Hungarian Gems Series: Muzsikás Ensemble at Liszt Academy

About the Event

Immerse yourself in the stunning architecture of Budapest's breathtaking Liszt Academy Concert Center for the ultimate concert set to awake your understanding of traditional hungarian music.

When we celebrate the gems of Hungarian music, we can hardly find anything more authentic than traditional folk music, Bartók's clearest source and the most nationally and internationally popular representatives of this genre: the Muzsikás Ensemble, founded in 1973. The collaboration between the ensemble, which played a pioneering role in the revival of traditional Hungarian folk music, and the Budapest Concert Orchestra and András Keller goes back several decades.
In the 'Hungarian Gems' concert, the ensemble will take up the folk music tradition of various regions from Slovenia to Transdanubia, the Great Hungarian Plain, Transylvania and Gyimes to Moldavia. In addition to the ensemble, two world‐famous guest artists will also be on stage. The folk singer Mária Petrás, winner of the 'Hungarian Cultural Heritage' and 'Prima Primissima' awards, became acquainted with the living musical tradition of the Csango in her childhood. Mária Petrás conveys this traditional folk culture with great authenticity and precision. The cimbalom player Kálmán Balogh, winner of the Primissima Prize, has been doing intensive research on traditional cimbalom playing in the villages since the 1970s. He was actively involved in the Hungarian cymbalom revival movement and is committed to urban outreach and the transmission of rural traditions. Their joint concert Hungarian Gems is a real curiosity, recalling the most natural Hungarian musical tradition.

Liszt Academy Concert Center

The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music was founded in 1875 by Liszt himself, and was initially called the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music. Today, the building is home to a prestigious conservatory and fine concert hall, and houses the Liszt Collection, comprising the composer’s manuscripts and books. The institution's dual objective — to provide cultural education and cultural entertainment — makes it unique.

The 'New Academy' is located in a grand Art‐Nouveau building dominated by the statue of Liszt, one of Budapest’s architectural gems. The season offers not only classical concerts, but also jazz, folk, and contemporary music performances.