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Culture Budapest has a grand history in music ranging from the virtuoso pianist Franz Liszt (whose playing frequently induced the ladies to swoon) to the operas of Ferenc Erkel. In the nineteenth century, BÉla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály scoured the country to capture its vanishing folk songs. Their work has enriched today's vibrant Hungarian music scene. Following the shift from state-funded to corporate-sponsored orchestras funding is tight. Some of the best singers and players have and are continuing to emigrate to the west. Players who stay are often under-practised, frequently having to balance their playing with a second or third job. However, their spirit and passion of playing more than make up for any deficiencies in technical skill. Tickets for the majority of concerts are available at the Nemzeti Filharmónia ticket office, V. Vörösmarty tÉr 1 (tel: (1) 318 0281). Otherwise, they can be purchased at the venue an hour before the show. Tickets for the Hungarian State Opera can be purchased at the State Opera Ticket Office, VI. Andrássy út 20 (tel: (1) 331 2550). The Pet?fi Csarnok in the Városliget and the Almássy tÉri Szabadid?központ (Almássy tÉr Leisure Centre) are the two favourite venues for small pop concerts and folk music. International stars perform at NÉpstadion, the main sport stadium (see the Sport section). Tickets for rock and jazz can be purchased at Music Mix, V. Váci utca 33 and Publika, VII. Károly körút. Listings in English are provided in Budapest Week and Budapest Sun. Music: The comparatively well-funded Budapest Festival Orchestra is among the few to reach international standards and regularly invites soloists and conductors. The Hungarian State Orchestra can usually be replied upon for a decent performance. The MATÁV Symphony Orchestra (formerly the Orchestra of the Hungarian Post Office) is an up-and-coming orchestra backed by the Hungarian telephone company MATÁV and performing in the recently renovated MATÁV Zeneház, IX. Páva utca 10-12 (tel: (1) 215 7901), which seats 200 and has fine acoustics. ZeneakadÉmia, VI. Liszt Ferenc tÉr (tel: (1) 341 4788), is Hungary's principal music venue and also houses the Franz Liszt Music Academy. Friday evening chamber concerts, given by Hungary's best musicians, are performed (except in August) in Bartók Memorial House, II. Csalán utca 29 (tel: (1) 394 4472), the former residence of the great composer, now a museum in his honour. The Hungarian State Opera splits their repertoire between the prestigious Opera House Magyar Állami Operaház, VI. Andrássy út 22 (tel: (1) 353 0170; fax: (1) 311 9017), and the enormous Erkel Színház, VIII. Köztársaság tÉr 30 (tel: (1) 333 0540). Theatre: There are over 30 theatres in Budapest in spite of a shortage of funding; most survive on a diet of Shakespeare and the Hungarian classics. Shows begin at about 1900, box offices are open all day or an hour prior to curtain up. Credit cards are often not accepted. Katona József Szinház, V. Pet?fi Sandor utca 5 (tel: (1) 318 6599), is considered to show the best Hungarian theatre. The late Hapsburg F?városi Operett Színház (Municipal Operetta Theatre), VI. Nagymez? utca 17 (tel: (1) 269 3870), performs Hungarian operettas and the Hungarian favourite, Kálmán's The Csárdás Princess. Dance: The lifeless Hungarian National Ballet is to be avoided, a better choice is the vibrant Dance Houses (Táncház) for folk music and dance. Instruments include lead violin, kontra (a three-string viola) and gut strung bass with the odd hurdy-gurdy thrown in. Kalamajka Dance House (Belvárosi Ifjusági M?vel?dÉsi Ház), V. Molnár utca 9 (tel: (1) 317 5928), combine dancing with teaching to the sound of kalamajka bands and regular guest performances from village bands (closed mid-June to mid-September). The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble (Magyar Állami NÉpi Együttes), I. Corvin tÉr 8 (tel/fax: (1) 201 5017), puts on professional performances of traditional dancing and music. Information on Romany music is provided at the Almássy tÉr Leisure Centre, VII. Almássy tÉr 6 (tel: (1) 352 1572), open from October to May. General information on folk dances is to be found in Budapest Week listings. For information on the National Folk Festival (Országos Táncháztalálkozó), contact the Professional Association of Folk Dancers (Szakmai Ház) (tel: (1) 201 3766). Film: While Budapest has over 30 cinemas, only about 5% of films shown are Hungarian - a clear advantage for the traveller, especially as foreign films are often subtitled (rather than dubbed). For listings, visitors should check Budapest Week and Budapest Sun or attempt to decipher the Hungarian Pesti M?sor and Pesti Est. There are many large mainstream cinemas and a wide range of art cinemas. The major annual multicultural, multi-lingual event is the Film Festival Magyar Filmszemle in February. Because of shortages of financing, joint productions are flourishing, such as the Hungarian-French Simon Magus, which caused a sensation at the 1999 Hungarian Film Festival. The Atrium, II. Margit körút 55 (tel: (1) 212 5398), shows mainstream Hollywood films. Literary Notes Shakespeare used the word 'hungarian' in The Merry Wives of Windsor as an adjective connoting beggarliness and thievishness. Perceptions of Hungary and Budapest have changed over the centuries, but fascination has been an enduring factor. As early as 1840, the English visitor Julia Pardoe wrote 'there is such a constant variety and movement in [Pest's] streets, such a blending of the Oriental with the European, and such a holiday look about the whole population, that it is impossible to feel ennui in the chief city of the Magyars'. Dictator Admiral Miklós Horthy described 1920s Budapest simply but unforgettably as 'sinful city'. British perceptions of modern Budapest are well described in Marion Merrick's Now you see it, now you don't (1998), and Michael Jacob's Budapest: A Cultural Guide (1998) offers a well-researched analysis of the city's cultural history. |