After the break due to the pandemic, Müpa opens its doors again! The leadership team gave a press conference last Thursday where they covered the topics of last year, the future of the institution, and released the programme for the summer and season 2021/2022.
“Last year was a revelation about how many great opportunities are behind digital platforms. We were prepared, we have had stream concerts for ten years. We needed to enhance this knowledge to the highest level. At the same time, it turned out that no matter what we do, nothing can replace the magic of a live concert”
– the executive director said, adding that this period taught a lot of patience, humbleness and flexibility to the team.
According to Csaba Káel, Müpa managed to prove that it is first and foremost not just one cultural institution among many, but more like a centre that inspires new works and creates a new perspective. This is what happened at the composing competition with 258 competitors and 58 winners. The chosen pieces can be heard live soon. The Müpa leadership team is also proud of the Müpa+ loyalty programme that has more than 26000 members already.
“Today is not only opening: it’s rebirth. Capability of creativity, quality, and renewal – these values have always been shaping Müpa, and now we feel even stronger how important they really are.”
Gábor Kosztolánczy, vice executive director reported that last year’s online concerts were watched by circa 2000-6000 people, which is multiple times the capacity of the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall.
Before reopening, organisers surveyed the audience. To honour the general wish to stay safe, it is still mandatory during the summer to wear a mask in the building, every second seat will stay empty, and according to current law, it is only allowed to enter the building with an immunity certificate. However, there won’t be any fever measurement at the entrance. If everything goes according to the plans, neither masks nor empty seats will be required in autumn.
Bridges, Recirquel, and a Grammy awarded guitar virtuoso
Csaba Káel announced programmes for the summer and the next season. Latvian diva of the NYC Metropolitan, Elīna Garanča, will come with two special productions. Recirquel returns with its shows My Land and Solus Amor. On the trumpet gala Trumpetissimo, pieces by Tartini, Corelli and Vivaldi can be heard thanks to Hungarian virtuosi, and the season will end with a concert by Wynton Marsalis.
As for classical music, Zubin Mehta, 85-year-old legendary conductor will return to Budapest soon with Rudolf Buchbinder and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino orchestra. The Vienna Philharmonics will play with Andrés Orozco-Estrada and Sarah Connolly, and another time also Thomas Adès; the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra with Valerij Gergijev; the Berlin German Symphonic Orchestra with Robin Ticciati and Leif Ove Andsnes; the Dresden Staatskapelle with Christian Thielemann, Julia Kleiter and Christian Gerhaher. We will also get the chance to see Anna Netrebko, Yusif Eyvazov, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, Yolanda Auyanet, Anaïs Constans, John Osborn, and also Le Concert Spirituel.
From autumn on, Bridging Europe (organised jointly with Müpa and the Budapest Festival Orchestra) will return in a renewed way. Müpa will also be a special location for the György Cziffra memorial year: the legendary pianist and composer is commemorated by such great artists as Denis Matsuev, or the French Radio Philharmonics, latter preparing for the world premiere of Péter Eötvös’ Cziffra Prosodia. Cimbalom artist Miklós Lukács and pianist János Balázs, latter the artistic director of the Cziffra100 programme series, will be the soloists.
There will be concerts by Anoushka Shankar, or twenty times Grammy-awarded Pat Metheny, and we can welcome Avishai Cohen and Jacob Collier back, too. From August 2021, the renewed jazz festival (now under the name JazzTime) will rock the outdoor stage. Group of the year will be the Győr Ballet Company, unusually a second time in a row, and the artist of the year 2021/2022 will be the great Emőke Baráth.
More information about the summer programmes and the upcoming season:
https://www.mupa.hu/en/tickets/summer-programmes-2021
https://www.mupa.hu/en/tickets/the-2021-22-season
Article: Zsolt Várkonyi
Translation: Zsófia Hacsek
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