In keeping with the spirit of its namesake, the 2026 Liszt Fest International Cultural Festival presented a programme that combined an experimental approach with respect towards tradition. The performances collectively shaped the unique character of the event series. In the classical music programme, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, which among other works performed Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, was conducted by Alan Gilbert and featured Leif Ove Andsnes, while Liszt’s monumental oratorio, Christus, was met with resounding success at Müpa Budapest after its premiere at the Vienna Musikverein. Vakhtang Kakhidze and the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra offered a view into the unique world of Georgian music; Balázs Fülei and András Szalai reimagined Liszt’s late works for piano and cimbalom; and the London Sinfonietta paid tribute to Steve Reich, one of the most influential figures in contemporary music. The evening Hidden Memories – Tihanyi 70 focused on the creative world of the composer, who celebrates a milestone birthday, while Taichi Fukumura made his debut to an appreciative Budapest audience with a brilliant stand-in performance at the helm of The Cleveland Orchestra.

No one missed the flashing lights at the hypnotic concert that Autechre, a pioneering act in electronic music, held in the dark at the House of Music Hungary. With its new show, FrenÉsie, the FrenÁk Company explored the issues of human relationships in the unique style of its namesake choreographer, while the Danube Art Ensemble Romany Face – Romengi faca focused on the colourful world of Romany culture. At its concert, the Snétberger Music Talent Centre celebrated its 15th anniversary and the life-changing power of making music together, and MORDÁI paid its tribute to Ferenc Sebő’s legacy and the thriving folk tradition. The latest trends in the convergence of music and literature were on display at an evening of live improvisation inspired by Tibor Noé Kiss’s novel Olvadás (Thaw), while in a truly high-octane edition of Isolation Budapest, some of the current talents of contemporary international pop music took turns on stage.

As usual, literature and the visual arts played a prominent role at the Liszt Fest, with refreshing perspectives brought to a variety of important themes of contemporary and 20th-century art by the Autumn Margó Literary Festival; the evening of Marcsi Tóth, the winner of the 2025 Margó Prize; the Art Market Budapest, which included the Art Photo Budapest, ART+ and sCULTURE exhibitions; the Hungarian National Gallery’s exhibition, Dedicated Ones; and the Ludwig Museum’s exhibition, Walk This Way.

With its 129 events – including three theatre premieres, a Hungarian premiere and a world premiere – the Liszt Fest provided opportunities for discovery at 20 venues, in nine genres. While the festival is over, Müpa Budapest, which presented it, is not resting on its laurels, and is preparing for the 2027 Bartók Spring International Arts Weeks, whose first stars now are being announced.

On 21 March, the world-renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis returns to Müpa Budapest with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to present gems from the American musical tradition, from Duke Ellington to Jeff Beal, Lecuona and Gershwin, with a programme that moves along the blurred boundaries between jazz and classical music.

On 26 March, Good Friday, one of the most renowned exponents of historically informed performance, Ton Koopman, and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir will present the St Matthew Passion, which Johann Sebastian Bach wrote 300 years ago in 1727.

On 4 April, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House will perform two seminal works of 20th-century music, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, under the baton of Jakub Hrůša. In Bartók’s opera, Judith and Bluebeard will be portrayed by two world-famous soloists, Elīna Garanča and Christian Van Horn, who already captivated audiences in the same roles at the Carnegie Hall.

Further details about the festival’s programme are to be revealed soon, while tickets for the concerts already announced are now on sale, and will make perfect Christmas presents.