Category: Classical Music

The International Kodály Society is active in 34 countries and has Affiliated National Organizations in 16 countries. It was founded in 1975 in Kecskemét, Hungary. Its purpose is the world-wide propagation of the musical, educational and cultural concepts associated with Zoltán Kodály for the benefit of music generally and in particular for the educational advancement of youth. The Society serves as an international forum for all who are active in the spirit of the Hungarian master as composer, scholar and educator.

The Association of the Friends of the Franz Liszt Music Academy is organized and shall be operated to assist the Franz Liszt Musical University (“the Franz Liszt Music Academy”, “FLMA”) in its ongoing efforts to maintain and expand its national and international reputation for excellence in the field of musical education and cultural enrichment. Furthermore, the Association is established to provide its members with opportunities to organize and participate in activities and events which will further their mutual enjoyment and appreciation of our musical heritage as well as contribute to the preservation, protection and nurturing of the high-quality educational, cultural and physical attributes of the Franz Liszt Music Academy.

The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Hungary’s oldest functioning orchestra, looks back on a past of more than a century and a half. The Philharmonic Society, created after the Viennese model, is an independent body organised from musicians first of the National Theatre and later of the Opera House, directed by the chairman-conductor and the board of directors.

The story of the National Philharmonic Orchestra began in 1923, with the formation of the Metropolitan Orchestra, which rapidly became one of the pillars of Hungarian musical life. In the past few years, the orchestra has received a remarkable number of invitations to perform abroad. It has enjoyed immense successes at venues as far apart as the New York Avery Fisher Hall, the Tokyo Suntory Hall, the Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Athenean Megaron Musicos and the Colmar Festival.

The orchestra was formed in 1983 by Iván Fischer and Zoltán Kocsis, with musicians “drawn from the cream of Hungary’s younger players,” as TheTimes of London put it. Their aim, through intensive rehearsals and demanding the highest standards from musicians, was to make the orchestra’s initially three or four concerts per year significant events in Hungary’s musical life, and to give Budapest a new symphony orchestra of international standing.

Personal homepage of Csaba Béke, Hungarian Renaissance lutanist & minstrel. Learn more about the artist and his performances, download his entire album in mp3 format for free. The site also contains introduction to the Hungarian Renaissance music, a link collection, plus information about the musician’s other activites, like the Debrecen Guitar Quartet.