Name: Sunday Chamber Music – 1
Start: 2026-09-20T17:00:00
Location: BFO Rehearsal Hall

Budapest Fes­ti­val Orches­tra

For almost a quarter of a century, the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s program series for children has brought a high-quality classical musical experience to the youngest. The orchestra’s rehearsal hall not only serves experimenting with the tiniest details of the symphonic pieces to be performed, or playing chamber music, but also as the venue for educating the next generation of classical music lovers. There is no better promotion of these events than the fact that several members of the BFO’s loyal audiences came to love music at these Cocoa Concerts, with a polka-dot mug in their hands.

Cocoa Concert

BFO Rehearsal Hall

“The rays of sun chase night away.” If there is an opera for everyone, an opera about the very essence of life, it’s The Magic Flute. For the first time since 2015, Iván Fischer will once again bring to the stage Mozart’s philosophical tale, where good and bad, light and darkness, right and wrong, courage and fear, wisdom and superstition, vengeance and mercy are juxtaposed. The opera, which is Mozart’s last work for the stage, is an initiation ceremony and a moral tale about the journey to adulthood. “It’s an inscrutable work of magical power,” says Fischer, who is particularly awed by the opera’s optimism, humor, playfulness, fairy tale-like quality, deep humanism, or, in a single word, complexity. The international cast includes Mozart specialists from the world’s leading opera houses, several of whom are already familiar to the BFO’s audiences.

“The Magic Flute is a childhood experience for everyone that accompanies them throughout their lives. Because this opera speaks to both children and adults.” Fischer shares his own experiences, as he and his brother participated in a production of the work held in the Opera House as children. Much later, the Festival Orchestra’s opera performances also traditionally began with a semi-staged production of The Magic Flute at the Liszt Academy in the early 1990s.

Winterfestspiele Baden-Baden: Fischer and Die Zauberflöte

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

“The rays of sun chase night away.” If there is an opera for everyone, an opera about the very essence of life, it’s The Magic Flute. For the first time since 2015, Iván Fischer will once again bring to the stage Mozart’s philosophical tale, where good and bad, light and darkness, right and wrong, courage and fear, wisdom and superstition, vengeance and mercy are juxtaposed. The opera, which is Mozart’s last work for the stage, is an initiation ceremony and a moral tale about the journey to adulthood. “It’s an inscrutable work of magical power,” says Fischer, who is particularly awed by the opera’s optimism, humor, playfulness, fairy tale-like quality, deep humanism, or, in a single word, complexity. The international cast includes Mozart specialists from the world’s leading opera houses, several of whom are already familiar to the BFO’s audiences.

Vicenza Opera Festival: Fischer and The Magic Flute

Teatro Olimpico

In November, the concert hall of Müpa Budapest will be filled with spring birdsong. The program, which will remind us of the importance of preserving our planet, will open with the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara, the greatest Finnish composer of the second half of the twentieth century, who pays tribute to the breathtaking Finnish landscape and wildlife with a concerto composed for birds and orchestra. The closing piece will be a symphony by Beethoven, himself also a passionate nature lover. The symphony evokes memories of rural life, including a bit of woodwind ornithology. Between the two, Mozart’s final violin concerto—a fresh and colorful composition—will be performed, featuring Georgian Lisa Batiashvili as the “fearless, tonally rich and technically immaculate” (The Guardian) soloist. The orchestra will be seated under an enormous tree symbolizing the love of nature and our sense of responsibility for the natural world.

Concert for Nature

Müpa Budapest

In November, the concert hall of Müpa Budapest will be filled with spring birdsong. The concert, which will remind us of the importance of preserving our planet, will open with the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara, the greatest Finnish composer of the second half of the twentieth century, who pays tribute to the breathtaking Finnish landscape and wildlife with a concerto composed for birds and orchestra. The closing piece will be a symphony by Beethoven, himself also a passionate nature lover. The symphony evokes memories of rural life, including a bit of woodwind ornithology. Between the two, Mozart’s final violin concerto—a fresh and colorful composition—will be performed, featuring Georgian Lisa Batiashvili as the “fearless, tonally rich and technically immaculate” (The Guardian) soloist. The orchestra will be seated under an enormous tree symbolizing the love of nature and our sense of responsibility for the natural world.

Concert for Nature – Storytime with Iván

Will you come at midnight and listen to some classical music while lounging on a beanbag, just an arm’s length from the musicians? This question might have sounded weird ten years ago but, thanks to the Festival Orchestra, Midnight Music has since become one of the best and most popular programs for those who have a keen interest in culture but don’t like the constraints at traditional concerts. There is no need to dress up, and these concerts won’t last for hours; instead, you can enjoy the friendly, relaxed atmosphere, made even more personable by Iván Fischer’s witty comments about the pieces being performed A community event, a party instead of a party, a memorable experience – who said classical music was boring and rigid?

Midnight Music

Castle Garden, Budapest

In November, the concert hall of the Isarphilharmonie will be filled with spring birdsong. The program, which will remind us of the importance of preserving our planet, will open with the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara, the greatest Finnish composer of the second half of the twentieth century, who pays tribute to the breathtaking Finnish landscape and wildlife with a concerto composed for birds and orchestra. The closing piece will be a symphony by Beethoven, himself also a passionate nature lover. The symphony evokes memories of rural life, including a bit of woodwind ornithology. Between the two, Mozart’s final violin concerto—a fresh and colorful composition—will be performed, featuring Georgian Lisa Batiashvili as the “fearless, tonally rich and technically immaculate” (The Guardian) soloist. The orchestra will be seated under an enormous tree symbolizing the love of nature and our sense of responsibility for the natural world.

Tour: Concert for Nature in Munich

Isarphilharmonie, Munich

A closeness to nature and birdsong run through the Festival Orchestra’s guest performance. The program, which will remind us of the importance of preserving our planet, will open with the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara, the greatest Finnish composer of the second half of the twentieth century, who pays tribute to the breathtaking Finnish landscape and wildlife with a concerto composed for birds and orchestra. The closing piece will be a symphony by Beethoven, himself also a passionate nature lover. The symphony evokes memories of rural life, including a bit of woodwind ornithology. Between the two, the program includes Bartók’s unfinished piano concerto, composed in the final months of his life, which likewise brings the murmur of the forest into the concert hall. The soloist in the concerto, the Russian-American Kirill Gerstein, has been described by international critics as a sonic poet who enchants his listeners, and as one of today’s most intelligent musical thinkers, an artist who always finds something new and interesting in music. In a spirit of love and responsibility toward nature, the orchestra will take its place beneath a giant tree.

Tour: Concert for Nature in Ferrara

Teatro Comunale di Ferrara

Tour: Concert for Nature in Antwerp

Koningin Elisabethzaal, Antwerp

Sunday Chamber Music – 3

Back to Nature – Chamber Music on Period Instruments

If it’s December 26, it’s Boxing Day, and, since 1983, it’s also the birthday of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Traditionally, however, it’s our audiences who receive the gifts. The Surprise Concert promises a truly special experience, as one can never quite know what Iván Fischer, an artist of tireless imagination, will conjure from his rich musical repertoire. Over the years, concertgoers have voted on the program and even formed a choir. There have been chamber performances and solo appearances; the music has ranged from jazz and klezmer to folk traditions. Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary styles have all had their place, and, on some occasions, listeners have even been welcomed by entirely unexpected seating arrangements.Of course, this year’s program is still a surprise, but one thing is for sure: everyone who comes and opens the present given by the orchestra will enjoy an uplifting atmosphere and captivating musical experiences.