Hungarian and international artists converge on the Magyar metropolis for the 2018 Budapest Spring Festival during March 30-April 22, at venues including the elegantly modern Palace of Arts, the historic Kunsthalle exhibit space, the downtown nightlife nexus of Akvárium Klub, the groundbreaking A38 Ship, and dozens more – for complete English-language information, check out the official Budapest Spring Festival website.
International Highlights
Liszt: The Legend of St. Elizabeth
March 30, 7pm – Palace of Arts (Béla Bartók National Concert Hall)
Kicking off the Budapest Spring Festival with a gala performance of the first oratorio composed by Magyar maestro Franz Liszt, the Hungarian National Philharmonic provides the soundscape for rising Hungarian-Romanian soprano Brigitta Kele singing in the title role. Alongside is Austrian bass singer Albert Pesendorfer, whose resounding voice fills globally renowned opera halls like Milan’s La Scala, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, and the New York Metropolitan Opera. More details
Braids concert
April 2, 8pm – A38 Ship
With an independent spirit and an avant-garde attitude, Braids is a Canadian experimental-pop and art-rock band making its Hungarian debut during the 2018 Budapest Spring Festival. After first playing together in their teens, core group members Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Taylor Smith, and Austin Tafts have made music and toured continents for more than a decade now, and at their premiere Budapest performance they are likely to include some fresh material in their set list. More details
Yefim Bronfman and the Vienna Philharmonic
April 6, 7:30pm – Palace of Arts (Béla Bartók National Concert Hall)
As one of the 21st century’s most renowned classical pianists, Uzbekistan-born Israeli-American Yefim Bronfman earned a Grammy Award in 1997 for his recording of oratorios by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. Now for the 2018 Budapest Spring Festival, Bronfman takes center stage at the Palace of Arts to play Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2 along with works by Beethoven and Stravinsky, accompanied by the esteemed Vienna Philharmonic led by Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada. More details
Sir Roger Norrington and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
April 9, 7:30pm – Palace of Arts (Béla Bartók National Concert Hall)
Operating for more than three decades without a permanent conductor, London’s unconventional Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment works with a diverse range of modern maestros to push the boundaries of contemporary symphonic performance, including John Butt, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Iván Fischer, and other notable virtuosos. For this Budapest Spring Festival performance, Sir Roger Norrington wields the baton through four Mozart works, with Roger Montgomery on the horn. More details
Kurt Elling concert
April 21, 8pm – Palace of Arts (Béla Bartók National Concert Hall)
American jazz giant Kurt Elling has performed in Hungary’s capital before, but for this year’s Budapest Spring Festival he returns with a focus on present-day problems during a live performance of his new album “The Questions”. The Grammy-winning vocalist joins a top-class jazz quartet to present a musical response to the widespread anxiety of our modern times; his selection of songs ranges from Bob Dylan and Paul Simon classics to Broadway standards to Elling’s original works. More details
Opera and Classical Concerts
Daniil Trifonov’s piano recital
March 31, 7:30pm – Liszt Academy (Grand Hall)
At only 26 years old, dexterous Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov has already won a lifetime’s worth of prestigious awards – a Grammy, the Karajan Prize, and first place in Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Competition, to name a few. Trained since his childhood at Russia’s famed Gnessin School of Music, this now-established classical maestro performs worldwide and arrives at the Budapest Spring Festival to play challenging pieces by Rachmaninov, Schumann, Chopin, and more modern composers. More details
Rudolf Buchbinder and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
April 2, 7:30pm – Liszt Academy (Grand Hall)
Living-legend Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder teams up with Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla – hailed as “conducting’s next superstar” by The Telegraph – as she leads the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra through the prelude of Wagner’s “Tristan and Isolde”, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, and other notable works. This eagerly anticipated classical concert is set in the recently restored Grand Hall of Budapest’s Art Nouveau-styled Liszt Academy of Music. More details
“From Liszt to Bartók” concert series
April 3 & 7, 5pm and 7pm – Liszt Academy (Solti Hall)
Exploring the far-reaching impacts of Franz Liszt’s monumental lifework and the legacy he bestowed upon subsequent generations of Hungarian composers, the “From Liszt to Bartók” concert series presents four performances by up-and-coming Magyar musicians to reveal the layers of Liszt’s genius. The first concerts on April 3rd address the decomposition of tonality and the influence of folk music, while the April 7th concerts examine Impressionism and the work created by Béla Bartók in Paris. More details
Yuja Wang, Daishin Kashimoto and Andreas Ottensamer in concert
April 16, 7:30pm – Palace of Arts (Béla Bartók National Concert Hall)
Three outstanding musicians from near and far (prodigiously talented Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, award-winning Japanese violinist Daishin Kashimoto, and Hungarian-Austrian clarinet luminary Andreas Ottensamer of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) form a temporary trio for this ambitious performance of compositions by Chopin, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Bartók. The three musicians are certain to play spirited and powerful renditions of clarinet trios by both Bartók and Stravinsky. More details
Mozart: The Magic Flute
April 22, 7pm – Budapest Airport, Terminal 1
One of the Budapest Spring Festival’s closing performances takes place amid an unusual location – the currently unused Terminal 1 of Budapest Airport, an architecturally significant structure that is being transformed into a high-tech theater hall for this production of Mozart’s playful opera masterpiece. Amazing light shows and mixed media will enhance the renowned singers as they create uplifting musical drama scored by the Kodály Philharmonic Debrecen and the Kodály Choir. More details
Modern Musical Performances
InFusion Trio: “Stardust” album-release concert
April 1, 8pm – Uránia National Film Theater
Playing unpredictably innovative versions of folk songs, classical melodies, and popular hits, Hungary’s InFusion Trio uses a range of special instruments (electric violin, drums, and cello) and audio tools (loopers and special-effects mixers) to take audiences on a musical journey into the future fueled by timeless tunefulness. This concert is the official debut of the group’s new album “Stardust”, presenting otherworldly new material live amid Budapest’s most historic cinema. More details
Tale of Us live set
April 6, 11pm – Akvárium Klub
After a fateful meeting in Milan, Canadian musician Karm and New York native Matteo joined forces to become Tale of Us, a unique DJ duo working to recreate traditions of electronica by infusing house and techno with pop, nu-disco, and rock melodies. Now based in Europe’s electronic-music mecca of Berlin, Tale of Us is a frequent headline act at major clubs and festivals across the continent, and for this Budapest Spring Festival show they’ll get the heart of downtown thumping. More details
DJ Bootsie Trio and Talamba
April 14, 8pm – Várkert Bazaar (Event Hall)
Combining cutting-edge electronica with ancient tribal beats, Hungary’s own DJ Bootsie is meeting in harmony with Talamba, a Magyar band of timelessly transfixing percussionists. DJ Bootsie rose rapidly amid Budapest’s club scene to shine at festivals nationwide before branching beyond the nightlife realm by working with Oscar-winning animation-film director Ferenc Rófusz, as well as the Hungarian State Opera. Expect instinctive rhythms over a soaring soundscape at this show. More details
Exhibitions
36th Hungarian Press Photo Exhibition
March 30-May 13 – Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center
Witness up-close imagery of newsworthy events from throughout the past year at the Hungarian Press Photo Exhibition of 2018, opening as a primary attraction of the Budapest Spring Festival. Magyar photojournalists from within Hungary and all corners of the globe present their best pictures of recent history, ranging from heart-rending scenes within war-torn nations to inspiring triumphs in the world of sports to fanciful photos capturing cultural curiosities and everyday life. More details
Budapest Art Week
April 17-22 – multiple venues
Providing connoisseurs of culture and history with a citywide smorgasbord of edifying venues to visit with a single ticket, the annual Budapest Art Week festival welcomes everyone to varied galleries, museums, and exhibition halls to experience the entire spectrum of Hungarian humanities. Along with leading institutions (like the Hungarian National Gallery and the Kunsthalle) and cutting-edge galleries, ticketholders can participate in exhibition openings, workshops, and meet-the-artist events. More details
National Salon 2018
April 21-August 20 – Kunsthalle View modern Magyar artwork tinged with regional traditions within the century-old Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle) viewing hall – itself an aesthetic masterpiece of architecture and mosaics embellishing Heroes’ Square and City Park. This year’s National Salon features fresh Hungarian folk art of all kinds, highlighting handicrafts and craftsmanship with contemporary perspectives; some of the works will show how timeless Hungarian culture can fit into an ecologically conscious lifestyle. More details
Hungarian Folk-Art Performances
PONT Festival
March 30-April 1 – Várkert Bazár
Bringing together diverse artists from across Hungary who all refresh the national culture with modern creativity influenced by local traditions, the PONT Festival spans the Budapest Spring Festival’s opening weekend at the recently restored Várkert Bazár. Highlights of this family-friendly gathering include the concert by beloved Magyar folk singer Ági Szalóki on March 31st at 8:30pm, and a special Easter Sunday performance by the Vujicsics Ensemble on April 1st at 8:30pm. More details
Duna Art Ensemble: “Our Love, Kalotaszeg” premiere
April 12 – Palace of Arts (Festival Theater)
Representing the highest standards in classic Hungarian folk dance amid 21st-century settings, the Duna Art Ensemble artistes wear colorful regional outfits while performing the whirling, jumping, and boot-stomping maneuvers of age-old Magyar movement artistry with contemporary panache. For this Budapest Spring Festival show, the troupe debuts “Our Love, Kalotaszeg”, a new choreography based on the writings of revered Hungarian author Károly Kós, accompanied by the Göncöl Band. More details
37th National Dance House Festival and Fair
April 13-15 – Fonó Music Hall
Immerse into a diverse gathering of Hungarian folk art in many mediums at this annual hootenanny of song, dance, design, and happiness. Traditional Magyar musicians arrive in Budapest from across Hungary and beyond – including the extended Carpathian Basin and Western Moldova – to share their artistic fascinations passed down through generations, creating a feast for the eyes of colorful swirling dresses, creative handicrafts, and traditional tunes played with happy harmony. More details
Design Showcases
“NAGY>ON” costume and photo exhibition
April 3-20 – Klauzál 13 Gallery
With last names and creativity in common, a pair of imaginative Hungarians are sharing a single space for their “NAGY>ON” exhibit opening as part of the Budapest Spring Festival. Fruzsina Nagy is a costume designer whose theatrical garments are marked by humor and multi-layered meanings; graphic designer Gergő Nagy takes studio photographs for theater posters with unexpected visual elements. Together, these dynamic Magyars fill a gallery with visual- and applied-art appeal. More details
Katti Zoób fashion show
April 4, 7:30pm – Pesti Vigadó (Ceremonial Hall)
One of Hungary’s most admired clothing designers debuts her spring/summer 2018 collection amid an architectural gem of Budapest – the riverfront Pesti Vigadó hall, recently restored to its original 19th-century glory. Katti Zoób is a living-legend maven whose attire often tells a story; in the fresh “Fairy Tale Haute Couture” line she aims to instill a cultural message through fabrics emblazoned with imaginative prints and floral motifs on dresses bearing stylish simplicity. More details
“Urban Fabrics” exhibition
April 5-May 3 – Esernyős Gallery
Textile art, modern painting, and eye-catching installations fill the Esernyős Gallery’s new “Urban Fabrics” exhibit opening during the 2018 Budapest Spring Festival. The display showcases two artists: the experimental fabric-based art of Anna Regős is visible in designer articles and intricate jacquard pieces presented in Paris and London, while the surrealistic creativity of István Regős dominates canvases and collages along with intriguing objects like odd clocks and radios. More details
Free Attractions
“Ancient Signs Rewritten” Easter-egg exhibit
March 30-April 30 – Duna Palace
Magyars take the decoration of Easter eggs to an art form, emblazoning them with intricate motifs, carefully engraving them with perfect patterns, and even hammering tiny horseshoes onto these fragile orbs. One of Hungary’s leading young artists in this traditional folk-art form is Ildikó Fekete, an award-winning artisan who creates incredibly ornate Easter eggs based on customary styles of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and Ukraine; the exhibit features some 1,000 eggs. More details
Akvárium Spring Terrace
April 1-22 – Akvárium Klub stairway terrace
In the very heart of central Pest, Erzsébet Square is a buzzing gathering place for all walks of Budapest life, and here the open-air Akvárium Klub stairway terrace is the nexus of it all, where friends gather for drinks and conversation from the early afternoon until late at night. Now everyone can enjoy live music played in the spring sunshine here as free concerts begin almost every day of the Budapest Spring Festival, including many back-to-back shows at 5pm and 7pm. More details
Festival Closing Promenade
April 21, 11am – multiple locations
Downtown Budapest comes alive with art and color to celebrate the conclusion of the Budapest Spring Festival, as a creative parade of costumed artistes welcomes everyone to join the moving jamboree from starting points at Fővám Square (before the Great Market Hall), Városháza Park (by Deák Square), and Szent István Square in front of the Basilica. From there people progress along august Andrássy Avenue up to Heroes’ Square, where dances of Central Europe will be on display. More details
