Frankie Látó, a violinist working on the borders of classical music and jazz, formed his new quartet in 2023. Their work focuses on jazz-rock and fusion jazz, with an improvisational approach and purely instrumental arrangement. Their repertoire consists of original compositions, most influenced by the electronic bebop era of Miles Davis and the work of Joe Zawinul and Weather Report. The quartet's performance style resurrects the sound of American and European jazz-rock bands of the 1970s, innovatively complementing it with the musical demands and technical possibilities of our time. Through this reimagined chamber jazz playing, their aim is to create an exciting, virtuosic atmosphere that is enjoyable for all ages.

“Be more open, universal, more cosmically oriented. Sooner or later, when one has achieved this consciousness, one will travel there as a cosmic tourist and by that show that everything exists at once.” – Karlheinz Stockhausen Kat and the Devil is a genre-bending quintet of improvising classical and jazz musicians using spoken and sung texts to explore wide-ranging themes. Their performances are comedic, melodic, pan-idiomatic, theatrical, and full of surprise (for the audience and also for the performers themselves). Previous evenings have explored Witches, Basho, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Hallucinogens, Communing with the Dead, Architecture, Satire, and Crime. The group takes its name from their first project: a concert based on James Joyce’s short story The Cat and the Devil. Each concert dives into a new theme. This evening, they turn their attention to bad advice – drawing from the world of internet life hacks, quick fixes, and misguided guidance. Text and musical material may be drawn from László Krasznahorkai, Jenny Offill, Noémi Kiss, Rumaan Alam, Noémi László, Dave Eggers, and Karlheinz Stockhausen – the classical music emblem of artistic risk and questionable philosophies. Join the ensemble for a night where bad advice never sounded so good.

Refrection is the first project by drummer Dániel Serei as a bandleader. The quintet is a musical reaction to the experience of the first decades of the 21st century, to the joyful and traumatic moments lived every day. The contradiction of sometimes frolicking in a world of technological developments and communication networks, and at other times wanting to hide from everything and everyone. Refrection, while pushing genre boundaries and mixing musical styles, focuses on the musical representation of everyday beauty and harmony. The bandleader has previously performed with the Budapest Jazz Orchestra, Pankastic and the Krisztián Oláh Quartet, among others. In 2015, he was named Best Soloist in the Hungarian Jazz Combo Competition.

Virág Czakó is one of the promising talents of the new generation, who founded her current band 3 years ago, and although she has been performing less often in Hungary due to her studies abroad, she is time and again back on stage at Opus. She has been inspired by great artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Diana Krall, but she is also influenced by young singers who are exploring new paths, including Samara Joy. This evening will feature popular American jazz standards, with Latin bossa nova and some groovy arrangements. The songs are orchestrated with characteristic ease by the excellent guitarist Attila Rieger. The band includes excellent young drummer Zoltán Fekete, and Péter Czakó, an experienced musician from the older generation, who is well versed not only in jazz but also in Hungarian folk music.

Sitmob, an unusual keyboard-drum duo by Áron Tálas and Ádám Klausz perfectly combines the pulsating grooves of modern hip-hop, funk or drum'n'bass with the harmonic and melodic world of jazz. The band was born out of the idea of street music, with a hidden intention of bringing this kind of music to people who would probably never encounter it otherwise. Pianist-drummer Áron Tálas has shown in the Borbély Quartet and in his own trio, among many other projects, that professional knowledge and a mischievous sense of humour strengthen rather than cancel each other out when it comes to creation, while Ádám Klausz has demonstrated his versatility and openness as drummer with Co Lee and Emma Nagy Quintet.

The Chris Devil Trio is driven by the combined energy of members with diverse musical tastes. The band leader, Krisztián Ördögh, is interested in the tradition of jazz saxophone playing as well as in folk musics, bassist Viktor Paczári seeks the impulses of rock and heavy metal, while Dániel Serei, in addition to technical jazz drumming, also immerses himself in the field of free music. Formed more than ten years ago from first-year jazz students, the band is a workshop of three creative minds, as each member contributes to the sound with their own compositions. Their repertoire is largely made up of these pieces, but their concerts also feature evergreens with a unique approach. This time, they perform songs from their upcoming album which experiments with the possibilities of a lineup without harmony instrument, sometimes using the devices of traditional or fusion jazz, sometimes those of free music.

The Malek Andi Soulistic band was formed in 2016 by the collaboration between award-winning singer-actress Andrea Malek and pianist, composer and producer Bandi Jáger. This special project combines jazz and Latin styles with Hungarian folk music. Their repertoire includes ancient Hungarian songs, original compositions and folk song arrangements. The two renowned founders are joined by equally seasoned and well-respected musicians, bassist György Orbán and drummer András Lakatos “Pecek”. Their chosen name, Soulistic refers to the close ties between soul and music.

The ‘Less Is More’ trio has been involved in the Budapest free music scene for over fifteen years. Now renamed ‘Less Is More 4’ to reflect the addition of Bálint Bolcsó’s electronics, and with Attila Gyárfás having recently replaced longstanding drummer Zsolt Sárvári Kovács, their basic concept remains unchanged: total improvisation. 100% spontaneously-created vibraphone, double bass and acoustic drum sounds are manipulated live and in real time by Bolcsó’s arsenal of effects, creating genre-bending atmospheric soundscapes. Future jazz of the highest order.  

A joint project from Ferenc Ségercz, Mohamad Zatari and Lehel Vitályos, born of their tireless search for common rhythms and dialogues in traditional repertoires from different regions of the world, kicked off in a workshop in a small village in Transylvania. The three musicians use deep-rooted timbres and improvisational concepts to build coherent new, organic sound textures. Ferenc Ségercz is a musician and music folklore collector, performer and instrument maker whose traditional wind instruments (flute, kaval, telenka) hail from Moldova, Gyimeș and other Transylvanian regions. He mostly performs tunes based on his own ideas, dressing traditional songs in new clothes, combining the vein of traditional musical improvisation with harmonies borrowed from the vocabulary of jazz. Mohamad Zatari is an improviser and sonic storyteller, whose artistic work is dedicated to decolonizing sound and deconstructing Western perspectives on non-Western music scenes. He has been active with the AL.Ehtifal Project, a flexible body of musicians creating layered soundscapes through improvisation. Lehel Vitályos is a tireless traveller in the world of jazz, currently playing both bass guitar and double bass. He has played in several jazz, rock, folk and electronic music bands, collaborating with Luiza Zan, Nicolas Simion, Jazzpar Trio, and sZempöl. 

The duo of Linda Kovács and Tamás Balázs brings together two distinctive musical approaches, finding expression in original compositions and jazz standards. Linda Kovács is active as a jazz singer, songwriter and arranger, interested in improvisation, personal voice and free roaming between genres. She has released several solo recordings, among them a big band album Sunflower, recorded with the Budapest Jazz Orchestra in 2019. The other member of the duo, Tamás Balázs, is an award-winning composer, arranger and solo pianist who graduated from the jazz faculty of the Graz Academy of Music. Since 2014, he has been living in Budapest, leading a trio with Hungarian musicians, and is an active participant in the Hungarian jazz scene. His music is characterized by a sensitivity to form, harmonic subtlety and the spirit of contemporary jazz. As a composer he has also been commissioned for film music.

Peace in the literal sense and peace of mind is important for human beings at all times, but it is especially important to seek it out today. Jazz pianist and composer Károly Gáspár, a well-known figure on the Hungarian jazz scene, has dedicated a new five-movement work entitled Peace – Time to this theme, using motifs from the folk music of Hungary and other nations, and tastefully blending the stylistic features and atmospheres of classical music, jazz standards and sophisticated pop songs. The music on the album Peace – Time will be performed live in its entirety for the first time.  

Béla Ágoston's quartet is made up of seasoned musicians who are finely tuned to each other, and extremely open to the joy of spontaneous music-making. The bandleader usually plays C-melody saxophone, but this time he expands the musical horizon of the ensemble by using Hungarian bagpipes. These pieces are part of the forthcoming bagpipe book Ipolyphonia. They will also introduce new pieces from the album Joculator City, which will soon become available on Youtube. A joint “update” will also give the audience an insight into the joyful and free musical communication of the musicians, who have previously created a sonic imprint of their shared experiences in bands such as Kerub, Knutdut Men, Zuboly and Bélabábend.

The repertoire of the Sámuel Baló Trio consists mainly of the band leader's own compositions, inspired by impressions, moods, experiences and memories, and often drawing from the world of modal jazz and folk music. The ensemble's concerts emphasise freedom and spontaneity, while their playing draws on musical traditions – making each performance a born-in-the-moment, yet not shoreless, musical exploration, with plenty of room for improvisation and musical dialogue. Formed in the spring of 2020, the band is happy to invite guests into this dialogue; this time they are joined by two experimenting young artists who share years of friendship and music-making with the trio.

The collaboration of three top jazz guitarists is a real curiosity in the Hungarian music scene: István Gyárfás, Attila Rieger and Gábor Szalay are not only excellent players of their instruments, but also outstanding bandleaders, composers and music teachers. Márton Soós (bass) and Balázs Cseh (drums) are also among the most sought-after jazz musicians in Hungary. Last year, the band released a new album, Hommage à Gábor Szabó, which pays tribute to the unique work of the most famous Hungarian jazz musician of all time. The music consists of original compositions by the members, the titles and mood of which refer to the stages of the guitar legend's extraordinary life – from the beginnings, through the height of his success, to his return home, his illness and his premature death. The album strongly indicates that the band is not just offering guitar treats, but their primary goal is to focus on and keep alive the musical legacy of Gábor Szabó.

Gábor Gadó and Veronika Harcsa are known primarily as jazz musicians, yet their work is increasingly shifting towards classical and contemporary music. Their musical encounter is already documented in two albums for BMC Records, and in July they will record a third one – this repertoire forms the backbone of the concert. The dialogue between classical and jazz musicians breaks down the dichotomy of melody and accompaniment by omitting the rhythm section, and the boundaries between composition and improvisation are blurred in an open creative process. In this organic polyphony, the sound characters melt into a single instrument just as the approach of the four musicians dissolves into an astonishingly personal, ever-evolving musical universe.

Pianist and composer György Szabados (1939-2011) is one of the most recognized figures in improvisational contemporary music. His work is influenced by both American free jazz and avant-garde initiatives and Hungarian folk music. He is credited not only with Budapest's first free jazz concerts, but also with the founding of several ensembles and workshops, and even an entire musical-philosophical movement that have nurtured many outstanding artists. Judit Szabados has donated the entire legacy of György Szabados to the Music Forum Foundation, including manuscripts and scores. Rudolf Kraus, a German citizen, created and maintained for many years the website of György Szabados, which will be transferred to Budapest Music Center at this event. László Gőz, Director of the BMC, jazz critic Gábor Turi and Rudolf Kraus will give a toast at the ceremony. Photo: László Dormán

The Oláh Dezső Vibratone Quartet aims to make the vibraphone more widely known, hoping that through the discovery of the instrument the audience will also be brought closer to the world of contemporary jazz and collective improvisation. The band, developing its repertoire through in-depth workshop, was formed during the pandemic with the expansion of the Dezső Oláh Trio and has since played at prestigious venues and festivals. The members of the quartet are regularly invited to many important cultural events in Hungary and abroad, but in this orchestra they combine not only their musical qualities but also the best of their composing skills – their compositions have been successful in the Müpa Budapest Music Competition, among others.

The starting point of Bendegúz Németh's music is the raw power of blues and rock, combined with improvisation, formal freedom and sensitivity towards instrumentation in the spirit of jazz. The guitarist-composer released his first album, All Over The Place, in the spring of 2024, providing the musical basis and spiritual compass for the quartet’s current repertoire. The backbone of the programme is made up of original compositions that range from groove-oriented funk-rock influences to deeper, conceptual pieces. The band's playing alternates simple, well-defined themes with open spaces and thoughtful compositional structures. Improvisation plays an important role throughout the concert, not as virtuosity for itself, but as a living dialogue that the musicians build together. The quartet's music features both reflective lyricism and an attraction to dynamic energies. Some of the pieces evoke almost cinematic atmospheres, while others are more gritty and playful. The aim is always to find a personal voice – one that is both connected to and transcends tradition.  

The repertoire of Márton Stummer's acoustic trio consists of songs from Brazilian guitar music and original compositions. Afrosamba combines elements of Brazilian samba and Afro-Brazilian jazz. In addition to this style, Márton Stummer's compositions draw on classical, jazz and contemporary music, while leaving room for free improvisation. The main source of inspiration for the trio's sound comes from Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell. For their concert titled Ilusões de grandes fenômenos, the group will be joined by Dominik Kosztolánszki, one of the most accomplished saxophonists of his generation, who is at home in many styles.

Mihály Dresch founded his String Quartet a few years ago to create an exciting mix of genres this time from a more decidedly folk music perspective, of course with the trademark Dresch sound. Their first studio album, entitled Forrásból, was released in 2017 by Fonó Records, born as the first imprint of new musical qualities created at the intersection of jazz and Hungarian folk music traditions. The second album of the band, Ongaku, was released in 2021. As Mihály Dresch said about the recording: "In Japanese, ongaku means music. In Chinese, this character differs with one single sign from the character of medicine. On the occasion of a rehearsal, when this composition had not yet been assigned a final title, we felt the atmosphere of the oriental cultures. These two concepts can be easily connected with Hungarian thinking as well. The relationship between music and the soul is not a novel idea, its beneficial effects have already been recognized by the ancient Greeks. I hope this album approaches these two meanings."  

Saxophonist Máté Drippey and pianist Máté Szabó met for the first time at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, and their shared musical journey has since been blossoming into numerous concerts and a duo album, Tear from the Shore. Over the years, they have developed a particularly sensitive musical dialogue, in which attentiveness, openness and attunement to each other play a key role. Their music is based on free improvisation and thinking together in the present moment. Their playing fuses classical, contemporary, folk and experimental elements, always according to an inner imperative. These elements are not presented as systematic styles, but as a personal, vivid musical language, which contributes to the creation of a shared world through constant change. The concert will create another imprint of this sound: fresh, living music where forms are born from attention, built from the natural rhythm of sounds and silence.  

The members of Symbiosis 5 met at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest and started working together in 2020. They have developed a repertoire of original compositions combining elements of modal and contemporary jazz. The ensemble performed on a major stage for the first time in 2021 at the Babel-Laureate World Jazz Competition, where they earned third place. Subsequently, in 2022, the ensemble gained recognition at international competitions abroad, winning first place at the Getxo International Jazz Competition and Festival and the Sibiu International Jazz Competition. They continue to collect prizes, for example, in January 2023 they not only won the Judge’s Award and the Audience Award at the Müpa Jazz Showcase, but also two special prizes. The group returns to the stage of Opus with a guest soloist, this time joined by guitarist Bálint Gyémánt.  

Born into a family of Cuban musicians, Elsa Valle, who has been living in Hungary for a long time, is a great favourite with the public. The grande dame of Afro and Latin jazz in Hungary enchants audiences not only with her unbridled energy, but also with her captivatingly open, direct personality, full of joie de vivre. Her style combines traditional Cuban singing, bebop and improvisation, and her repertoire is complex in rhythm and melody. Elsa's concerts are characterised by a dynamic drive and an energetic, explosive performance style, which is the essence of her own compositions as well. This time, she comes to Opus with her band Afrocando; the lyrics, melodies and rhythms of the compositions will all reflect her experiences in concerts on different continents. This evening, however, Afrocando presents their repertoire from a different perspective. The instrumentation of the songs promises many surprises, as Elsa forms duos and trios from her band, or sings a cappella compositions, before the full band puts the fusion of jazz and Afro-rooted musical elements on fire.

For more than a decade and a half, pianist Gábor Csalog has been leading an intensive summer course for students of the Liszt Academy, which was held in the picturesque barn in the Hungarian town of Vértesacsa until 2022, and moved to the BMC Library in 2023. The first participants were musicians who have since become renowned colleagues, such as Zoltán Fejérvári, András Szalai, Péter Tornyai, Péter Kiss and Gergely Dubóczky. Since then, each year the team has been made up of exceptional talents who will become the musicians of the future. This year's concert will once again give audiences an insight into the work of the workshop, with Gábor Csalog and Oszkár Varga performing chamber music together with their students, continuing the tradition of the Ludium Ensemble, which was formed in the early years of the course.

Now in its seventh edition, the MiraTone Festival and Academy – founded by violinist Miranda Liu – has become one of Central Europe’s most vibrant classical music events. Each year, it brings together internationally acclaimed artists and passionate young musicians in the heart of Budapest. On the final day of this year’s MiraTone Festival, we welcome one of Hungary’s most respected and beloved pianists: Adrienne Hauser. Her solo recital invites us on a deeply personal musical journey that spans lyrical intimacy, dramatic passion, and folkloric colors – through the works of Schubert-Liszt, Bach, Chopin, and Bartók. The concert opens with two songs by Franz Schubert, transcribed for solo piano by Franz Liszt. These poetic miniatures capture the soul of Schubert’s melodies while allowing Liszt’s pianistic imagination to shine. Even without words, the music speaks vividly of longing, memory, and reflection. Next comes Bach’s Partita in A minor – a suite of six elegant dance movements. With clarity, grace, and emotional depth, Hauser brings out the timeless beauty and quiet strength of this Baroque masterpiece. The heart of the recital belongs to Fryderyk Chopin. His 12 Preludes, Op. 28 are like pages from a musical diary – brief, expressive, each a complete universe of feeling. The Scherzo in B-flat minor, with its dramatic contrasts and sweeping gestures, offers a powerful counterpoint: bold, romantic, and intensely moving. To close, Hauser performs Béla Bartók’s Three Folk Songs from Csík County. These short but evocative pieces transform authentic Hungarian folk melodies into refined piano works full of character and color – a perfect ending to a recital that bridges tradition and artistry. This concert is more than a performance – it is a musical conversation, a journey of the soul, and a quiet celebration of the piano’s expressive power. Sponsors and Partners: Budapest Music Center, National Cultural Fund of Hungary, Klasszik Rádió, V4 Music Foundation

Now in its seventh edition, the MiraTone Festival and Academy – founded by violinist Miranda Liu – has become one of Central Europe’s most vibrant classical music events. Each year, it brings together internationally acclaimed artists and passionate young musicians in the heart of Budapest. The grand closing concert of the 7th MiraTone Festival and Academy invites the audience on a journey of musical transformations – from the elegance of the Baroque to the vibrant contrasts of the 20th century. Each work on the program reveals a different face of musical change: stylistic evolution, adaptation, and emotional resonance. We begin with excerpts from Bach’s Goldberg Variations which bring out the polyphonic richness of the original while allowing the performers to engage in a vivid, expressive dialogue – a fitting tribute for the 275th anniversary of Bach’s death. Next, Haydn’s String Quartet in D minor 'Quinten' showcases the composer at the height of his maturity. Its name comes from the ominous falling fifths in the first movement, and its structure combines formal perfection with passionate intensity. To mark the 70th anniversary of George Enescu’s passing, the first half concludes with two works by the Romanian master: the Romanian Rhapsody in a rarely heard transcription for two clarinets bursts with dance energy and national color, while the Aria and Scherzino reveals his refined, French-influenced lyricism. After the intermission, we hear Beethoven in miniature: the Bagatelle in B-flat major, Op. 119/11, arranged for strings. From here we move into the 21st century with Penderecki’s Duo Concertante, a compact but striking work where violin and double bass explore contrasting moods with intimacy and wit. The evening culminates in Béla Bartók’s Piano Quintet, BB 33 – a masterpiece from the composer’s early period, rich with drama, folk-inspired vitality, and virtuosic interplay. It is a fitting final gesture to a festival that celebrates chamber music not only as tradition, but as vibrant, living expression. Sponsors and Partners: National Cultural Fund of Hungary, Wacław Felczak Foundation, Romanian Cultural Institute, Klasszik Rádió, V4 String Quartet, V4 Music Foundation

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Georg Philipp Telemann’s Pimpinone was first performed exactly 300 years ago, on September 27, 1725, in Hamburg. Originally conceived as an interlude for Handel’s opera seria Tamerlano, this three-part intermezzo soon gained independence and quickly became popular with audiences. Regarded as a forerunner of opera buffa, the piece is set to a libretto by Johann Philipp Praetorius. At the center of the story is Vespetta, a cunning and charismatic maid, and Pimpinone, an aging and somewhat clumsy merchant. Vespetta enters the household as a servant, gains power through marriage and eventually takes full control of her husband by manipulating him with his own tools. The work offers a satirical portrayal of social and gender roles, particularly addressing the institution of patriarchal marriage and the concept of social mobility. Musically, Telemann masterfully blends Italian and German stylistic elements: the recitatives are lively, while the duets and arias are humorous and full of character. His music precisely reflects the emotional states of the characters and the mood of each scene, often heightening the comedy through exaggerated musical gestures.The themes of power dynamics, social ascent and gender roles remain relevant today, making Pimpinone more than just a light-hearted interlude – it is also a sharp social commentary that reveals the complexity of human relationships with humor and musical ingenuity. Thanks to its small cast, historically informed performance style, and music that is both light and sophisticated, the piece continues to offer a fresh and captivating experience for both professional audiences with a deep appreciation for music and the broader public alike. 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 KúlArt Produkció.

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George Frideric Handel’s Acis and Galatea is one of the most lyrical and beloved works of Baroque music. Having been variously described as a serenata, a masque, a pastoral opera or "little opera" (in a letter by the composer while it was being written), it is a transition between Italian opera and English oratorio. The mythological tale tells the idyllic love story of the nymph Galatea (lit. she who is milk-white) and the shepherd Acis. Their harmony is shattered by the jealousy and rage of the one-eyed giant Polypheme, who, upon discovering the couple, hurls a massive rock torn from Mount Etna at Acis. Galatea transforms the blood of her slain lover, seeping from beneath the stone, into a gently flowing stream – a mythical origin of the river Aci in Sicily.The music flows between playful lightness and heart-wrenching drama: Handel brings the characters’ emotions – joy, desire, fear, and grief – to life with unparalleled sensitivity, seamlessly weaving together images of nature and the inner world of the characters in the musical texture. Composed in 1718, Acis and Galatea became one of Handel’s most successful English-language works. Its melodical freshness, rich contrapuntal writing, finely drawn musical character portraits, and subtly layered emotional depth continue to captivate audiences to this day. Acis and Galatea is not only a musical masterpiece but also a deeply human story of love, loss, and nature’s eternal cycle. It offers a rewarding experience not only for fans of Baroque music but for anyone who appreciates emotionally rich yet accessible storytelling on stage. This production is staged by KúlArt Produkció.

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In Hungarian

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“The instrument sounds heavenly and reveals a flexible, relaxed technique: the range of articulations and the sophistication of the agogics are remarkable, and the expression is always natural and pure”, as French magazine Classicapraised one of Borbála Dobozy's Bach albums. The internationally renowned Hungarian ambassador of the harpsichord has already released four albums on BMC Records – the most recent one in June 2025 –, which are among the label’s most successful recordings on music streaming platforms and received international critical acclaim. However, this concert is an even more significant event than an album premiere: the celebration of Borbála Dobozy’s 45-year career. Alongside two beloved concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach, she will perform a rarely heard work by Georg Anton Benda and Joseph Haydn’s Concerto in D major, usually played on a piano. Borbála Dobozy has studied with such artists as Zuzana Růžičková, Liselotte Brändle, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Johann Sonnleitner. Her repertoire spans almost the entire harpsichord literature, including 20th century and contemporary music, but her activity focuses on the oeuvre of Johann Sebastian Bach: she has performed almost all of his compositions for harpsichord, including solo pieces, orchestral and chamber works. She is also committed to discovering the music of hardly known or even forgotten composers. Dobozy is a professor at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, teacher of several international masterclasses on Baroque music, and a member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.

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MAO–XX – The Modern Art Orchestra's 20th anniversary concert series The Modern Art Orchestra began operating twenty years ago and has since become one of Hungary's most innovative and diverse musical workshops. To mark this anniversary, the ensemble is celebrating with a three-part premiere series at the Budapest Music Center concert hall. All three evenings of the series, entitled MAO–XX, will feature new compositions and unique musical worlds, where contemporary jazz, classical tradition and poetry all play a role. The Modern Art Orchestra's series of literary adaptations reaches a new chapter. Continuing the previous program based on the works of Sándor Weöres, the spotlight will now be on the poems of László Nagy, on the 100th anniversary of the poet's birth. The evening's arrangements include such well-known and deeply moving poems as Verseim verse (The Poem of My Poems), Ki viszi át a szerelmet? (Who Will Take Love?), Adjon az isten (God Grant Me) and Himnusz minden időben (Hymn for All Time). The orchestra's composers – Kornél Fekete-Kovács, Gábor Cseke, Kristóf Bacsó, János Ávéd, Gábor Subicz and Attila Korb – once again bring the world of poetry to life with their outstanding talent and unique sound, offering an evening where poetry and music speak to both the mind and the heart. Further concerts in the series:31 October 2025 8 PM Modern Art Orchestra | ERKEL DUETS – A Tribute to Ferenc Erkel29 November 2025 8 PM Modern Art Orchestra | EMERGING ECHOES – An Evening with Young Composers

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On the occasion of composer Gyula Csapó’s 70th birthday, we get to know who and why are sneaking around a certain Golden Age in the Western hemisphere: in the United States, Canada and England; and UMZE Ensemble introduces George Lewis to the Hungarian audience. George Emanuel Lewis (b. 1952) is an American composer, performer and experimental music researcher. He is best known for his work as an improvisational trombonist and pioneer of computer music, and has received numerous awards, including the MacArthur Fellowship, the Guggenheim Fellowship and the American Book Award for his book Power Stronger Than Itself. Lewis is Professor of American Music, Composition and Historical Musicology at Columbia University, and Artistic Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in New York. His piece Assemblage will close the concert, and we plan to welcome the composer in a live video call at the beginning. We will also hear works by the always magical Claude Vivier, George Crumb, who set the echoes of Autumn to music, and the now classic Clarence Barlow.

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A brand new experimental piano piece and a 19th-century classic side by side. How can the genre of the solo piano piece be relevant now, in the third decade of the 21st century? In what new ways can we approach this versatile instrument today, after giants such as Chopin, Liszt and Debussy had written works of lasting value? How do we relate to the piano today? These and similar questions will be explored in a concert by pianist Domonkos Csabay, who will present Chopin's 24 preludes and a new postlude series by young composer Balázs D. Kecskés. During the concert, both Domonkos and Balázs will give the audience an insight into what kinds of music were played in the salons of the 19th century, as well as discussing what the rich piano repertoire means to a contemporary composer. The language of the conversation is Hungarian. This event is supported by the National Cultural Fund.

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“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.

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Founded in 2020, the Vienna-based Amadeus Trio has established itself as one of the finest chamber music ensembles internationally. Having celebrated highly successful concerts in the most prestigious concert halls of the world, they just recorded the first CD of the complete recording of trios by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Fritz Kreisler. At this concert, they present two defining pieces from the evolution of the piano trio genre. Beethoven’s Piano Trio in E-flat major marks the bold beginning of his published works and his early genius. Written in Vienna in the 1790s, this vibrant and elegant piece blends classical tradition with emerging romantic spirit, offering brilliant dialogue between the three instruments. Tchaikovsky’s deeply emotional Piano Trio was composed almost a century later, in memory of his friend Nikolai Rubinstein, a composer, pianist and conductor himself. Rich in passion and lyricism, the piece unfolds in two grand movements, combining heartfelt elegy with powerful musical storytelling – a moving tribute from one artist to another.

One of Mozart’s most frequently performed operas is The Libertine Punished, or Don Giovanni, which premiered at the Count Nostitz Theatre in Prague on 29 October 1787. The overture itself summarises the key musical motifs and indicates the dramatic character of the opera. The work was composed during 1787, but it is certain that Mozart wrote some of its parts, including the overture, in Prague just before its premiere.Camille Saint-Saëns composed the First Cello Concerto in 1872 for the cello and viola da gamba player Auguste Tolbecque. Instead of the usual three-movement form, the composer wrote the concerto in only one movement, dividing it into three interconnected parts. Saint-Saëns here shows himself to be a master of contrasts – at times stormy and dramatic, at times dreamy and lyrical.Dvořák´s Czech Suite is an expression of the composer’s spontaneous melodic invention and a testament to the delicate instrumentation work with a chamber orchestra. It grows out of the mood of the first series of Slavonic Dances, composed a year earlier. The Prague Chamber Orchestra (PKO) is one of the four oldest chamber orchestras in Europe. It was founded in 1951 and its history has never been interrupted since then. It stands out as an orchestra of the so-called Mozart cast (34 musicians), which is able to perform without a conductor. Other than its European tours, it has completed ten tours of South America, sixteen in the USA and Canada and nine in Japan.  Dali Gutserieva was born in 1999 and took up music at the age of 6. She is a winner and laureate of many prestigious musical contests (e.g. Nouvelles Etoiles International Music Competition, Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition in Salzburg, VII. Odin International Contest). During the previous seasons, she has performed with maestro Daniel Oren and Covent Garden Sinfonietta, and David Geringas and Geringas Chamber Orchestra, as well as concerts in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and London. Emmanuel Plasson has established himself as a leading ambassador for French music through his remarkable international career spanning both the symphonic and operatic worlds. He won the Donatella Flick International Conducting Competition in 1994. Soon after, he was invited as Assistant Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York for two seasons. Maestro Plasson was principal conductor and artistic director of Hawaii Opera Theatre until April 2020. 2022 marked a new milestone in his career when he performed at the Landesgartenschau Beelitz with his own chamber orchestra: Orchester Voyager. He has performed all around the globe with ensembles such as the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Opera Society, Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, Melbourne Opera, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Swedish Opera, Royal Danish Opera and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Hailed as ‘a band of world-class soloists...in which egos dissolve and players think, breathe and play as one’ (Time Out New York), the Israeli Chamber Project (ICP) is a dynamic ensemble that comprises strings, winds, harp and piano, and brings together some of today’s most distinguished Israeli musicians for chamber music concerts and educational and outreach programmes. ICP has appeared at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, the Wigmore Hall in London and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and its programs feature both original works as well as new commissions and arrangements of symphonic repertoire created especially for the ensemble.

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The court theatre entrepreneur Baron Braun approached Beethoven with an offer to compose music for the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus based on a theme by the then famous Italian choreographer Salvatore Viganò. The overture to the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus was composed in 1800, i.e. even earlier than the better-known Egmont, Leonores Nos. 1–3, Coriolanus, and others.The Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor is one of the most performed compositions not only by Grieg, but also of Norwegian music as a whole. The three-movement composition attracts attention with its original Nordic melodies and harmonies, and Grieg projected elements of village folklore into it.Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek was one of the most important representatives of Czech Classicism and at the same time anticipated the arrival of the Romantic style in his work. Symphony in D major was written in 1821 and soon earned the respect of Beethoven himself, to whose early works it is often compared. Although it can be considered somewhat outdated in some respects, we also find passages that point forward towards Early Romanticism. The Prague Chamber Orchestra (PKO) is one of the four oldest chamber orchestras in Europe. It was founded in 1951 and its history has never been interrupted since then. It stands out as an orchestra of the so-called Mozart cast (34 musicians), which is able to perform without a conductor. Other than its European tours, it has completed ten tours of South America, sixteen in the USA and Canada and nine in Japan.  Adam Gutseriev was born in 2005 and is a student at the Kalaidos Musikhochschule in Berlin. He started his musical career at the age of 5. When he was 11 he won the 7th AMIGDALA International Contest of Young Pianists (Italy). He is a multi-winner and laureate of prestigious international contests. Adam Gutseriev regularly goes on tours and performs in France, Italy, Belgium, Latvia and other countries. Emmanuel Plasson has established himself as a leading ambassador for French music through his remarkable international career spanning both the symphonic and operatic worlds. He won the Donatella Flick International Conducting Competition in 1994. Soon after, he was invited as Assistant Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York for two seasons. Maestro Plasson was principal conductor and artistic director of Hawaii Opera Theatre until April 2020. 2022 marked a new milestone in his career when he performed at the Landesgartenschau Beelitz with his own chamber orchestra: Orchester Voyager. He has performed all around the globe with ensembles such as the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Opera Society, Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, Melbourne Opera, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Swedish Opera, Royal Danish Opera and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

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Niccolò Paganini is the most influential violin virtuoso in the history of music, and he was also a composer who loved to write for his instrument – pieces, of course, that only he could master. His dazzling virtuosity and overwhelmingly passionate performance earned him the title of the Devil's Violinist. The 24 Caprices is a series of character pieces for solo violin, each focusing on a different technical challenge, but also expressing a distinct mood and emotion. Nowadays, one or two of the Caprices is performed mainly as an encore in concert halls around the world; the complete series is rarely heard in one concert, as its performance still demands an almost superhuman level of effort and skill from the violinists even two centuries after its creation. There have been two such occasions in Hungary so far: in the 1970s Miklós Szenthelyi and in the mid-1990s József Lendvay attempted to conquer the Mount Everest of solo violin literature. Following in their footsteps, János Bodor, member and acting concertmaster of the National Philharmonic Orchestra and permanent concertmaster of the Danubia Orchestra, has now scheduled his thrilling expedition to mark the anniversary of Paganini's birth.

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MAO–XX – The Modern Art Orchestra's 20th anniversary concert series The Modern Art Orchestra began operating twenty years ago and has since become one of Hungary's most innovative and diverse musical workshops. To mark this anniversary, the ensemble is celebrating with a three-part premiere series at the Budapest Music Center concert hall. All three evenings of the series, entitled MAO–XX, will feature new compositions and unique musical worlds, where contemporary jazz, classical tradition and poetry all play a role. With its concert, the Modern Art Orchestra pays tribute to Ferenc Erkel, one of the most influential figures in Hungarian music history. In this latest installment of the “Tradition Living with Us” series, the opera composer’s most beautiful duets are presented in a new light. In addition to well-known operas such as Bánk bán and Hunyadi László, lesser-known works such as the arias from Dózsa György and Sarolta are also performed in fresh, contemporary arrangements. The arrangements were created based on Kornél Fekete-Kovács' concept and the work of the orchestra's composers – János Ávéd, Kristóf Bacsó, Gábor Cseke, Gábor Subicz and Attila Korb. Two outstanding soloists from the Hungarian State Opera House are participating in the production: Lilla Horti (soprano) and Tibor Szappanos (tenor). Further concerts in the series:27 September 2025 8 PM Modern Art Orchestra | THE POEM OF MY POEMS – Nagy László Evening2025. november 29. 20:00 Modern Art Orchestra | EMERGING ECHOES – An Evening with Young Composers

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MAO–XX – The Modern Art Orchestra's 20th anniversary concert series The Modern Art Orchestra began operating twenty years ago and has since become one of Hungary's most innovative and diverse musical workshops. To mark this anniversary, the ensemble is celebrating with a three-part premiere series at the Budapest Music Center concert hall. All three evenings of the series, entitled MAO–XX, will feature new compositions and unique musical worlds, where contemporary jazz, classical tradition and poetry all play a role. On the third evening of the anniversary series, the Modern Art Orchestra will focus on the sounds of the future. 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 eternal themes of the classic work in a unique style that combines film music and jazz influences. Krisztián Oláh's new work, MAO Suite, is based on the character of the orchestra and uses the language of modern jazz to create richly textured, rhythmically exciting musical landscapes. Both composers will also perform on piano during the concert, allowing the audience to experience firsthand what it is like when the composer is also the performer. The evening is not only the result of MAO's commitment to nurturing talent, but also offers a vision of the 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

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