‘We established the Bartók Spring with the intention of maintaining Bartók’s legacy through contemporary art,’ said Csaba Káel. ‘Performers from America to China have brought their art to pay tribute to the composer, which is the finest proof that we are on the right path. This is a source of great pride for me not only as the artistic director of the festival, but as an artist as well.’ Aside from Hungary, there were productions from all over the world: from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, Estonia, France, Macedonia, Monaco, Germany, Serbia, Turkey, South Africa, the United States, Japan, Canada, China and even Venezuela.

‘There is nothing like seeing a production that has been in the making for years performed on stage at last. The Hungarian premiere of the Buddha Passion was the result of years of discussions with Tan Dun, and the Song of Songs concert, which featured the world’s most sought-after cantors, also necessitated lengthy negotiations,’ offers Festival Operative Director Janina Szomolányi a peek behind the scenes. ‘And there is no greater confirmation of our work than the minutes of frenetic applause that follows the concerts.’

And feverish applause could indeed be heard on many an occasion at this year’s Bartók Spring. Performing on two nights in Erkel Theatre and featuring, among others, the Hungarian-born Marianna Barabás in the role of the Fairy, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo were celebrated by more than three thousand spectators, while multi-Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Samara Joy was coaxed back for two encores by the standing ovation. Japanese audiovisual artist Ryoji Ikeda performed to a capacity audience, and the first concert in Hungary of Spiritualized was attended by the cream of the local pop music industry, along with the fans. Having played all of Beethoven’s piano concertos, rest was still not in sight for Rudolf Buchbinder, who had to hand out autographs to a long line of admirers, and the queue was no less impressive after the joint concert of Söndörgő and the Kelemen Quartet either. Along with the spectators, the performers also seemed to greatly enjoy Pure Source, a show that brought together Hungarian and Turkish music, song and dance traditions. Festival audiences were also the first to see the latest creations of two of the most important Hungarian dance companies: the Danube Art Ensemble’s show explored Székely culture, while the FrenÁk Company held up a distorting mirror to frantic contemporary reality. Budapest Ritmo offered what has probably been the most colourful programme of recent years: the intimate concerts and exciting collaborations created moments of absorption, brought the messages of distant cultures and offered chances to party free and easy. The three-day world music festival also included film screenings and professional events.