Award-winning singer Rozina Pátkai's second and third albums, Paraíso na Terra and Taladim, whose songs were again inspired by Latin melodies, carry the listener away into a completely unique musical world. Improvisations are given more space, enveloping songs that are sometimes childlikely simple, sometimes unpredictably wandering. All this is sung in Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, and Hungarian, with poems and texts by Zsófia Bán, Paul Verlaine, William Blake, García Lorca, Jane Tyson Clement, and many other great authors. The ensemble will be joined by guest cellist Ditta Rohmann, with whom Rozina worked on the Taladim album – one of the rare occasions they perform these songs live. Ditta Rohmann is a versatile musician who has been appearing as a soloist in large concert halls, improvising in world music formations, in productions with dancers, as a chamber musician, and, more recently, as an actress. Her musical repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary music.  

Cimbalom player Miklós Lukács is undoubtedly one of the most exceptional figures in Hungarian and international music: his classical music training has enabled him to delve deeply into both jazz and contemporary music. His virtuoso playing and constant experimentation have led him to discovering previously unknown sounds on his instrument. The best examples of this can be heard in the music of the Cimbiosis Trio, founded in 2013, which has grown into one of the most original formations on the Hungarian jazz scene. On top of the unique combination of instruments and the constantly expanding repertoire of original compositions, neither the bandleader nor the members shy away from experimentation and exploring new paths. “I composed for this trio in such a way so that we would sound like a chamber music ensemble, where every musician has equal weight. That's why I chose the name Cimbiosis: the symbiosis between us is key,” said Miklós Lukács.  

An evening full of rich tones and emotions awaits the audience with a diverse program: from Italian Baroque and bel canto traditions through Romantic songwriting to the world of grand opera.The first part features intimate love songs by Antonio Cesti, Paisiello and Giuseppe Verdi, followed by Wagner's poignant Liebestod in Liszt's virtuoso transcription. Franz Liszt's Petrarch sonnets crown the first part with their passionate poetry and refined piano texture. In the second part, the audience can enjoy the great Italian song cycles of Francesco Paolo Tosti and Ottorino Respighi, which enchant with their melodic intensity and folk song-like elegance. The evening's highlight is a selection of opera excerpts: an aria from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur and an excerpt from Lillo's L'osteria di Andujar.Karine Babajanyan (soprano) and Alessandro Amoretti (piano) – two internationally renowned artists – invite the audience on a musical journey full of passion, virtuosity and expressiveness. Karine BabajanyanKarine Babajanyan, a German-Armenian soprano, graduated with distinction from the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan and perfected her vocal technique in Rome and Milan. Her singing career began in Germany and led her to the Stuttgart State Opera from 2003 to 2011, where she excelled in leading roles. The internationally celebrated soprano has performed at renowned opera houses around the world. She received the prestigious R. Wagner Scholarship for her portrayal of Senta in The Flying Dutchman. Her most recent notable debuts include Tosca at the Vienna State Opera (DVD), Lisa in Pique Dame at the Toulon Opera, Elena in Mefistofele at the Teatro Lirico Cagliari and the soprano part in Les Noces by I. Strawinsky at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. She shone as Sieglinde in Budapest in Die Walküre under the direction of Adam Fischer and thrilled audiences in Tosca and Madama Butterfly at the Puccini Festival. She sang the title role in P. Mascagni’s opera Iris at the Konzerthaus Berlin and was nominated for the prestigious OPUS Klassik Award (album available on OehmsClassics). Her solo album Puccini Arias was released by EMI Classics. Alessandro AmorettiVocal coach and pianist Alessandro Amoretti, born in Livorno, Italy, is renowned for his work in prestigious international music institutions. He has freelanced since 2011 after serving as Studienleiter at the Opera Theatres in Bremen and Weimar, Germany. Alessandro has worked as a vocal coach at various Opera Houses and festivals worldwide, such as Vienna State Opera, Salzburg Festival, Glyndebourne Festival. In the last years, Alessandro keeps an intense cooperation as music assistant of Maestro Enrique Mazzola in several Opera productions. He has also given masterclasses at institutions such as the Sibelius Academy and the Royal Danish Opera Academy. Alessandro has performed as a pianist accompanist in several countries and as a continuo player with orchestras like the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Staatskapelle Weimar.

The Emma Nagy Quintet represents the new Hungarian generation of modern, contemporary jazz. Their experimental spirit plays an important role in shaping their sound, with heavy drum grooves, free improvisations, contemporary compositions in the form of songs, and other unique solutions equally featured in their pieces. Contrasts and dissonance, improvisation and diversity, joy and spleen, contemporary sentiment, and grotesque, raw expression are all part of their style, revealing a kind of dreamlike charm. However, this diversity is not an end in itself, but serves to enable the band to delve deeper into the layers of chamber music on stage. In October 2025, their fifth album will be released: with Altered States, focusing on emotions and moods, the band ventures deeper into the world of popular music than ever before, while retaining its unique edge and character.  

The two most significant song writers of classical music engage in dialogue on this evening, two composers who were socialized in Vienna and shaped by the intellectual milieu of the Habsburg imperial city: Gustav Mahler and Franz Schubert. Mahler, who was an admirer of Schubert, spent many years studying the Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of folk song lyrics published in 1805, during Schubert's lifetime, and transformed the themes it contained (love, death, the supernatural world, spiritual purity) into songs with astonishing inventiveness. The first half of the concert will feature a discussion on the extent to which Mahler's world was influenced by Schubert and what Schubert anticipated in Mahler, while the second half will feature Mahler's songs performed by the hyper-sensitive German baritone Johannes Held. The language of the discussion is Hungarian. Further concerts in this series:25 January 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Chopin and Mendelssohn22 March 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Schumann and Brahms17 May 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Kurtág and the Music History

A podium conversation with music therapists. Music Therapy Club is an open meeting-place of music therapists, medical, educational and social workers, as well as of anybody interested in music therapy. (In Hungarian) 

Formed in 2012, Jü plays the music of rapture: their themes, often seemingly austere, sometimes unfolding from repetitive swirls, their compositions drawing simultaneously on psychedelic and noise rock, a touch of folk and power jazz, carry incredible energy. The music evokes the golden age of seemingly disparate genres coming together, but beyond the obvious reminiscences, Jü is by no means traveling down memory lane to the fusion music of the late 1960s and early 1970s: by expanding the possibilities of their instruments, they transport their spellbound audience from the continuously flowing present straight into the future. At this concert, they will present their first BMC Records album, Rudel, to be released this November, which combines the intensity of rock, the freedom of free jazz, the hypnotic effect of ambient textures, and the complex, visceral rhythms of African music.

The EliasHuemerProject feels like a treelegged Andromeda in the nightsky, floating above the neon reflections of the limelights on the wet pavement. Like nothing else. With their new album Somnambule, the band tells untold stories. Stories of daydreaming and sleepwalking. Of lonely citylights, of asphaltflowers and desertseas. Stories of the two sides in everything in everyone and the subjectivity of beauty that connects us all. In a language without words, that is spoken only in these songs. 

“…Hawkins is a really vital link in a long historical chain, and his ability to sculpt his own language from a deeply rooted creative bedrock is compelling” – Jazzwise Alexander Hawkins is widely recognised as one of the UK’s most innovative and imaginative pianists and composers. He is self-taught with a great love and deep knowledge of the jazz tradition which he brings, along with classical references, to his compositions and improvisations. In May 2025 he released his third solo album Song Unconditional on Intakt, following the 2019 Iron into Wind, also on the Intakt label. As well as his solo performances, Alexander works in a vast array of creative contexts including leading and composing for his Quartet and larger ensembles; in his duos with Evan Parker, Tomeka Reid, John Surman, and Sofia Jernberg, his Trios with Nicole Mitchell & Tomeka Reid, and with Tomeka and Chad Taylor; and Decoy with John Edwards and Steve Noble, with Hawkins on Hammond B3. He can also be heard in projects with contemporary leaders – Joe McPhee, Anthony Braxton, Marshall Allen and Ethio-jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke.  

MAO XX Anniversary Series Each evening of our anniversary concert series, MAO XX, is closely connected to the work of the past two decades, yet brings something entirely new: every concert is a premiere, further enriching the unique and diverse repertoire established during the MAO's first twenty years. MAO XX – Emerging Echoes   On the third night of the jubilee series, the Modern Art Orchestra (MAO) puts the sounds of the future in the spotlight. Two young, exceptionally talented pianist-composers, Elemér Balázs Jr. and Krisztián Oláh, will present their new, large-scale works.Elemér Balázs Jr.'s composition, Five Scenes Based on Goethe’s Faust, reflects on the classic work's timeless themes in a unique style that blends film score and jazz influences. Krisztián Oláh's new work, the MAO Suite, is built upon the character of the orchestra, articulating richly textured, rhythmically exciting musical landscapes in the language of modern jazz.Both composers will also feature as pianists during the concert, allowing the audience to directly experience what it's like when the composer is also the performer. The evening is not only a result of the MAO's mission to nurture young talent but also offers a compelling vision for the future possibilities of contemporary big band jazz. Further concerts in the series:27 September 2025 8 PM Modern Art Orchestra | THE POEM OF MY POEMS – Nagy László Evening2025. október 31. 20:00 Modern Art Orchestra | ERKEL DUETS – A Tribute to Ferenc Erkel

Turkish saxophonist and composer Korhan Futacı, known for his boundary-pushing sound and fearless approach to improvisation, brings his singular musical vision for the second time to Opus Jazz Club – this time with a very special guest: British pianist Alexander Hawkins. Recently relocated in London, Futacı has long been a prominent figure of Turkey’s alternative music scene and a driving force in experimental and improvised music, creating sound worlds that blend raw energy with rich textural depth. For this performance, he is joined by Alexander Hawkins, one of the UK’s most celebrated and innovative jazz pianists. The two artists have previously shared the stage at Café Oto and the Brighton Jazz Festival, building a unique musical chemistry that now continues in Budapest. During this concert, they will guide us from the chaos of Istanbul to an uncharted realm. A place filled with vitality but also darkness; fusing traditional Turkish music with free improvisations. Completing the quartet are two outstanding Turkish musicians based in Europe: Esat Ekincioğlu, a bassist residing in the Netherlands, and Erdem Göymen, a drummer currently based in Essen, Germany. Together, they form a cross-border ensemble that thrives on spontaneity, sonic exploration, and collective intuition. A rare gathering of bold musical voices led by Korhan Futacı, this concert promises a night of deep listening, free-form interplay, and genre-defying expression.

OUR KODÁLY 2 - PSALMUS HUNGARICUS(A mi Kodályunk 2. - Psalmus hungaricus)Hungarian documentary, 2022, 81 min. - In Hungariandirector, script writer: Eszter Petrovics  cinematographer: György Sibalineditor: Ági Mógor HSE, Tamás Endrédisound engeneer: Gábor Bányaymusical director: Ádám Matzproducer: András Muhi, Gábor Ferenczy Featuring: Róza Radnóti, Gábor Fekete, Miklós Perényi, Márton Tóth, Laura Csonka, Ferenc László, Gergely Lakatos, Oliver Pálmai, Eszter Mákné Cseman Saint Stephen Philharmonic Orchestratenor solo: István Kovácsháziconducted by Martin RajnaThe second part of Eszter Petrovics' Kodály film trilogy covers the period of the composer and musicologist's life from World War I to the premiere of Psalmus Hungaricus in 1923, placing the masterpiece at the center. The screening will be introduced by film- and music critic László Kolozsi (in Hungarian).Guest: Eszter Petrovics, director

Dear Visitors, We regret to inform you that this concert is cancelled. Tickets purchased online will be automatically refunded by InterTicket Kft. Tickets purchased on the spot may be refunded at the BMC Info Desk.  We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.Budapest Music Center

The music of Tariqa is an organic and unique fusion where Moroccan Gnawa and Hungarian folk music meet to reveal a new musical domain. Saïd Tichiti, a native of the Moroccan Sahara, brings the pulsating rhythms of gnawa trance rituals, the mystical melodies of Arabic maqam, and the invigorating energy of chaabi. Tariqa's immersive concerts are ritual experiences where the audience becomes a participant, not just a listener. In today's isolation, there is a growing need for such transcendent communal experiences that can bring collective healing. No concerts are alike; each performance is a new and unrepeatable journey. As William Burroughs put it, Gnawa is "the world's oldest, 4000-year-old rock 'n' roll," and this tradition is reborn in a new form through Tariqa's art.

György Szabados was a prominent figure in Hungarian avant-garde music. He created the Kassák Christmas series organized at the Kassák Club in the 1980s, which was revived by the Fonó Music House in the 1990s. Paying tribute to this tradition, the Adyton Art Foundation is organizing Adyton Christmas for the 10th time this year, finding a home at the Opus Jazz Club. In the first part of the evening, István Grencsó and Stevan Kovács Tickmayer will play as a duo. Although they have made recordings together from time to time – most notably with the Trio Kontraszt, the Grencsó Collective Special 5 with Ken Vandermark, and the album Várakozás (Waiting) from the triple album Esszék (Essays) – they have not performed as a duo since the bold Chamber Music, recorded in 1988 and released on LP. It will be exciting to hear what they have to say to each other and to the audience now. In the second half of the evening, the core of the band will be the rhythm section of the Grencsó Collective with Róbert Benkő and Szilveszter Miklós. They are joined by Stevan Kovács Tickmayer and Zoltán Mizsei, who appeared on two of Grencsó’s albums in the early 2000s, and whose current contribution will certainly add a new dimension to the free music sound of the Adyton Spontaneous Ensemble.  Zsolt Németh

The Coltrane Legacy sextet was founded in 2017, on the 50th anniversary of Coltrane's death, by one of the most sought-after musicians on the Hungarian jazz scene, bassist György Orbán. In the decade and a half from the mid-1950s until his death in 1967, the saxophonist laid new foundations for modern jazz. He created a legacy of music that has influenced generations of musicians ever since, reaching ever more spiritual dimensions. An experienced bassist who has played in many bands, György Orbán thought the best way to honour the saxophonist's legacy was to create a group that would play both original compositions inspired by Coltrane's music and new arrangements of Coltrane’s songs. The compositions, of course, take Coltrane's tradition as their starting point and continue to reflect the abstract spirit and tools of our time, thus continuing the spiritual jazz tradition. The members of the band are outstanding personalities of the Hungarian jazz scene, their progressive way of thinking and unique musicality have enabled them to work together as a team with unbroken creative enthusiasm.

Júlia Karosi's latest musical journey seeks an even more intimate sound than before, with the singer also taking on the role of keyboardist. The vocal theme is built on multiple parts, performed live by two young singers who have recently distinguished themselves with their unique voices: Rebeka Nagy-Babos and Kriszta Koncz. The lyrics of the songs are largely inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, while the music combines elements of modern classical music and minimalist art pop with the world of jazz in both style and sound. The musical producer of the project is Yank, known for his extremely diverse work.

Few visual arts rely as heavily on music as cinema does. It is no coincidence that Béla Balázs called film music the third dimension of film. The winter concert of the Egri & Pertis Piano Duo’s series “Crosstalks”, which explores the interplay of sister arts, places the synthesis of film and music at its center. How do image and sound influence each other—and how does their union affect the viewer? The history of cinema proves that film music is far more than a mere accompaniment: it has created its own formal language, shapes dramaturgy, and continues to inspire composers to create exceptional works. The program arc starts from “classical” composers who also wrote for the movies—among them Camille Saint-Saëns, Sergei Prokofiev, and Darius Milhaud—and reaches all the way to icons of film music such as Henry Mancini, Hans Zimmer, and John Williams. Along the way, the audience can recall favorite film experiences like “The Godfather,” “The Pink Panther,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and “Star Wars.” The concert’s guest artist will be Ádám Balázs, the film composer honored with numerous domestic and international awards, who wrote the music for the Oscar-winning film “Sing.” In a brief onstage conversation, topics will include the workings of the Hollywood “dream factory,” his relationships with film directors, and why it is important for a film composer to learn to compose with a stopwatch. The exciting evening will once again be hosted by Szilvia Becze, the popular editor-presenter of Bartók Radio. The series is supported by OTP Bank.

The Legendary Album Series | Blue Note Series | Miles Davis Vol. 1. | Young Man With a Horn The title Young Man With a Horn not only refers to the film of the same name but also acknowledges that Miles Davis was already considered one of the greatest promises in jazz at the time. The 1952 recordings were later released in an expanded form under the title Miles Davis Vol. 1. On the album, alto saxophonist Jackie McLean and trombonist J.J. Johnson engage dynamically and atmospherically with Davis, who later highlighted in his autobiography how satisfied he was with these recordings, despite having entered the studio without a regular band. In the MAO adaptation, the horn section will consist of Kornél Fekete-Kovács (trumpet), Kristóf Bacsó (saxophone), and Mátyás Papp (trombone), while the rhythm section will feature the familiar trio of Gábor Cseke, József Barcza Horváth, and László Csízi.

Saxophonist and composer Yvonne Moriel is one of the most exciting new voices in Austria’s vibrant jazz scene. Her recent recognition with the Austrian Jazz Prize for Best Newcomer highlights her artistic depth and growing influence. Over the past two years, her quartet sweetlife has been captivating audiences and was selected as a New Austrian Sound of Music act for 2025/26 – which acknowledges their fresh perspective and valuable contribution to Austria’s dynamic and forward-looking jazz community. The sound of sweetlife blends classic jazz elements with electronic soundscapes, complex rhythmic structures intertwine with dub effects. The instrumentation – saxophone, trumpet, synth bass/keys, and drums – presents a reimagined take on the classic, sophisticated jazz quintet. Yvonne Moriel, trained in both classical and jazz music, is a stylistically versatile musician. With her highly individual musical voice and compelling original projects, she has drawn quite some attention. Names like Shake Stew, Seb Rochford, Christian Muthspiel, Christian Lillinger and many more pop up when you are looking at her musical activities. Since 2022, she has been developing a distinctive sound with sweetlife – one that questions traditional concepts and opens up new sonic spaces. Following the release of a first EP in 2024, their debut album is set to be released end of 2025, accompanied by an international tour including Europe, America and Asia.  

The Austrian trio other:M:other (consisting of Judith Schwarz, Arthur Fussy and Jul Dillier) aims to create a rhythmic symbiosis of sound. Acoustic and electronic sounds merge seamlessly into one another, creating percussive networks of impulses that draw their inspiration equally from experimental music and beat-based club music. With unconventional instrumentation, extended playing techniques and a free improvisational approach, they explore the boundaries of musical genres and are virtuosos at translating their own sound language into a wide variety of stage settings, concert formats and stylistic contexts. Imagine a missing link between free jazz improvisation and club music and you get the idea of what makes this trio so unique.  

"Hidden Figures" explores deconstructed structures and playful reinvention: works by Schönberg, Stump-Linshalm, Bailie, and Haas merge into an audiovisual concert experience at the intersection of structured composition and chance. Tone colors, layers of sound, and reflections on travel and relocation enter into a dynamic dialogue with the audience – open, multi-layered, and colorful. The MIKAMO Central European Chamber Orchestra was founded by the critically acclaimed graduates of the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts in 2007. The ensemble considers concerts Gesamtkunstwerk and regards historic music repertory as the extrapolation of new works from our time. While dedicated to living composers and the repertory of current music, MIKAMO also promotes artistic continuity in defining a Central European musical heritage by regularly performing in defining concert halls of Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Central Europe in general. The concert is organized by the Sonus Foundation for the Support of New Music and Contemporary Performing Arts, with support from the National Cooperation Fund and the National Cultural Fund.

Pianist Verena Zeiner and drummer Ziv Ravitz met in NYC, when they both lived in the vibrant city. Since 2021 they play together as a duo and have released two albums since then: The Sweetness of Finitude (2022) and Radical Care (2025), an album on which the duo’s sound palette has been expanded to include guitar, bass and a string trio, creating a rich, immersive musical experience. Verena Zeiner, renowned for her unique and captivating piano performances, seamlessly blends improvised music with elements of chamber music and jazz. Ziv Ravitz, an exceptionally versatile drummer and composer, is one of the most sought-after musicians in modern jazz, collaborating with greats such as Avishai Cohen, Petros Klampanis or Dominic Miller. On this evening they will perform pieces from their existing albums and also brand-new music, featuring electronic enhancements to their acoustic instruments.  

All pianists agree that the Wohltemperiertes Klavier is one of the pinnacles of the instrument's repertoire, both musically and technically. László Borbély has proven on numerous occasions that he is not afraid to take on the greatest professional and artistic challenges. He has been immersing himself in the Wohltemperiertes Klavier since the beginning of his career, and now he is fulfilling his plan to perform the entire two-hour cycle, representing an inexhaustible range of Bachian inventions. Borbély has a true passion for Bach's music: in 2019 he recorded the Goldberg Variations, followed two years later by The Art of the Fugue, which he performed at BMC as well. This evening, he aims to achieve no less than to reveal inner musical connections that may not have been explored before – and of course to demonstrate Bach's genius. Borbély likes to try his hand in a wide variety of styles, as his recordings of works by Bartók, Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Poulenc, Mussorgsky, Ligeti and Messiaen testify. Major composers such as György Kurtág, József Sári, Máté Balogh and Péter Tornyai have written works for him. In addition to his regular concert activities, he plays an active role in shaping the next generation of musicians as a teacher at the Liszt Academy and as head of the keyboard programme at the LFZE Doctoral School, also giving master classes and serving on the jury of international competitions. Critics have praised the richness of detail, depth, perfectionism, intellectual discipline and perfect technique of his playing, combined with an almost obsessive virtuosity. Borbély is a member of the Metrum Ensemble and the Carpathian Impressions trio, with which he has appeared on the stage of Carnegie Hall in New York.

This six-concert series for solo cello is based around Johann Sebastian Bach's suites. Alongside the well-known cello suites, Tamás Zétényi will also perform the French suites, originally for keyboard, which he and composer Marcell Dargay arranged for cello together. In addition to exploring the multifaceted suites, the cellist also aims to place the inexhaustible richness of Bach’s style in a wider context. The performance of the cello suites will be preceded by one piece from Domenico Gabrielli's Ricercar series, which, dating from 1689, are among the earliest examples of solo cello works and offer a glimpse into the virtuoso Italian music of the generation before Bach. Before the French suites, we hear a composition by the great masters of the French Baroque: Sainte-Colombe the Elder and Sainte-Colombe the Younger, François Couperin or Marin Marais (originally written for viola da gamba and continuo or harpsichord). The one-hour programme is rounded off by the Caprices of Joseph Marie Clément Dall'Abaco, working one generation after Bach. The style of the Caprices, written around 1770, represents a transition between Baroque and Classical, approaching the world of Empfindsamkeit, hallmarked by the name of Bach’s most successful son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Yet their emotional, melancholic and sensitive tone can be seen as a direct successor to Bach's suites.

“Perhaps no composer has had as great an influence on contemporary jazz as Bartók. The astonishing power and dynamism of his works almost overwhelms the listener; his music is full of thrill, mystery, boundless depth and purity. We created our arrangements with the aim to bring Bartók's music closer even to those who did not find it appealing until now,” said Péter Sárik about his first Bartók-inspired trio album, released in 2018. Since then, the band has performed the program to great acclaim in 15 countries around the world, from Finland to Kazakhstan to China, and in 2023 they followed up with the album X2 Bartók, featuring jazz adaptations of even more piano and choral works.  

The collaboration between Ági Szalóki, János Ávéd, and István Tóth is inspired by a respect for tradition and a love of freedom. Their program includes contemporary arrangements of church folk songs, Advent and Christmas carols, works by Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos, Bálint Balassi, Maurice Duruflé, and unknown 13th–18th-century English, Italian, and Hungarian composers, as well as thoughts, biblical passages, and poems related to the songs and the upcoming festive season. The cornerstone of the contemporary interpretation of the pieces is provided by Ági Szalóki, whose singing speaks several musical styles at a native level. The collective improvisations of István Tóth and János Ávéd blossom from beautiful melodies and move away from the traditional representation of the era into a more contemporary jazz context. Departure and return are seemingly two opposing processes, but they are also a necessary part of the basic experience of being a musician; we could even say that they are the journey itself.

László Dés, Miklós Lukács, Márton Fenyvesi, and András Dés formed their free jazz band in early 2019. Their idea is to push the boundaries of jazz, a genre that already allows for great musical freedom, to the absolute limit. Relying solely on their instrumental skills, their ears, and their sensitivity, they play without any prior rehearsals or coordination, with the joy of complete freedom. This requires great external and internal focus, as the music takes shape during the performance. The themes, structure, and form are all born in the moment, which is a tremendous experience for both the musicians and the audience, as the music that is created can never be reproduced in that form again. This shared experience is like a great magic, the magic of improvisation – four outstanding musicians finding each other through their instruments, concert after concert.  

It has become a tradition at Opus to end the year with a concert by the Dresch Quartet, which has been playing in its current lineup for six years, and its founder, the highly acclaimed Mihály Dresch, has been a key figure in etnojazz and in Hungarian music in general since the 1980s. His quartet consistently and confidently treads its own unique path with an individual fusion of Hungarian folk music and African-American jazz, jointly developed by Dresch and the band members. Commitment to the musical concept, respect and humility towards the sources, outstanding musicians, new and evergreen compositions, standards in the Dresch manner – all these combined create the musical experience that strikes the audience again and again with its freshness.  

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The Jamaican-born, New York-raised pianist Wynton Kelly (1931–1971) rose to global fame playing with Wes Montgomery and as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, all while creating timeless recordings with his own trio. His first recordings as a leader, made in 1951, featured the stunning bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Lee Abrams. Blue Note released this session under the title New Faces, New Sounds, which was later retitled the more appropriate Piano Interpretations. Kelly was influenced by the rhythm and blues school and technically brilliant performers like Teddy Wilson: his playing is cheerful, quick, attractive, and even crafty – perhaps because he was not yet twenty years old at the time. He excels in his harmonization on the blues numbers and in the quick, rolling runs on the faster pieces. This material is a rewarding opportunity for the always precise and clearly articulating pianist, Gábor Cseke, and the rhythm section.

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This six-concert series for solo cello is based around Johann Sebastian Bach's suites. Alongside the well-known cello suites, Tamás Zétényi will also perform the French suites, originally for keyboard, which he and composer Marcell Dargay arranged for cello together. In addition to exploring the multifaceted suites, the cellist also aims to place the inexhaustible richness of Bach’s style in a wider context. The performance of the cello suites will be preceded by one piece from Domenico Gabrielli's Ricercar series, which, dating from 1689, are among the earliest examples of solo cello works and offer a glimpse into the virtuoso Italian music of the generation before Bach. Before the French suites, we hear a composition by the great masters of the French Baroque: Sainte-Colombe the Elder and Sainte-Colombe the Younger, François Couperin or Marin Marais (originally written for viola da gamba and continuo or harpsichord). The one-hour programme is rounded off by the Caprices of Joseph Marie Clément Dall'Abaco, working one generation after Bach. The style of the Caprices, written around 1770, represents a transition between Baroque and Classical, approaching the world of Empfindsamkeit, hallmarked by the name of Bach’s most successful son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Yet their emotional, melancholic and sensitive tone can be seen as a direct successor to Bach's suites.

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The European Orchestra Academy is a joint initiative between the Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO) and the European Union Youth Orchestra, founded under the visionary guidance of Iván Fischer. This prestigious program provides talented young musicians from around Europe with invaluable orchestral experience alongside the BFO, while also offering them the opportunity to perform as chamber ensembles across numerous European countries. Participants refine their artistry through masterclasses led by renowned professors, ensuring they are exceptionally well-prepared for chamber music performances on the international stage.

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In music history narratives or concert programs, Chopin and Mendelssohn are rarely put side by side. This is somewhat understandable, since although they were contemporaries, met several times and greatly admired each other (Mendelssohn once called Chopin a "perfect musician"), their musical styles and worldviews were quite different. If they are connected at all, it is primarily through their ties to music history: through Bach and Mozart. The gravitational center of Gábor Csalog's concert will be Chopin's Scherzo in E major, accompanied by Mendelssohn's songs without words: works that at first glance – and according to their function – appear to be mere salon pieces, but are in fact compositions of just as high a caliber as any of Mendelssohn's or Chopin's large-scale works. In the first half of the evening, during a conversation with Gergely Fazekas, the question of where the boundary lies between salon music and high art will certainly be raised, as well as whether a scherzo can be considered a "joke" in the original sense of the word if Chopin is the composer. The language of the discussion is Hungarian. Further concerts in this series:23 November 2025 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Mahler and Schubert22 March 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Schumann and Brahms17 May 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Kurtág and the Music History

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The more we immerse ourselves in György Kurtág's music, and the more this music moves us, the clearer it becomes that – as pianist Gábor Csalog puts it – “the old and the new intertwine, blurring the boundaries between the past and the present.” Thus, on the evening with cellist Miklós Perényi and pianists András Kemenes and Gábor Csalog, it is not the music of Bach and Kurtág, Schubert and Kurtág, or Mozart and Kurtág that is heard, but “pure” music, free from all stylistic and genre constraints, which draws both performer and listener into its spell. It is uplifting to realise that, in Csalog's words, as Kurtág's contemporaries, “we were and still are witnesses to the continuity of music history.” It is often said that Kurtág's art is in lively dialogue with tradition, but it may simply be that the questions that can be raised and answered in music have not changed since Bach or Schubert. According to András Kemenes, only those who deeply understand Mozart “can truly understand Kurtág. That is why I cannot separate them from each other. These are inseparable qualities.”

Benjamin Appl recorded songs by Schubert, Brahms, and Kurtág on his album Lines of Life, released in 2025. On the album, the composers and their works are closely intertwined in the truest sense. Listeners will not only marvel at how Kurtág's music keeps the world of 19th-century German songs alive in various ways, but will also notice that at times Schubert or Brahms seem to continue or develop phrases, motifs, or ideas from Kurtág. The critic of Le Monde, for example, did not hesitate to state that the material on Lines of Life can be considered Kurtág's work from the first note to the last. In the first half of the concert, Benjamin Appl performs a partially reworked version of this uniquely effective series, while in the second half he sings Schumann's incredibly complex song cycle, Dichterliebe, accompanied by pianist Dániel Villányi.

In June 2025, BBC Music Magazine selected Pierre-Laurent Aimard's album as its Recording of the Month. The album features selections from György Kurtág's cycle Játékok (Games), including the then-unreleased 11th volume. According to a critic in The Guardian, “Játékok is one of the most significant works of the past half-century, and Aimard is the perfect guide to it.” On the occasion of György Kurtág's 90th birthday, English cellist Steven Isserlis said: “György Kurtág is music itself. He slowly, irresistibly flows from the depths of his being, bursting to the surface with an exceptional, all-encompassing intensity. I have never met a musician in my life for whom every single note was so important; whether it is his own work or a piece by one of the great composers he admires, for him every single note carries a whole world of meanings, events and intense emotions.” Pianist Dénes Várjon made a similar statement: “With Kurtág, even a single note is about the whole. In fact, if you study with him for many years, it becomes clear that there is much more to that particular note. A chain of connections emerges from a single note, leading to important insights into the composer’s entire oeuvre.”

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15.00–16.00 Launch of Volumes 11–12 of Játékok (Games), "K.M. hangjegy könyvetskéje" (K.M.’s Music Booklet), and the kurtag.hu websiteContributors: Tünde Szitha, director of UMB Editio Musica Budapest, and musicologist Gergely Fazekas.   16.00–17.30 Plenary lectures: Simone Hohmaier (D): A-Z. The alphabet of Kurtág's musical mother tongue between musical history and private cosmos. (With a gentle emphasis on the letter B.) Paul Griffiths (UK): Kurtág's Lichtenberg Karol Berger (USA): What is the game that is supposed to end in Endgame?   Participation in the event is free, but prior registration is required. The sheet music and website presentation will be in Hungarian, the plenary lectures will be in English, with simultaneous interpretation provided.   Three new Kurtág scores and a website collecting information about Kurtág's oeuvre will be launched, and a German, a British, and an American musicologist will give a lecture on Kurtág aimed at the general public on the day after his 100th birthday at the BMC Concert Hall. UMP Editio Musica Budapest, which has published Kurtág's music for more than seventy years, will release two new volumes of the Játékok (Games) series – growing since 1973—to mark the anniversary. These volumes contain pieces written since 2012 and some newly discovered older piano works. The publisher will also issue a facsimile edition of K. M. hangjegy könyvetskéje ('K. M.'s Music Booklet'). This latter work is perhaps the most personal in Kurtág's output, containing piano pieces intended for or written specifically for Márta from 1973 onward. The scores will be presented by Tünde Szitha, director of Editio Musica Budapest. Also in preparation for the 100th birthday is the kurtag.hu website and database, which will bring together the most important information about György Kurtág's oeuvre in one place. The website, which includes a list of works, discography, bibliography, interviews, early reviews, biography, and previously unpublished video recordings of Kurtág's pedagogical work, will be presented by musicologist Gergely Fazekas, leader of the professional team developing the site. The presentation of the scores and the website will be followed by three lectures on Kurtág’s music. Simone Hohmaier, a researcher at the Berlin Institute for Musicology, will highlight the music-historical connections in Kurtág's oeuvre, with particular emphasis on the most significant composers whose names begin with the letter B. British musicologist Paul Griffiths, a renowned expert on 20th-century music, will discuss the relationship between Kurtág and late 18th-century polymath Georg Lichtenberg in connection with Kurtág's new opera, which will be performed that evening at Müpa Budapest. Karol Berger, professor emeritus at Stanford University, will give a lecture on Kurtág's place in music history and his role in today's musical culture in connection with Kurtág's first opera, Endgame.  

A full-day conference on the music, life, career and historical connections of György Kurtág, with the participation of Hungarian musicologists living both in Hungary and abroad. The language of the presentations will be Hungarian.

As in Anton Webern's work, the short piece, short movement, or musical miniature in György Kurtág's oeuvre is not the result of any form of reduction. It is well known that, for neither composer, brevity refers to the duration of musical processes, but rather to the density of musical communication. The large-scale cycles composed of these dense communications – from The Sayings of Péter Bornemisza to Kafka Fragments and beyond – are particularly characteristic of Kurtág's output. Some of these cycles present a serious yet ironic panorama of human existence (such as S.K. Remembrance Noise), while others focus on the tragedy of this existence (such as Attila József Fragments), or reveal the inexhaustible richness of musical expression without words (Officium breve in memoriam Andreae Szervánszky). This rich and representative selection of Kurtág's chamber music is performed by a young generation of musicians wholly dedicated to the composer's art, who may be considered Kurtág's musical grandchildren.

A series of lectures in which practising musicians introduce the audience to the art of György Kurtág; the day will conclude with a roundtable discussion featuring composers two generations younger than Kurtág.

“What does Ligeti mean to me?” asks Kurtág. “The sense that there is something higher, something more perfect than I can even imagine, that there are connections in art, science, and the universe that he can account for, and here the sentence breaks off.” If the works are truly capable of interacting with each other, if this dialogue can faithfully reflect the private conversation between the two composers, then the programme compiled from the compositions of György Kurtág and György Ligeti can give us a taste of how Ligeti guided Kurtág throughout his life, or, as Kurtág put it, how “I followed him, sometimes directly, sometimes with a delay of a few years or even decades. Yet – I call this my ‘Imitatio Christi’ syndrome – the early years of our friendship were not characterised solely by his intellectual guidance. Without directly influencing me, his example shaped my tastes and even the direction of my private life.” The concert will feature solo string works, songs, piano pieces, and a trio from each composer, all key works in the Kurtág and Ligeti oeuvre.

Baroque violinist Maya Homburger and her composer-double bassist husband Barry Guy regularly perform Kurtág compositions in their unique concerts, which span various periods and styles of music history. Their album Acanthis, recorded with Swiss percussionist Lucas Niggli, features medieval music as well as early Baroque and jazz-inspired contemporary works. One German critic described Acanthis as “a lively floating between free improvisation, new and old music. It is a joint performance full of tension and surprises, embellished with delicate, lyrical moments. It is impressive how harmoniously the violin and double bass breathe together; few are capable of such a thing.” However, not only the first half of the concert will be characterised by “lively floating” and “music-making together full of surprises.” In the second half, the Kelemen Quartet will perform string quartets by Beethoven and Bartók, conveying the experience of György Kurtág's high-voltage master classes, which they attended for more than 50 hours in the past couple of years.

Violinist and conductor Peter Rundel is a welcome guest with leading European symphony orchestras. He is equally comfortable in a range of styles and brings exceptional sensitivity to even the most complex musical works. He is an active opera conductor and has collaborated with theatre artists such as Peter Konwitschny, Calixto Bieito, Philippe Arlaud, Peter Mussbach, Heiner Goebbels, and Willy Decker. Peter Rundel was a violinist with Ensemble Modern for over a decade and studied conducting under the mentorship of Michael Gielen and Péter Eötvös. As a guest of the UMZE Chamber Ensemble, he can apply his dramatic imagination in Four Poems by Anna Akhmatova and his analytical thoroughness in Karlheinz Stockhausen's compositions. The concert will also feature a rarely performed piece, Luigi Nono's work for voice, wind instruments, and electronics (Omaggio à György Kurtág), written between 1983 and 1986. With this composition, the Italian master responded to Kurtág's choral work Omaggio a Luigi Nono. However, it is likely that there is more behind this gesture, as Nono himself said: “Kurtág's music convinced me that I had to find new ways to bring sounds to life.”

Founded in 1946, the SWR Vokalensemble (Stuttgart Radio Choir) is a leading interpreter of 20th- and 21st-century choral music. In recent decades, it has premiered more than 250 new choral works, including compositions by Maurizio Kagel, Heinz Holliger, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Wolfgang Rihm, among others. In 2006, it recorded three large-scale choral compositions by György Kurtág (Omaggio à Luigi Nono; 8 Choruses on Poems by Dezső Tandori; Songs of Despair and Sorrow) with its then principal conductor, Marcus Creed. The current director, Yuval Weinberg, is equally committed to contemporary choral music, and the SWR Vokalensemble is perhaps the only choir in the world currently capable of performing one of the key works in Kurtág's oeuvre, Songs of Despair and Sorrow. Musicologist Márta Papp wrote about the piece: “In it and through it, it is not a lonely person who shares his feelings and visions with the listener, as in the great vocal series of the past, but a multitude of singing voices, a real crowd that speaks, shouts, whispers and, above all, sings magically to the listener: sometimes making intimate, mysterious communications with each other, sometimes storming through a single word or fragment of a sentence with the many, often 16–18 voices of the two choirs.”

“All week long I sat at the piano, composing and writing and laughing and crying, all at once.” Robert Schumann wrote these words in March 1839 in a letter to his beloved Clara, and the work that gave her a glimpse into his creative process was published at the end of the year as a cycle entitled Humoreske. It is rarely played by pianists, and critics are divided in their opinions: some consider it a dead end in Schumann's oeuvre, while others regard it as an undeservedly neglected piece. What is certain is that it is extremely exciting music, like everything that came from Schumann's hands, so it is worth talking about it and, above all, listening to it. Gábor Csalog and Gergely Fazekas's dialogue will also draw on Brahms's works alongside Schumann's, to see how the two composers are connected beyond the figure of Clara, and how the simultaneous state of crying and laughing can be represented in music. Not only Schumann, but Brahms was also a great master of this.The language of the discussion is Hungarian. Further concerts in this series:23 November 2025 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Mahler and Schubert25 January 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Chopin and Mendelssohn17 May 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Kurtág and the Music History  

This six-concert series for solo cello is based around Johann Sebastian Bach's suites. Alongside the well-known cello suites, Tamás Zétényi will also perform the French suites, originally for keyboard, which he and composer Marcell Dargay arranged for cello together. In addition to exploring the multifaceted suites, the cellist also aims to place the inexhaustible richness of Bach’s style in a wider context. The performance of the cello suites will be preceded by one piece from Domenico Gabrielli's Ricercar series, which, dating from 1689, are among the earliest examples of solo cello works and offer a glimpse into the virtuoso Italian music of the generation before Bach. Before the French suites, we hear a composition by the great masters of the French Baroque: Sainte-Colombe the Elder and Sainte-Colombe the Younger, François Couperin or Marin Marais (originally written for viola da gamba and continuo or harpsichord). The one-hour programme is rounded off by the Caprices of Joseph Marie Clément Dall'Abaco, working one generation after Bach. The style of the Caprices, written around 1770, represents a transition between Baroque and Classical, approaching the world of Empfindsamkeit, hallmarked by the name of Bach’s most successful son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Yet their emotional, melancholic and sensitive tone can be seen as a direct successor to Bach's suites.

György Kurtág is often placed alongside avant-garde composers of the Second World War – Boulez, Stockhausen, Ligeti – and although in many respects he truly belongs among them, in terms of his connection to music history, Kurtág can be considered the odd one out in this company. For him, the search for novelty was never possible without a close connection to the classical tradition. His early viola concerto begins with the iconic timpani strokes of Beethoven's Violin Concerto, and there is no piece of his that does not reveal the presence of some important composer from the past thousand years. In addition to Kurtág's works, Gábor Csalog's concert will also feature classical pieces, making it clear that these connections are sometimes so concrete that Kurtág's musical universe is populated by fragments of music history like stars in the night sky. The discussion in the first half of the evening will not only focus on György Kurtág's relationship with music history, but also on a number of more general issues, as Gábor Csalog has been playing Kurtág for half a century and has been part of the hundred-year-old Kurtág's life and work for fifty years.The language of the discussion is Hungarian. Further concerts in this series:23 November 2025 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Mahler and Schubert25 January 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Chopin and Mendelssohn22 March 2026 6 PM – Gábor Csalog Sundays – Dialogues with (the) Music | Schumann and Brahms