This introduction is based on our 2011 tour.

Spring in the context of the Budapest Festival is more metaphorical than seasonal, musical rather than meteorological. The selection of this early-bird slot from the outset was cunningly intended to sidestep serious competition on the international festival circuit, and to increase the number of visitors in a lean month for tourism.
The festival need fear no competition now. It is indubitably international in stature and artistic quality, and by virtue of the origins of many performers. And yet it retains a highly distinctive flavour through the preponderance of Central European music and musicians. Thus appropriateness and a sense of place amplify qualities which are more purely musical. And the experience of the place itself is likewise heightened by the musical experience.

The beauties of Budapest probably need no introduction. Straddling the Danube, the ancient citadel of Buda is ensconced on an outcrop on the right bank, while the broad boulevards and grand buildings of Pest spread across the flatter terrain of the left bank.

There are some mediaeval and Renaissance survivals (though much was obliterated by Turkish occupation and the struggle for liberation), much Baroque and a splendid array of nineteenth century architecture, the result of the burst of prosperity which accompanied growing Magyar demands for national self-determination. The opera house, opened in 1884, is one of the most sumptuous in Europe, and rivals Vienna and Prague, even Paris. This tour will look in particular at the distinctive turn-of-the-century architecture and design, when political and nationalistic impulses came into play alongside artistic ones – just as with music.

As with our other music tours, we have arranged a programme of walks and visits to familiarise participants with the city and its treasures, major and minor, to feed the eye as well as the ear. However, most of the afternoons will be left free in order not to sap the energies required for the evening concerts.

Read the example itinerary from 2011