This year's festival aims to present the best of Hungary's national culture, with a special focus on the composer Zoltán Kodály, who was born 125 years ago.
Many of Kodály's works will be played during the festival, said Deputy State Secretary in charge of culture at the Ministry of Education and Culture Márta Schneider.
The Fringe Festival, which offers an alternative showcase for talent within the framework of the Spring Festival, will feature 343 events, festival director Zsófia Zimányi said.
Around 85 percent of the more than 56,000 tickets for the Spring Festival were sold by mid-February, but extra seating will be made available as necessary, Zimányi said. Ticket prices for the events range between HUF 900 and HUF 21,000.
Some of the highlights on the programme are a performance of Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 by Dezső Ránki with the Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, the return to Hungary of Russian violinist Maxim Vengerov, an all-Strauss evening with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and a concert by the NDR Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Christoph von Dohnányi.
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| Festival director Zsófi Zimányi at the press conference of the 27th Budapest Spring Festival |
"The Spring Festival has become Hungary's most renowned series of cultural events," Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Mónika Lamperth said. The festival "shapes local cultural life and tourism" and it offers an opportunity for young performers.
The festival is Hungary's "cultural ambassador...a bridge between east and west," said Budapest Mayor Gábor Demszky.
"The highest standards will be guaranteed at this year's festival, in spite of a shortage in funding," Deputy Mayor in charge of culture Csaba Horváth noted.
This year's festival budget is HUF 1.36 billion, of which the state is financing 38 percent. The Ministry for Local Government and Regional Development will contribute HUF 224 million, the Ministry of Education and Culture HUF 178 million and the City Council of Budapest HUF 123 million.
