Beyond concerts, the programme spans literature, visual arts, popular music, and movement-based performance, reflecting the organisers’ commitment to diversity and dialogue between disciplines.

At the festival’s launch, Csaba Káel, CEO of Müpa, stressed the importance of honouring Franz Liszt with a large-scale cultural event. He described the Hungarian composer as a “genius” who became “a brand in his own time,” comparable to Chopin in international renown.

Liszt not only transformed 19th-century music but also championed rising talents such as Wagner and Saint-Saëns. “Our aim is to bring Liszt into the 21st century,” Káel said. “Through his art and ideas, he still has much to say to us today.”

Highlights of the festival include:
 

1. The Hungarian National Men’s Choir dedicating an evening to Liszt’s rarely heard choral works (1838–1847) at the House of Music Hungary on 11 October.

2. Pianist János Palojtay performing alongside the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne under conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada at Müpa on 18 October, with a programme of Liszt and Brahms.

3. Composer and pianist Natalie Tenenbaum presenting her own works and reinterpretations of Bach, Stravinsky, Debussy, and Liszt at MOMKult on 20 October.

4. The Israeli Chamber Project performing Debussy, Stravinsky, Bartók, Ravel, and Liszt (in a Saint-Saëns arrangement) at the Budapest Music Center on 21 October.

5. Austrian composer-percussionist Lukas Ligeti showcasing his fusion of African traditions, electronics, and contemporary chamber music at BMC on 14 October, with performers including Julie Vercauteren, Caitlin Jones, Ensemble Hopper, and the Mivos Quartet.

6. The Danubia Orchestra and Argentinian conductor Mariano Chiacchiarini presenting Gershwin, Piazzolla, and Ginastera on 16 October at Müpa, also featuring the Hungarian premiere of “Soma” by Portuguese composer Igor C. Silva.

7. The UMZE Chamber Ensemble exploring Erik Satie’s connection to film on 13 October at Müpa, with reconstructions and new works inspired by avant-garde cinema.
    

Visual arts play an equally strong role, with the Ludwig Museum’s exhibition Golden Repair – Subtle Connections drawing on the Japanese art of kintsugi to explore themes of breakage and healing.

The Hungarian National Gallery will stage a retrospective dedicated to painter Adolf Fényes, while Art Market Budapest, the region’s most prominent contemporary art fair, returns as part of the festival, this year hosted at MTK Sport Park.

A standout of the 2024 programme is Walk My World, an immersive theatre production by the world-renowned Recirquel Company. Set in a vast 6,000-square-metre space evoking cinematic landscapes, it combines dance and contemporary circus to create a mythic universe, with a special pre-premiere performance in Budapest.

Contemporary music also features, with indie band Galaxisok marking their 12th anniversary with a concert at Müpa on 14 October.

The same week, writer Lili Kemény, winner of the Margó Literary Prize, will discuss her 2024 book Nem (No) with László Valuska, director of the Margó Literary Festival, on 13 October at Müpa. The evening will also feature a musical appearance by Benedek Szabó, frontman of Galaxisok.

The Autumn Margó Literary Festival will again highlight new releases and acclaimed authors from Hungary and abroad, hosted at Millenáris Park and the National Dance Theatre, with concerts, discussions, and book launches.

Meanwhile, the family-friendly PONT Festival in the Museum Garden will showcase the cultures of Serbia and the Balkans through free all-day programmes, from workshops and crafts to music and dance lessons.

For further details, including the full programme, visit the Liszt Fest official website.

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