The Erkel anniversary will be a keynote at the festival, said state secretary at the Ministry of Education and Culture Márta Schneider.
A new production of Erkel's opera Dózsa György, by the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Chorus, will premiere on the festival programme. Bánk bán and Hunyadi László, perhaps Erkel's best known operas, will also be performed.
Festival-goers will also get to hear some of Erkel's lesser known operas, staged by popular names such as Sándor Fábry, András Hajós, Miklós Fáy, Kentaur and Mariann Falusi.
Denmark will be the guest of honour at this year's festival, and it is hoped there will be many Danes among festival-goers, said state secretary in charge of tourism Miklós Kovács.
Danish ambassador to Hungary Mads Sandau-Jensen said his country was honoured to be the guest at this year's festival, adding that there would be a rich Danish offering on the programme.
Performances by the Russian violist Yuri Bashmet, the Scottish virtuoso percussionist Evelyn Glennie, the bass-baritone Erwin Schrott from Uruguay and the English violinist Nigel Kennedy are among the highlights of the Budapest Spring Festival, Kovács said.
Budapest's abundant cultural offering indeed makes it a world class city, said mayor Gábor Demszky.
Author: Éva Kelemen
