Georg Philipp Telemann's Pimpinone (1725) remains just as fresh, witty, and relevant three hundred years after its premiere as it was when audiences first encountered it. Originally conceived as an intermezzo for Handel's opera Tamerlano, the comic musical work quickly gained popularity as an independent piece – a success that is easy to understand. Pimpinone is at once a sparkling Baroque comedy, a subtle social satire, and a remarkably modern story about two clashing personalities. Vespetta, a clever and resourceful maid, enters the household of the ageing and somewhat awkward merchant Pimpinone as a servant, only to take control of the situation step by step. What begins as light-hearted comedy gradually develops into a battle for power within a marriage, filled with humour, irony, and an entertaining portrayal of human weakness and the complexities of relationships. Telemann's music follows the tensions and dramatic turns between the characters with remarkable sensitivity. The lively recitatives, virtuosic arias, and playful duets are both elegant and immediate, while the fusion of Italian and German musical styles gives the work a uniquely vibrant, almost cinematic pace. Gamba Produkció's production highlights the theatrical vitality and enduring relevance of the work while preserving the intimacy of historically informed performance and the direct expressive power of Baroque music. It offers a rewarding discovery for audiences encountering the genre for the first time, as well as a unique experience for those who appreciate fresh, engaging, and deeply human approaches to classical music and the Baroque tradition of commedia dell'arte. Between the acts of the intermezzo, movements from the Ouverture Suite in B-flat major (TWV 55:B1) will be performed. This production was staged by Gamba Produkció.  

The kurtag.hu website is both an information site and a database, which may prove just as fascinating to the general public with an interest in the art of György Kurtág as it is to performers who play his music or to students who are only just becoming acquainted with it. It contains not only a detailed biography of the composer, a catalogue of his works, a discography, his writings and interviews, and a bibliography of books and studies related to his oeuvre, but also the previously unknown family history of the Kurtág family, numerous public and private photographs, as well as a wealth of valuable sources documenting Kurtág’s teaching activities: memoirs and videos. The website will feature a list of concerts at which Kurtág’s works are performed, as well as video recordings of numerous events (concerts and conference presentations) that took place in Budapest as part of the Kurtág100 festival. The website was created with the generous support of Olivia Carino, in the collaboration of the Music Forum Foundation, the Bard College and the Budapest Music Center, under the expert guidance of music historian Gergely Fazekas; collaborating partners include Editio Musica Budapest and the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel. The bilingual (English-Hungarian) website will be available to everyone from 1 October. The website will be presented by Gergely Fazekas, with contributions from Béla Mihalik, the historian who compiled the family history, as well as pianists Gábor Csalog and András Kemenes, and cimbalom player András Szalai. The language of this event is Hungarian. Photo: István Huszti / BMC

The Modern Art Orchestra’s Fall 2026 concert series pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. One of the most influential figures in the history of jazz, Coltrane was not only an instrumental revolutionary, but an artist who redefined the relationship between improvisation, form, and spiritual expression. This four-concert series traces key stages of his artistic journey: from his hard bop roots through the reinterpretation of standards to his most lyrical, vocal expressions. The selected albums represent not only different periods, but distinct ways of thinking — a path that leads from tradition toward the creation of a unique and universal musical language. The musicians of the Modern Art Orchestra recreate these iconic recordings in their original instrumental settings, preserving their spirit while bringing them to life with their own voice, from a contemporary perspective. Standard Coltrane represents a profound reinterpretation of the jazz tradition. Through well-known songs, Coltrane demonstrates his increasingly radical improvisational language: melodies become starting points for deeper structural and expressive exploration. The program of this concert highlights this process of transformation, where standards are no longer fixed forms but open systems. The soloists of the Modern Art Orchestra approach this material in this spirit, balancing respect for tradition with the freedom of personal expression.

The Modern Art Orchestra’s Fall 2026 concert series pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. One of the most influential figures in the history of jazz, Coltrane was not only an instrumental revolutionary, but an artist who redefined the relationship between improvisation, form, and spiritual expression. This four-concert series traces key stages of his artistic journey: from his hard bop roots through the reinterpretation of standards to his most lyrical, vocal expressions. The selected albums represent not only different periods, but distinct ways of thinking — a path that leads from tradition toward the creation of a unique and universal musical language. The musicians of the Modern Art Orchestra recreate these iconic recordings in their original instrumental settings, preserving their spirit while bringing them to life with their own voice, from a contemporary perspective. The closing concert of the series evokes one of Coltrane’s most lyrical and intimate recordings. Featuring the voice of Johnny Hartman, this album stands as a landmark of the jazz ballad tradition, where instrumental and vocal expression merge in perfect unity. Timeless melodies, subtle arrangements, and deep emotional resonance create a unique atmosphere. In the interpretation of the Modern Art Orchestra, this program centers on intimate musical communication – a quiet intensity that reveals one of the most essential, yet often more hidden dimensions of Coltrane’s artistry.

Zoltán Fejérvári, János Mátyás Stark and Gergely Devich are launching a new series at the BMC to mark the Beethoven Year in 2027. At each of the three concerts in the series, one of Beethoven’s piano trios will be paired with a work in the same genre by another composer from the German world.  The second concert in the series opens with Beethoven’s Trio in E-flat major, which ranks among the finest works in the composer’s chamber music output. This piece and its “sibling” – another trio also part of the Op. 70 series – both have very unusual traits, for example, the Trio in E-flat major has no true slow movement: the outer movements of elevated tone frame two dance-like movements of moderate tempo. Mendelssohn dedicated the Trio in C minor to one of his friends, violinist-composer Louis Spohr. The dramatic opening movement is followed by an Allegretto reminiscent of the composer’s songs without words, and then by a virtuosic Scherzo. The desperate mood of the finale is ultimately resolved triumphantly by a chorale melody that had previously been arranged by Martin Luther too. Further concerts in this series:17 October 2026: Fejérvári – Stark – Devich: Beethoven+ 3/1.29 May 2027: Fejérvári – Stark – Devich: Beethoven+ 3/3.

Beethoven composed the three-piece Op. 59 series in 1806, commissioned by Russian Count Andrei Razumovsky. The first piece in this series, the String Quartet in F major, opened up new dimensions compared to earlier compositional traditions: the monumental first movement, built on broad arcs, is followed by a playful, sparkling scherzo that is also remarkable for its rhythm. The third movement, which expresses deep and tragic emotions, flows seamlessly into the finale, whose main theme features a Russian folk song, followed by a lively, sparkling, and structurally intricate fugue. Borodin’s String Quartet in D major is a magnificent work of late Romantic Russian chamber music; composed in 1881, the composer dedicated it to his wife. Its Notturno movement has become iconic for its romantic, intimate tone. The composition’s lyrical melodies, its light and sparkling Scherzo, and its complex, solemn final movement all reflect Borodin’s Russian heritage. The members of the Korossy Quartet began working together in 2018. The following year, they won the Leó Weiner National Chamber Music Competition, organized by the Liszt Academy of Music Budapest, and in 2021, the ensemble was awarded five special prizes at the International Bartók Competition. Their work is supported by renowned artists, including Eberhard Feltz, Barnabás Kelemen, András Keller, Katalin Kokas, György Pauk, Günter Pichler, András Schiff, and Gábor Takács-Nagy. In addition to performing at Hungary’s largest concert venues, they have participated in international festivals such as the Lockenhaus Kammermusikfest, Kamara.hu, Arcus Temporum, Bartók Spring, Festival Academy Budapest, and the Mahler Festival in Toblach. The BMC audience may also be already familiar with the quartet: in the fall of 2023, they launched a series to perform all of Béla Bartók’s string quartets at the Concert Hall, while during the 2025/26 season, they played Kurtág’s works at the Kurtág100 festival, and later gave a joint concert with Zoltán Fejérvári. In the 2026/27 season, they are launching a new series titled Refractions, which, over the course of three concerts, will shed light on various facets of the genre through pieces rarely associated with each other. Further concerts in this series: 2026.09.25. Korossy Quartet: Refractions 3/1.2027.02.26. Korossy Quartet: Refractions 3/2.