Concert, music

The popular folk-rock band MORDÁI, which was founded by Soma Nóvé - who made his name with the group Middlemist Red - feeds on the bedrock of experimental Hungarian folk music of the 1960s and 70s, boldly reconceptualising folk songs and well-known melodies with jazz motifs and elements of improvisation.

Taking the stage at Müpa Budapest on this evening will be the creative spirit Philippe Herreweghe joined by the world-famous workshops he founded: the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées.

The aptly named Angelica Girls' Choir, who are led by Zsuzsanna Gráf, and help nurture the legacy of Kodály and Bartók, have captivated Müpa Budapest audiences on several occasions.

Zsombor Tóth-Vajna is an outstandingly talented member of the young Hungarian generation of artists dedicated to the historically informed performance of early music, both as a conductor and a specialist in early keyboard instruments, playing the organ, harpsichord, fortepiano and clavichord. He completed his studies at Budapest's Liszt Academy and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

The world-renowned composer/conductor who passed away recently at the age of 80 after being awarded the Kossuth Grand Prize this year, once said that "jazz is a fundamental element for me”. At this concert in memory of his life and work, in addition to an early piece of electronic music and a late choral work, we will hear compositions of his that are closely linked to the sounds of jazz and improv performed by prominent artists from the Hungarian jazz scene.

LAKVAR was founded by two versatile musicians, the Hungarian-Bulgarian singer-songwriter and percussionist Hajnalka Péter, and the Georgian songwriter, guitarist and panduri player Zura Dzagnidze. Their album Fiction and Folklore, which was released last year, features a reappraisal of Balkan, Caucasus and Central European traditions blended with elements of jazz, pop and rock music.

Wandering Gypsies leading adventurous lives and gallant yet ridiculous nobles abusing their power are the main characters of the animated film Szaffi. This adaptation of Mór Jókai's classic novel The Gypsy Baron is by now familiar to several generations of Hungarians.

The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble's nativity programme counts down to the night of the birth of Jesus, with scenes that are sometimes comic and other times heart-warming.

Sena Dagadu has been a key figure on the Hungarian pop scene for the best part of 20 years. Though the Hungarian-Ghanian singer has achieved her greatest success as a front person for Irie Maffia, she has also enjoyed a significant solo career.

Ludwig van Beethoven – Gustav Mahler
NEW YEAR'S AT THE OPERA HOUSE

Benjamin Britten – Edward Elgar – Gustav Holst
GOLDEN AGE: ENGLISH ELEGANCY
Symphonic concert

Stars' recitals with piano
VITTORIO GRIGOLO
Song and aria recital in two parts, with Hungarian, English, and same-language surtitles

Johann Sebastian Bach – Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
ST MATTHEW PASSION
Oratorio in two parts, in German, with Hungarian, English, and German subtitles

Pietro Mascagni
EASTER WITH MASCAGNI (MESSA DI GLORIA / CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA)
Concert performances with Hungarian, English, and same-language subtitles

Giacomo Puccini
MADAMA BUTTERFLY – CONCERT PERFORMANCE
Opera in three acts, in Italian with Hungarian, English, and Italian subtitles

Stars' recitals with piano
GEORG ZEPPENFELD
Song and aria recital in two parts, with Hungarian, English, and same-language surtitles

Samuel Barber – Charles Ives – Philip Glass – Leonard Bernstein – George Gershwin – John
GOLDEN AGE: AMERICAN BEAUTY
Symphonic concert

Stars' recitals with piano
JOYCE DIDONATO
Song and aria recital in two parts, with Hungarian, English, and same-language surtitles