európa AlapítványWith the friendly support of Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation

This evening actually happened on three nights, recorded during three different studio sessions between April 1954 and August 1955. O’Day was signed by the young Los Angeles producer Norman Granz (Jazz at the Philharmonic), Jimmy Rowles and two lesser-known pianists were engaged, and guitarist Tal Farlow contributed on four tracks. The singer’s straightforward, veiled delivery, which avoids the broader vibrato and is equally captivating when ironical or wistful, has been likened by many to a saxophone. Her performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in a few years is in the annals of jazz history. Here, O’Day makes the standards (The Man I Love, There’ll Never Be Another You) her own, and her original blues track shows why black jazz musicians always said yes right away when Anita O’Day invited them. The internationally renowned singer Júlia Karosi, who is also breaking new ground with her own band, recommended the production to the orchestra and will also take on the role of O’Day. 

The Fusio Group is the most unique fusion jazz band in Hungary, not only thanks to the compositions of Péter Szendőfi, but also as the result of the chemistry between the five musicians, refined over many years. The band was founded in 1992. In the past decades they have released 8 albums, in 2022 presenting their latest, 30th anniversary album XXX. Since 2023 they have been performing with singer Erika Kertész. The backbone of their repertoire is the music from the XXX album, some of which was originally instrumental, but band leader Szendőfi has written English texts for them. Erika's unique voice, clearcut rhythms and performance style perfectly match the band's well established sound, and harmonise marvellously with the often virtuosic, dynamic themes and the large-scale improvisations.

Connected by the love for classic guitar trios, role models like Bill Frisell or John Scofield, and the affinity for an intimate, acoustic sound, Tobias Faulhammer, Gregor Aufmesser and Jakob Kammerer strive to create spaces of creative freedom within jointly constructed musical arrangements. Searching for these creative spaces, the three musicians, who are firmly rooted in the Austrian jazz scene, create unique musical moments through joint improvisation. On their self-titled debut album, the three Caballeros present ten compositions by band leader Tobias Faulhammer. They have also been joined by two guests, Clara Montocchio (vocals) and Max Tschida (organ) for two pieces. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by extraordinary sound engineer Christoph Burgstaller, and released in November on cracked anegg records.  

Concerto Budapest The Violin Festival in January is cancelled due to technical reasons, the orchestra will hold the festival at a later date, in early summer. On January 18, Concerto Budapest will hold a Violin Gala, which will feature several of the Violin Festival artists. “Unfortunately, the realization of the Violin Festival has encountered serious logistical obstacles due to several technical problems and international program coordination. Since this festival is of outstanding importance, we would like to adhere not only to its content but also to its artistic ideas, so we have decided to postpone the program series to a later date. "On January 18th, we will hold a Violin Gala, featuring Abouzahra Mariam, Kristóf Baráti, Barnabás Kelemen and Lilia Pocitari, who will perform concertos by Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Bartók," said András Keller, Chief Music Director. Tickets purchased for the Violin Gala can be refunded until December 31st, and the orchestra will provide advance purchase opportunities for ticket holders until midnight on Sunday, December 15th, in the order of registration. You can register by emailing [email protected]. Concerto Budapest will be holding its three-day violin festival featuring Hungarian violinists for the first time in 2025. In addition to showcasing the inexhaustible range of possibilities the instrument has to offer, the Violin Festival also provides an opportunity to encounter our nation’s finest violinists, including several combinations of teachers and students. Joining Kristóf Baráti, Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas and Júlia Pusker on the programme will be some representatives of the younger generation of Hungarian violinists, such as Teo Gertler, Amira Abouzahra, Mariam Abouzahra and Gáspár Kelemen, along with artists from other countries like Lilia Pocitari, the winner of the 2023 Bartók World Competition. As it is the objective of Concerto Budapest to celebrate this wonderful instrument in as much of its full diversely as possible over the course of three entire days, we will hear it played in trios, string quartets and other chamber music configurations, as well as in chamber orchestral works and concertos accompanied by a large orchestra.

Concerto Budapest The Violin Festival in January is cancelled due to technical reasons, the orchestra will hold the festival at a later date, in early summer. On January 18, Concerto Budapest will hold a Violin Gala, which will feature several of the Violin Festival artists. “Unfortunately, the realization of the Violin Festival has encountered serious logistical obstacles due to several technical problems and international program coordination. Since this festival is of outstanding importance, we would like to adhere not only to its content but also to its artistic ideas, so we have decided to postpone the program series to a later date. "On January 18th, we will hold a Violin Gala, featuring Abouzahra Mariam, Kristóf Baráti, Barnabás Kelemen and Lilia Pocitari, who will perform concertos by Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Bartók," said András Keller, Chief Music Director. Tickets purchased for the Violin Gala can be refunded until December 31st, and the orchestra will provide advance purchase opportunities for ticket holders until midnight on Sunday, December 15th, in the order of registration. You can register by emailing [email protected]. Concerto Budapest will be holding its three-day violin festival featuring Hungarian violinists for the first time in 2025. In addition to showcasing the inexhaustible range of possibilities the instrument has to offer, the Violin Festival also provides an opportunity to encounter our nation’s finest violinists, including several combinations of teachers and students. Joining Kristóf Baráti, Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas and Júlia Pusker on the programme will be some representatives of the younger generation of Hungarian violinists, such as Teo Gertler, Amira Abouzahra, Mariam Abouzahra and Gáspár Kelemen, along with artists from other countries like Lilia Pocitari, the winner of the 2023 Bartók World Competition. As it is the objective of Concerto Budapest to celebrate this wonderful instrument in as much of its full diversely as possible over the course of three entire days, we will hear it played in trios, string quartets and other chamber music configurations, as well as in chamber orchestral works and concertos accompanied by a large orchestra.

Incorporating Latin American serenity and sweet melancholy, Cafuné's repertoire is made up of special pieces of traditional South American guitar music. The world of pulsating samba and soft bossa nova is reminiscent of the jazz clubs of the sixties. In its acoustic sound, the band aims to continue the tradition of Dilermando Reis, Augusto Garoto, Baden Powell and Luiz Bonfa. This sound is further enhanced by the voice of Anna Pataki, who interprets this style with rare naturalness in Portuguese and Spanish. In the past two years, they released two albums, Inspiração and Carimbo, containing internationally less-known pieces of Brazilian music, uniting sparkles, elegance, virtuosity, freedom, melancholy and joy.  

Serendipity is not only the closest meanings of Nasip Kısmet, but also the best way to describe this international band’s authentic, multi-genre music: an ancient folk melody turns into a psychedelic outburst by a sudden chord progression, then eases into a mild jazz-fusion breeze by a touch of masterful musicianship. Nasip Kısmet was founded in Budapest in 2019 by Turkish musician Arif Erdem Ocak, who is also the founder and guitarist of the famous Turkish band Seksendört. The band consists of high-caliber jazz musicians from the Hungarian jazz scene, such as Daniel Mester (saxophone & clarinet), David Szegő (drums) and Marton Eged (bass guitar); and Turkish folk/rock musicians, siblings Arif Erdem (guitar & vocals) and Derya Ocak (vocals). Nasip Kısmet plays Turkish psychedelic-folk/jazz/fusion genres and continues to grow its audience throughout Europe.

The piece is based on Claudio Monteverdi's 1638 scena when the Crusader knight Tancred fights Clorinda, the pagan girl to a tragic ending. The theatre play uses the instruments of physical theatre and music to further explore the timeless morale of the story and the dramatic situation. Equal emphasis is laid on the classical sound articulation of opera singers, the more simple and natural singing of actors and the static and dynamic possibilities of stage situations arising from the interaction of prose manifestations and bodies.

Dive into an evocative exploration of duality, where the line between individual expression and collective harmony dissolves into one transformative experience. This thoughtfully curated program spans polyphonic and minimalist masterpieces, from the visionary chants of Hildegard von Bingen and the intricate counterpoints of Johann Sebastian Bach to the modern meditative works of Arvo Pärt and the hypnotic rhythms of Steve Reich. More than a concert, this performance invites audiences into an intimate, immersive space where music and light interplay to awaken a reflective, almost spiritual state of mind. The carefully designed light show complements each composition, amplifying the ambiance and forging a deep, emotional resonance that transcends time. Prepare for an experience that redefines the boundaries between performer and listener, as each note and ray of light become a shared heartbeat, guiding all through a journey of unity and contemplation. The centre of the MERITA project is the 38 quartets, selected from 61 applications received from 27 different countries. These early-career musicians represent a new generation of string quartets, and through MERITA, they will break new ground in European classical music. MERITA, coordinated by Le Dimore del Quartetto, brings together 17 leading musical and cultural organizations from 12 European countries. Each offers a unique perspective on and approach to classical music in the modern world, linked by their commitment to supporting new musicians while keeping alive music’s precious heritage. By connecting emerging talent with experts in performance with impact, MERITA aims to forge a vital and sustainable future for European classical music.

In his compositions, Ádám Móser has created a contemporary Gyimesi chamber music, which always evokes the turns of authentic Gyimesi folk music, yet its structure is based on quite different foundations. The music of Zerkula, Halmágyi or the Tímár brothers can be heard in his motifs, but the pieces are sometimes close to free-flowing, improvisatory, and sometimes to repetitive, contemporary chamber music. In the duo, Ádám Móser plays accordion and Márton Kovács plays violin. Both have many years of folk music experience behind them, and both have thrown themselves into the world of improvisational chamber music.  Three years ago, three musicians, who were also at home in theater circles, thought that they would call the sounds, rhythms and melodies they played in the plays directed by János Mohácsi to an independent life. They thought that the stringed strings of different origins, tearing apart from the system of a theatrical performance, could also come into contact with each other and tell further stories to both the musicians and even more so to the audience. And over time, more and more new melodies and rhythms emerge in the sometimes seemingly endless sound maze of the Trio Sordini. Composition and improvisation, traveling from everywhere to everywhere: More than an hour and a half of unstoppable sound streams in two parts.

Skylark Metropolitan is the brand new band of Viktor Tóth, saxophonist and composer, who has been selected multiple times as the Alto Saxophonist and Composer of the Year in Hungary. This time they perform in a trio lineup to create a more intimate yet still pulsating and rhythmic sound. Viktor Tóth has released eight albums so far, several of which have won the Jazz Album of the Year award in Hungary; each of his recordings and ensembles represent a different sound. What they have in common is an innovative spirit, overwhelmingly powerful expression and melodic richness. They invite the audience on an exceptional flight over landscapes of swing-based modern jazz and broken grooves.

János Vázsonyi's trio wonders on the boundaries of classical, jazz and folk music, exploring analogies between genres. Their concerts are thus a journey through music history, from ancient Greek music to contemporary music, where the specific musical styles frame the spontaneous improvisations as a theme. János Nagy needs little introduction to Hungarian jazz fans, but few know that he also has a close connection with church music; their saxophone-organ duo album with János Vázsonyi was recorded in a Budapest church. Flóra Joubert (drums) and Gábor Boros (double bass) are excellent partners in this lineup, as their sophisticated playing organically blends into the improvisations, which can almost be described as chamber music.

Hans Lüdemann and his French-German octet TransEuropeExpress have started their long-term Pan-European project On the Edges in 2019 and are now presenting the premiere of the fourth edition entitled Oriental Express. This ensemble of outstanding soloists now welcomes the great Ney flutist Burcu Karadağ from Istanbul as their special guest. She is an international soloist with classical orchestras, but also improvises and collaborates with jazz musicians. Hans Lüdemann has spent several longer periods as an artist in residence in Istanbul between 2021 and 2024, and they have been working with Burcu as a duo since then, including performances at CRR Philharmonic Hall and AKM in Istanbul. They developed a program of original music and also made re-interpretations of some pieces of oriental music like Kendim Ettim by Neset Ertas. The Ney flute is the core instrument of oriental and Turkish music, even constituting the names of different scales and tonalities. The character of the Ney is quite different from the Western flute as it requires a lot more air for the sound to be produced. This means that the music needs more space between the notes – and also behind them. The secret of the Ney is to connect us with a different, spiritual level. Hans Lüdemann has created new compositions and arrangements that give room for the special magic of the Ney flute and reflect his experience of Istanbul and the Orient in a poetic way. Hans Lüdemann, the TransEuropeExpress and Burcu Karadağ are also recording the music for a new album to be released on BMC Records. On the Edges is a Pan-European initiative to be realized in 5 different projects and album productions, each of them a creative musical encounter reaching to a border region of Europe and beyond. The idea, originally inspired by Navid Kermani’s book Along the trenches, has been transformed into the creation of a broad mosaic of musical colors within this frame. Each project is developed and realized in cooperation and exchange with guest artists and/or composers from the specific regions. The thread that finally connects all of the projects is a composition by Lüdemann in several parts, coming together to form a complete musical picture. The previous albums in the series were released on BMC Records: the critically acclaimed Maghreb Express with Majid Bekkas, Polar Express with Kalle Kalima and Sofia Jernberg, and, most recently, Roman Express with Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini, which was nominated for the Deutscher Jazzpreis 2024.  

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"Daniel's works show great control and versatility on all levels. Being equally at ease with the jazz and symphonic idiom, both his compositions and arrangements show complete awareness of what is relevant in today's orchestral music. His affinity with drama and his gift to encompass this in music make him a natural film composer." - Jurre Haanstra, composer  Daniel Mester travelled around the world to find his own musical universe, which accommodates the melodies of Anatolia, Indonesian scales and imaginary Hungarian folk songs. He began his musical studies as a classical clarinetist, and later started to learn jazz saxophone playing. He graduated at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and he not only had the opportunity to perform in many parts of the world (South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil, Morocco), but also to learn about musical heritages outside of Western musical traditions. He composed a couple of filmscores, and studying Turkish classical and folk music is another current inspiration for him, the impact of which is echoing in his compositions. His long-cherished dream of founding his own trio came true with the pandemic. He invited two talents of the young Hungarian jazz generation, guitarist Péter Cseh and drummer Tamás Hidász into this musical adventure. This evening, they will also be joined by the virtuosic master of the cimbalom, Kálmán Balogh. www.mesterdaniel.com

Thérapie de couple – we are talking, of course, about the Germany-France couple, the engine of Europe, which now and then finds itself in crisis. Saxophonist and bandleader Daniel Erdmann is the ideal counsellor because he knows the differences, the similarities, the possible misunderstandings, the psychology of these two countries very well. He is particularly pleased to have been invited to put together a new German-French sextet and, in selecting musicians, has opted for a combination of those he already knows very well – and the security that comes with that –, and inviting completely new people who bring with them the desire and magic of uncertainty. Daniel Erdmann has been travelling between Germany and France for over 20 years. German-French and European projects are at the centre of his work, in which he has been supported by Philippe Ochem and the Jazzdor Festival from the very beginning. Jazzdor is once again a partner and sponsor for the new band. Projects over the past 20 years include bands such as Das Kapital and Velvet Revolution, but also quartets, trios and duos with Heinz Sauer, Christophe Marguet, Vincent Courtois, Aki Takase, Henri Texier and many others. Two musicians from France, with whom Erdmann has played a lot in recent years, have agreed to join him in the new project: violinist Théo Ceccaldi, member of the band Velvet Revolution, and cellist Vincent Courtois, with whom Daniel Erdmann has been working in various bands since 2008, first in a quartet with Frank Möbus and Samuel Rohrer, then in Vincent’s trio with Robin Fincker and on the side in various projects with painters, actors, singers. All these common experiences can be a basis for imagining a band sound when composing. Other band members who have accepted the offer of this new collaboration include the young French clarinettist Hélène Duret, who is currently touring all the clubs and festivals in France with her band Suzanne. Her velvety clarinet sound combines wonderfully with the saxophone sound of Daniel Erdmann. The rhythmic basis of this sextet is formed by drummer Eva Klesse and bassist Robert Lucaciu, two now established greats of the German jazz scene, who in turn know each other well from the Leipzig jazz scene. A solid rhythm section that can also go unexpected ways, different generations and individual voices that can also put themselves at the service of the group sound. A German-French couple therapy full of the joy of playing with some of the best musicians of both countries. That is Daniel Erdmann’s idea for this new adventure. Before the concert, they are recording their debut album to be released on BMC Records in the near future.

Pianist György Pataj graduated from the jazz department at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in 1997. Over the past fifteen years he has played with such prestigious Hungarian musicians as Aladár Pege, Imre Kőszegi, Gyula Babos or the Cotton Club Singers. Pataj Jazz Quintet, his own band was founded in 2009, and after a few changes, the present solid lineup of prominent musicians of the Budapest jazz scene came to being. The quintet revives the hard-bop genre of the '60s and '70s: their sound reflects the world of groups led by outstanding personalities of the period (Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Cannonball Adderley).

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The Modern Art Orchestra's À la MAO... series aims to present compositions and adaptations, sometimes originals, by members of the orchestra in a new context. In recordings and concerts, the orchestra has created a repertoire that is unparalleled in the history of Hungarian jazz. Some of these pieces have never been heard before by old or new followers, arranged in a new thematical, stylistic or other way. Additionally, some of them have never been released on disc or digitally. The mythical magic of the Far East and the Balkan or Asia Minor have often influenced pieces of recent Hungarian music history, they now provide the thematic link to the oriental music programme. An unmissable piece in such a programme is the orchestra leader Kornél Fekete-Kovács's suite Yamas and Nyamas, of which the movement Tapas is based on an Indian raga. Actually, Bartók also collected folk music in Asia Minor, and in recent years the MAO has systematically adapted Bartók's works, such as the 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, to its own sound. Some compositions by the in-house composers of the Modern Art Orchestra have also revealed Balkan, Indian and Arabic musical influences.

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Jegesmedvék Szicíliában? Repülő disznók és party a kísértetházban? Várostrom medvékkel és majdnem gonosz varázslóval? Ezt mind és még sokkal több izgalmat zsúfoltunk ebbe az új ifjúsági kalandzenébe, melyet Dino Buzzati gyönyörű és vicces meséje nyomán zenekarunk megrendelésére komponált Antonio Casagrande. Egy igaz történet becsületről, szeretetről, klímaváltozásról és a természet gyógyító erejéről. Karmester, szöveg és mesélő: Hámori Máté Zeneszerző: Antonio Casagrande Koreográfia: Góbi Rita Látványtervező: Vermes Nóra Animáció: Illés Haibo Rendező: Fodor Orsi

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The brilliant and versatile Roy Hargrove summoned this parade 30 years ago, documented on 73+ minutes. Hargrove (1969-2018) created wonders: in addition to his quintet albums, he founded a big band and opened wide doors to hip-hop and R&B. Here, as one of the ambitious young lions, he provides yet another example of positioning his generation in the jazz tradition, while happily savouring every minute of musical encounters. The Cyrus Chestnut-Rodney Whitaker-Gregory Hutchinson rhythm section features saxophonists in their 30s: Ron Blake, Branford Marsalis and Joshua Redman, as well as grand masters Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson and Stanley Turrentine. Hargrove shines as a bandleader, composer, soloist and host, smiling as he opens the door to the parade of saxophone stars. Kristóf Bacsó, János Ávéd, Árpád Dennert and Balázs Cserta - almost the entire MAO saxophone chorus - take turns interpreting the music of their great predecessors, while Kornél Fekete-Kovács takes the trumpet part.    

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Romanticism – Grieg, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky Shouldn't we get carried away by the extremely powerful musical motifs or melt away listening to the melodies gently finding their way to our hearts? Of course, we should! The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra intends to achieve just that with the programme compiled from the best-known Romantic compositions. Among the three great Romantic masters, there is a Czech composer whose name might sound somewhat unknown. Josef Suk, however, does belong to the 'family', Dvořák’s family: first, he was Dvořák's student, and then later, he joined privately as well. At the age of 19, he managed to write his Saranade in a nearly perfect Dvořákian style as the follower of his future father-in-law.

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It is no coincidence that Motus Quartet chose the opening piece of Beethoven's first quartet series to head the programme: it was the work that marked the beginning of the four musicians' collaboration, and it is also the starting point for Beethoven's inescapable oeuvre for string quartet. György Kurtág's official oeuvre starts with a string quartet from 1959. He composed again for this ensemble in 1977, condensing the gestures and atmospheres of chamber music into vivid miniatures of less than a minute with 12 microludes. The programme concludes with another work with Viennese connections, Schubert's string quartet Death and the Maiden, one of the fondest pieces in the quartet repertoire, never to fully reveal the secret of its popularity. To perform it is not a mere reward, as the young musicians strive not to let the hundreds of existing recordings determine their own interpretation, but to dig down into the deepest layers of the music where never-before-heard discoveries await.

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Photo credit: Pilvax Studio, Kaupo Kikkas, Harald Hoffmann, Iréne Zandel

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The new production of harpist Anastasia Razvalyaeva, singer Veronika Harcsa and composer Bálint Bolcsó translates Schubert's music into contemporary musical language. After their album Debussy NOW!, released in 2020 on BMC Records and acclaimed internationally, the artists adapted the songs of another composer to their own instruments and language. Improvisations, timbres between classical and jazz vocal techniques, and live electronic effects further expand the infinite, sensual and eerily beautiful universe of Schubert's songs, while at the same time enhancing the expressive tools of the human voice, and the harp. The well-known, perennial songs are transformed into a truly contemporary spatial experience in the trio's performance. The full material of the album Schubert NOW!, to be released in early 2025, will be heard live for the first time at this concert, in the Concert Hall of BMC.  

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In 1706 Antonio Vivaldi became violin teacher at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls in Venice, and remained associated with the institution for the rest of his life. During this period, the orchestra of orphans was gaining increasing recognition throughout Italy. Vivaldi composed most of his concertos, cantatas and church music for them. He wrote more than 500 concertos alone, including works for solo instrument – mostly violin or bassoon – and orchestra, as well as pieces for string ensemble, more reminiscent of later symphonies. The highly successful concert series of bassoonist György Lakatos and Concerto Armonico is based around Vivaldi's concertos, and this time they will not only perform a selection of works by the Italian Baroque master, with a musical introduction by György Lakatos, but also offer an insight into the workshop of music teachers with 15 bassoon students: Ivett Bazsinka, Anna Beleznai, Kinga Kelemen, Laura Kolozsi, Luca Losonci, Borbála Marics, Sarolta Nagy, Flóra Németh, Valéria Novák, Petra Stankowsky, Szellő Szőllősy, Anna Török, Luca Varga, Vera Zöld, and Dominika Zsargó.

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In the early 20th century, his music found its way easily into the affected world of operetta with Das Dreimäderlhaus, and his oeuvre is full of light, casual pieces written for the music lovers of early 19th-century Vienna, yet few in the history of Western art music have gone as far as Franz Schubert in capturing human hopelessness. “All is going shamefully,” he wrote to a friend in the early 1820s, “for in this miserable world it is the fate of almost every sensible man. And what are we to do with happiness when unhappiness is now our only stimulant.” The biographical reasons for this unhappiness (ranging from love disappointment to financial difficulties and fatal illness) are less interesting than how we listeners today, 200 years later, can experience the hopelessness represented in Schubert's music – in this case, in the grand Piano Sonata in A minor composed in 1825. In the first half of the evening, pianist Gábor Csalog and music historian Gergely Fazekas will discuss how the feeling of hopelessness can be expressed in music, using examples from other works too. The language of this conversation is Hungarian.

Founded in 2018, the Korossy Quartet aims to transmit the famous Hungarian string quartet tradition, and to present the broadest possible repertoire to Hungarian and foreign audiences. In 2021, the ensemble was awarded 5 different special prizes at the international Bartók World Competition, and a year later they were accepted into the class of Günter Pichler, first violinist of the legendary Alban Berg Quartet, at the Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid. The Korossy Quartet's Bartók series, starting in autumn 2023, includes all of Bartók's string quartets in 6 concerts over 2 years, paired with a selection of works by the greatest composers of music history. Béla Bartók's String Quartet No 5 is perhaps the most outstanding reflection of his genius in the genre. While each movement in the bridge form is an exemplar of musical streamlining, each note captivate the listener with an elemental expressive and magnetic quality. Mozart also shows the very best of his composing abilities in his last String Quartet in F major. Both works are characterised by wise structures, and stunningly perfect and sensuous formal design. The instruments exist both in their individual capacity and in community, so that they can sometimes become instruments of the most intimate confession. This kind of dramatic writing also refers these two works in the highest ranks of string quartet literature. Photo: Andrea Felvégi

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The photo of László Borbély was taken by Norbert Balog.

Not just the members of the quartet, this album is a legend in itself. Two originals have become standards from it. By 1965, the self-taught Montgomery received many invitations, including one from New York’s Half-Note. The rhythm section, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, had accompanied Miles Davis for four years. For some reason, only No Blues and If I Could See Me Now have made it from the concert onto the first release, the rest were studio recordings three months later. Two tracks with numbered titles, Unit 7 and Four on Six, became standards from this album, but the bluesy, hidden tension of What’s New is also full of excitement. The almost breathless momentum all the way through is impressive, like a hissing steam engine at full speed, and it’s not just the guitar that gives that feeling. It’s the piano and accompaniment throughout as well, as they reveal simple yet nuanced melodies with the endlessly precise interplay of the whole quartet. The first LP release has been followed by numerous analogue and digital discs since 1965, because this material never gets old. The guitarist of MAO, Áron Komjáti, a master of shades depicting any colour of jazz, interprets the classic tracks as a soloist on the podium.

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The Modern Art Orchestra's À la MAO... series aims to present compositions and adaptations, sometimes originals, by members of the orchestra in a new context. In recordings and concerts, the orchestra has created a repertoire that is unparalleled in the history of Hungarian jazz. Some of these pieces have never been heard before by old or new followers, arranged in a new thematical, stylistic or other way. Additionally, some of them have never been released on disc or digitally. Big bands achieved their greatest popularity during the swing era, and the Modern Art Orchestra, embracing the jazz tradition, is keen to return to its roots. Recently, trombone player Attila Korb's suite Swinging on the Danube was written entirely in this style, in which the composer plays several instruments, including a memorable bass saxophone solo. Not only Korb performs regularly in traditional orchestras, also some other composers are rooted in the swing tradition, whether in rhythm, harmony or the pulsation of the kind that the Ellington and Co’s song says without swing „it don’t mean a thing”. 

After four concerts in 2023, János Mátyás Stark, Gergely Devich and Fülöp Ránki are announcing a new series at the BMC, now under the name of Trio Haris. The third concert will feature two of the classical giants of the piano trio genre, Haydn and Beethoven. Haydn, as in so many of his works, is making countless subtle jokes in his Trio in E major. Even the string pizzicatos of the main theme at the very beginning of the piece are not out of the ordinary, not to mention the long piano solo in the slow movement and the sometimes breakneck modulations. The work's majesty and loftiness make it an ideal counterpart to Beethoven's 'Archduke' Trio – although their character makes it evident that while Haydn dedicated his trio to a virtuoso pianist, Beethoven's piece is addressed to Archduke Rudolf of Habsburg-Lorraine, to whom the composer dedicated many of his compositions. One of the most large-scale works in the trio repertoire, it is symphonic in scale yet retains the softness of the B flat major tonality and the the intimacy so characteristic of a small chamber ensemble, and its Andante in D major is one of Beethoven's most touching slow variational movements. Further concerts in this series: 5 October 2024 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) I. | Haydn, Liszt, Schubert4 January 2025 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) II. | Takemitsu, Schubert, Shostakovich7 June 2025 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) IV. | Schumann and Brahms

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Among the pillars of StEFREM's broad repertoire are works for male choir by Hungarian composers, primarily Liszt, Bartók and Kodály, as well as compositions dedicated to the ensemble by contemporary Hungarian masters. They have released several albums of these works on BMC Records. The series A Genius Is Born is a tribute to the male choir works by the three greatest Hungarian masters of music, so it is no coincidence that the concerts are taking place on the composers' birthdays. A special feature of the concert programme is that StEFREM's personal selection of works by the classical composers is complemented by outstanding and interesting pieces by their "heirs", the Hungarian composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. StEFREM is a Budapest-based vocal ensemble with a unique sound. The multi award-winning ensemble regularly performs throughout Europe, from London to Bucharest, and has also performed in Africa, India and South America. They have worked with renowned artists such as Abeer Nehme, Victor Solomon, and the King's Singers, and have released 18 albums since 2002. Their rich and varied repertoire includes Byzantine and classical pieces, crossover arrangements and acapella pop songs. Béla Bartók was born 143 years ago on one of the most important Christian feasts: the Feast of the Assumption, also known as the Feast of the Annunciation, on 25 March. Bartók's unique, pure art has quickly become particularly influential for the whole music culture, and continues to be so even 80 years after his death. Out of the Hungarian geniuses, Liszt wrote more than sixty male works, Kodály twenty, Bartók only six, but these are true gems of the genre, and span his entire oeuvre. In particular, the Songs from Olden Times and the Székely Folk Songs are seminal in the literature of men's choral music. In the final episode of the three-part concert series A Genius is Born, Bartók's works will be accompanied by compositions and transcriptions by six contemporary Hungarian composers. Further concerts in this series: 22 October 2024 19:00 St.EFREM: A Genius is Born I. | Franz Liszt and his Musical Heritage16 December 2024 19:00 St.EFREM: A Genius is Born II. | Zoltán Kodály and his Musical Heritage

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Under the lens of music understood as intercultural dialogue, this program proposes a musical journey from north to south across Europe and America, framed within the 20th century. It is a voyage that explores the diverse outcomes of musical composition during those decades, shaped by the different sensibilities and characteristics of the various latitudes of both continents. The program is divided into two parts: Europe (starting point of the north-to-south musical dialogue) and the Americas (second half of the journey and the musical dialogue between continents and styles). The Cuarteto Matrice was born in 2016 in Madrid, the city where the musicians met and are currently based and developing their career with the ensemble, always having the objective of communicating with the audience through the different languages of music and performance. The name of the quartet itself comes from the ancient name of the city of Madrid, Matrice, an Arabic term for "mother of waters". The members of the quartet have studied at some of the main musical institutions in Europe, such as the Royal Academy of Music of London, Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, the Royal Conservatory of Madrid or Katarina Gurska Centre in Madrid. They have attended several masterclasses with the Kopelman Quartet’s violist Igor Sulyga. The Quartet have recently performed at some festivals across Spain as the RESIS Festival in A Coruña, Clásicos en Verano in Madrid, Sulayr Festival in Granada and FIAS Festival (Sacred Art Madrid Music Festival), where they performed the world premier of the Cuarteto nº2 by Hugo Gómez-Chao, a piece dedicated to the quartet, having great reviews from both musical press and media. The four musicians of Cuarteto Matrice have also been selected for the Musae Program promoted by the National Cultural Ministry, a project where they performed at the Sorolla National Museum and brought them a Spanish music concert series residency with the sponsorship of CNP Partners. Cuarteto Matrice have recently performed at many cities all around Spain, such as Barcelona, Bilbao and Sevilla, including remarkable venues and music halls like, Teatro Fernando de Rojas, Círculo de Bellas Artes and Athenaeum in Madrid and also Moncloa Palace, house of the Spanish Government, where they performed in 2021 as part of an homage act holded by the Spanish Arts Ministry. They have been selected as part of the MERITA platform 2023 organized by Le Dimore del Quartetto, a program that will take them to an artistic residence in Florence in 2024 as well several concerts across Europe during the current season 2024-2025. The centre of the MERITA project is the 38 quartets, selected from 61 applications received from 27 different countries. These early-career musicians represent a new generation of string quartets, and through MERITA, they will break new ground in European classical music. MERITA, coordinated by Le Dimore del Quartetto, brings together 17 leading musical and cultural organizations from 12 European countries. Each offers a unique perspective on and approach to classical music in the modern world, linked by their commitment to supporting new musicians while keeping alive music’s precious heritage. By connecting emerging talent with experts in performance with impact, MERITA aims to forge a vital and sustainable future for European classical music.

Bassist Stanley Clarke’s name is at the top of this studio album cover only because of the alphabetical order: the quintet (with Freddie Hubbard, Lenny White and Chick Corea) was mainly known as the Griffith Park Band. Perhaps the biggest star at the time was saxophone legend Joe Henderson, so he got to play the first solo on most tracks. The band, acoustic throughout, presents a wide cavalcade of moods. The musicians move like big cats, stretching lazily and then rushing to attack. It’s no coincidence that the orchestra has more concert than studio recordings. Only a Steve Swallow composition is featured here, the others are original compositions in which both the highly inspirational interplay and the far-reaching impros are perfectly developed. It’s good to experience the giants of jazz-rock bath together in a hard bop river before crossing it. MAO soloists, on the other hand, can reflect on this album with four decades of accumulated musical knowledge. 

Contemporary – Miho Hazama, U. C. Erkin, Christopher Cerrone, Pavel Fischer Like sports, music also has its 'tools' for performance increase and relaxation. The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra highlights 'contemporary' in their programme without inhibitions, as with similar compilations, they have garnered great success with the audience several times before. The globally recognised ensembles strike a perfect balance in the effects by spoonfeeding us with alternating more meditative and lax works with quick and ecstatic pieces. During the concert, the audience can experience a refreshing rejuvenation and recharging of their batteries, just like after a good training session.

The Modern Art Orchestra's À la MAO... series aims to present compositions and adaptations, sometimes originals, by members of the orchestra in a new context. In recordings and concerts, the orchestra has created a repertoire that is unparalleled in the history of Hungarian jazz. Some of these pieces have never been heard before by old or new followers, arranged in a new thematical, stylistic or other way. Additionally, some of them have never been released on disc or digitally. On International Jazz Day, an initiative associated with the name of Herbie Hancock, one of the founding fathers of jazz-rock, it almost goes without saying that the Modern Art Orchestra will be drawing on the extensive repertoire of the jazz-rock genre. Works by the versatile trumpeter-composer Gábor Subicz, pianist Gábor Cseke, saxophone soloist Kristóf Bacsó and bandleader Kornél Fekete-Kovács form the backbone of the programme. A surprise guest will be sitting down into the drum chair.

This album has been overshadowed by an even more legendary recording, but it has a lot of beauty. Saxophonist Paul Desmond is the only member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, apart from the bandleader, to become a big name outside that quartet. Desmond recorded the album Time Out with the Dave Brubeck Quartet in August 1959 - one of the most successful jazz albums ever made. In September, guitarist Jim Hall, as well as Percy Heath and Connie Kay of the Modern Jazz Quartet joined Desmond for his second solo outing, producing another example of the golden age of laid-back, cool, elegant, swinging jazz. The quartet consistently and unwaveringly performs the hits of the era, which include MJQ numbers and standards, but the CD reissue also includes a Desmond composition. The alto saxophone is lilting and flattering, seductive and reassuring. That's why it was voted number one again in Playboy magazine that year, as the album title suggests. As many of the series’ regulars will have guessed, Árpád Dennert will evoke the sound of one of the saxophone’s unforgettable masters with the MAO's rhythm section.

“These are no longer the happy times when we see the glories of youth around every object, but the fatal realisation of a miserable reality which I try to embellish as much as I can with my imagination (thank God for it).” Franz Schubert wrote these lines in 1824 to his brother Ferdinand. That beauty was central to Schubert's compositional thinking hardly needs to be proved to anyone who have heard even a few minutes of Schubert's music in their lifetime. But it was precisely at the beginning of the 19th century that the concept of “sublime” began to take over the place of “beauty” in musical aesthetics, so the ineffable, unearthly beauty of Schubert's melodies was thus an imprint of an earlier era, that of Mozart and Haydn. The Piano Trio in B flat major (B. 898), which Schubert began to compose in 1827 but only completed next year before his death, offers numerous examples of the musical representation of both the concept of “beauty” and the “sublime”. Before playing the piece, Gábor Csalog, his musician friends and music historian Gergely Fazekas will discuss the change in musical aesthetics and show other examples of Schubert’s concept of beauty. The language of the conversation is Hungarian.

The Modern Art Orchestra's À la MAO... series aims to present compositions and adaptations, sometimes originals, by members of the orchestra in a new context. In recordings and concerts, the orchestra has created a repertoire that is unparalleled in the history of Hungarian jazz. Some of these pieces have never been heard before by old or new followers, arranged in a new thematical, stylistic or other way. Additionally, some of them have never been released on disc or digitally. The Modern Art Orchestra's last concert of the season might as well bring up Herbie Hancock's name again, because this is the title of the Hancock's sextet album released almost 30 years ago.  They have been instrumentally reworking current pop hits. Of course, ever since jazz emerged, it has been using the hits of the day as a starting point to improvise, and the Great American Songbook was almost exclusively made up of musical, pop and film hits from the 1930s. In the last few decades, the freshness of new styles of pop has inspired some of the most famous foreign artists. The Hungarian jazz repertoire has also included songs by the most successful pop ensembles, while composers such as Gábor Subicz, Kristóf Bacsó and the orchestra leader Kornél Fekete-Kovács have also adapted film or stage music, creating a whole series of new jazz standards.

Composer József Sári celebrates his 90th birthday this year. On this occasion, our celebratory concert features his chamber music and solo pieces composed for a variety of instruments, including world premieres, performed by outstanding musicians of the Hungarian contemporary music scene. József Sári is a leading figure of 20th and 21st century Hungarian music, both as a composer and as a teacher. Between the 1980s and the 2000s, his works were frequently performed not only in Hungary but also throughout Europe, especially in Germany. His pedagogical work was just as highly regarded: until his retirement, he taught generations of musicians at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music and the Liszt Academy in Budapest, and as a guest professor at master classes. He has received numerous awards at home and abroad.