Classical music
Excessively rich, Hungarian classical music is symbolized by the trio of Liszt, Bartók and Ligeti. A virtuoso pianist and visionary, Franz Liszt (1811-1886) is at once the architect of the country's learned music, the father of the recital and the instigator of musical impressionism. He was a traveling artist and ambassador of Hungarian music in 19th century Europe. The other great local figure is considered one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology. Béla Bartók (1881-1945) dared to synthesize Hungarian art music and traditional music by studying the possibilities of a national style. It is thanks to him and his initiative to invite popular music into classical music that classical music became popular in Hungary. Heir to Bartók, György Ligeti (1923-2006) is the last "star" of Hungarian art music. A reckless avant-gardist, he is one of the fiercest explorers of contemporary classical music. Piano, opera and even electronic music... György Ligeti's work is unclassifiable but has shaken up many conceptions of composition, harmony and melody
Classical music and Hungary have a long history of love, which can be appreciated in the sumptuous (and often very affordable) places offered by its capital. The most famous is theLiszt Ferenc Academy of Music. The place values the Hungarian musical heritage through teaching as well as through the performance of great works. The Academy is divided into two concert halls, one of which has 1,000 seats and extraordinary acoustics, and offers a year-round high quality program. Further south, near the Rákóczi Bridge, is the Palace of Arts (or MUPA). A cultural complex with a daring architecture, it includes two concert halls and a museum of modern art. The musical program is extremely specialized and focused on contemporary creation. But the icing on the cake is a performance of the Budapest Festival Orchestra at home. Conducted by the iconic Iván Fischer, the ensemble has risen to the level of the Vienna Philharmonic or the Dresden Staatskapelle thanks to its lively interpretations of Mahler or Bartók. To be seen at the MUPA or at the Franz Liszt Academy. Lyrical art is also well represented in the city with theHungarian National Opera. This Italian Renaissance jewel on Andrássy Avenue features a grandiose hall with gilding, marble, ceiling frescoes (by Károly Lotz), world-class reinterpretations and a national company (led by Balázs Kocsár) of excellent quality. It reopened in 2022 after a period of renovation
Traditional and gypsy music
For a long time, Hungarian folk music was confused with gypsy music. While there are, of course, some similarities between them - notably the use of the cymbalum, the "gypsy piano", a traditional instrument with struck strings reminiscent of the zither - they are quite distinct musical genres. Moreover, there is not one but Hungarian folk music. They vary from region to region but share a common base: very rhythmic or melancholic violin tunes inviting to dance. Supported by a particularly dynamic and feminine stage - Márta Sebestyén, Beata Palya, Agi Szalóki - the genre is aimed at an ever younger audience. The táncház, the "dance houses" where folk dances are performed to traditional Hungarian rhythms, are a must. One of the best in Budapest is called Kobuci Kert. Nestled in a kert, this open-air táncház is a change of scenery with its young and local fauna. Another great place of Hungarian folk music, Fono is a (very) eccentric táncház which offers concerts, folk dances and records on its own label (the reference of the genre)
Budapest is obviously a privileged place to immerse oneself in gypsy music. Born somewhere in the Carpathians, between Hungary and Romania, the genre is inseparable from the city's cultural history. Vibrant and full of improvisation, it is carried by some great names such as Kálmán Balogh, the master of the cymbalum, Besh o Drom with its very rocky accents or Parno Graszt who almost represented Hungary at Eurovision (quite a symbol). Gypsy music is everywhere in Budapest, you can hear it in the street or at the table, with many restaurants offering dinner in its company. Otherwise, the Pótkulcs-Klub is a regular programme. This country house in the heart of Budapest hosts concerts almost every day with an inclination for gypsy rhythms or world music.
Jazz
Confidential during the Soviet era, Hungarian jazz experienced a considerable boom after the fall of the Wall. It is also very appreciated in France where its artists perform regularly. Singular, immediately recognizable, the genre carries the colours of the country: its wealth of influences, its culture of artistic excellence and its local sounds such as the cymbalum. An artist such as Miklós Lukács, a great name of the avant-garde jazz scene, is for example one of the wonders of this traditional instrument. But if Hungarian jazz were to be summed up by two of its icons, it would be Mihály Dresch Dudás and Félix Lajkó. The first is a saxophonist who has renewed the grammar of his discipline by mixing free jazz with the traditional music of Central Europe. The second is an absolutely stunning violin virtuoso and a UFO possessed on stage. There is no better place to see jazz in Budapest than the Opus Jazz Club. Thehall of the Budapest Music Center - a library and a label adored by music lovers - invites both the flagship of the local scene and international stars. Another popular venue is the Budapest Jazz Club, a former cinema converted into a concert hall for jazz lovers. It is very pleasant at the end of the evening, in a lively neighbourhood on the banks of the Danube.Pop, rock and electro
Due to the austerity of cultural policy - and censorship - in the time of Soviet Hungary, pop and rock were struggling to exist. Hungarian artists who were famous at the time were only famous if they were able to leave the country. This is the case of Gabor Szabo, who moved to the United States in the 1950s where he was able to multiply psychedelic folk masterpieces. Hungarian stormy politics have always found an answer in the thunder of young local creation. Thus the country is in essence a fertile environment for extreme and committed music such as metal or punk. But once the storm has passed, we see Budapest as it is: a city of all kinds of music. This isconfirmed by the Sziget, Europe's biggest festival (half a million festival-goers on average per edition), which takes place in the heart of the capital and invites headliners of all possible genres every summer. When the Sziget comes to an end, all genres remain, embodied by the great names of Hungarian music such as Fran Palermo and his very exotic rock'n'roll, the amazing and dramatic folk-rock of Makám or Bálint Szabó, the headliner of experimental music. One of the best places to discover current musical creation is still the A 38. Behind this motorway name hides a long Soviet ship that is very popular with the Budapestois. A club and concert hall, it is open late and offers one of the city's finest programs. Another name on everyone's lips is the Akvarium. Formerly Gödör, this Mecca of Budapesto nightlife has slipped into an aborted building site of the national theatre and offers the best of local and international electro with a soft spot for minimal techno. The last place where you can always go with your eyes closed is Dürer Kert. The archetype of the Budapest-style night - if only because of its location in a kert -, this place broadly embraces the spectrum of current music - indie, hip-hop, electro, rock... - with a skilful mix of big international names and young local wolves.Theater and dance
As the success of the táncház tells us, traditional dances are an integral part of contemporary Budapest-style artistic life. Attending a performance is also a good way to embrace Hungarian culture. There isnothing better than going to the Hagyományok Háza, the "House of Hungarian Heritage". Residing in what used to be the Vigadó de Buda (a performance hall and local symbol), the national folk dance company (Állami Népi Együttes) performs there regularly. Otherwise, a stone's throw from the basilica is the Duna Palota, a beautiful theatre where the thirty or so artists of the Danube Folk Ensemble perform choreography from Hungarian folk dances. On the classical dance side, it is the Hungarian National Ballet (the only company in the country) that you should see. Led by Tamás Solymosi, the ensemble brilliantly performs a (very) classical repertoire. On the other side of the world is the excellent Trafó. A unique and mythical place in Hungary, this post-industrial space focuses on contemporary and performative dance. It is often exciting and sometimes in English. An iconic place of Hungarian intellectual resistance, it is the only place in town to catch a glimpse of the work of the great Hungarian choreographer Pál Frenak (a regular on French stages)
Hungarian theatre, for its part, seems to be, more than other disciplines, particularly targeted by political authoritarianism. Enemy of Orbán, the country's greatest director, Árpád Schilling, can no longer work there and is forced into European exile. On the other hand, it issomeone close to the president, the highly controversial Attila Vidnyánszky, who runs the National Theatre. A veritable magnet for polemics (much has been written about its architecture), this building, located opposite the MUPA, remains one of the best places to attend performances of the classical repertoire. More modern, lovers of the genre will undoubtedly know the Katona Theatre, one of the most famous Hungarian companies in the world and a place with an audacious repertoire (often surtitled). In a similar spirit, the Vigszinhaz is the oldest theatre in the city (1896) and one of the most progressive. Built in opposition to the National Theatre since its foundation, it interprets classical and contemporary texts with a very modern and enlightened eye. To be sure to find a play performed in English, the best place to go is the Átrium Szinhaz, the most international theatre in the capital and a beautiful Bauhaus-style building from 1920.
