„All views on this blog represent the opinions of the author, and not Papageno.hu. Alexandra Ivanoff is an American music journalist who has degrees and musical training from the Eastman School of Music (NY) and Yale University (CT). She has contributed to the New York Times, Bachtrack.com, Hungarytoday.hu, the English edition of TimeOutIstanbul, and was a music and art journalist for seven years for Today’s Zaman in Istanbul. Ms. Ivanoff is grateful to Papageno for hosting this column.”
Not long ago, I found a little pink rosebud sitting in a small sealed glass container in a Budapest antique store. I presumed it was designed to be hanging on a necklace. I thought, why should I wear something that was crudely extracted from its natural habitat, put into an airless prison, and probably decaying?
Ah, the Budapest Music Center! For composers, conductors, musicians, and listeners who love hearing the latest new scores, it’s Valhalla.
During the mid-June “Ring of the Nibelungen” produced in Müpa Budapest’s Wagner Days Festival, this visceral reaction phenomenon happened to me repeatedly throughout my four nights of attending this masterpiece of musical mythology.
Under the Spring Festival’s “Together in the city” theme, two chamber presentations on 7 May were staged at Central European University.
Canadian French conductor Charles Dutoit reappeared in Budapest to conduct the Máv Symphony Orchestra on 5 May at the Liszt Academy.
Várfok Galéria’s exhibit of 22 wildly colorful acrylic paintings in “Oxygen” by the well-known artist János Szirtes, featured a chamber concert that accompanied the art — in an unusual way.
“Cry Me a River,” the current installation at the Ani Molnár Galéria, as a participant in the ongoing Budapest Photo Festival, gives the viewer a lot to think about.
At Müpa Budapest on 29 March, three works were performed by the Vienna Philharmonic, directed by Thomas Adès, in his Hungarian début.
On 19 March, the Danubia Zenekar scheduled the “Harmonielehre” on their program along with Schönberg‘s “Theme and Variations” Op. 43/b, and Bruch’s Violin Concerto no. 1.
The unveiling of the spectacular building was celebrated with a red-carpet, champagne-flowing grand gala opening, attended by VIPs and press from around the world.