"First held in 1981, the Budapest Spring Festival is the largest annual cultural event in Hungary. It boasts orchestral and chamber concerts, jazz, contemporary dance, film screenings and much more in 200 events at a multitude of venues throughout the city.The Kolozsvár State Hungarian Theatre will bring its performance of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi to Budapest,
which is also part of a thematic series paying tribute to Puccini who was born 150 years ago. The Csokonai Theatre of Debrecen is participating in the Festival with Manon Lescaut; Edgar, an unknown work by Puccini, will be given its Hungarian première, a semi-staged performance in the Opera House; and Puccini’s rarely heard grandiose mass will be performed under the baton of Gábor Hollerung.
Besides these thematic programmes, numerous world-famous performers will add sparkle to the programme.
There will be a succession of renowned conductors, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Kent Nagano and Mark Minkowski, the star violinist Maxim Vengerov will again be a guest of the festival and two representatives of the cream of international dance will also be coming to Budapest, Philadanco and the Limón Dance Company.
All this is only a small selection: there will be theatre performances, exhibitions, programmes for children and many other events. But one that definitely merits special mention is the Budapest Fringe Festival 3.0.
This three-day festival within the festival will be held from March 28 to 30, 2008 in the Millenáris Park. Anyone can submit an application (before December 15) to participate in the Fringe to present their art, the organisers provide only the technical conditions. If the experience of the previous two festivals is any guide, the three-day non-stop frenzy will have lots of positive results: for one thing it will inject a lot of excitement into early spring in Budapest, and for another, thanks to the expert jury the festival can be used as a real springboard.
Talented but unknown young people can become talented and known young people, and not least of all they can walk away with valuable prizes, often representing performance opportunities. The prizes in 2008 include special prizes donated by OTP and MOL, and the organisers undertake to act as agents for performers if there is a need for performances at cultural events of the Hungarian Tourist Board.
Source: fesztivalcity.hu
To be held between 14 - 30 March
For the detailed program please click here.
16.03.2008