On February 19, 2026, we celebrate the 100th birthday of György Kurtág, one of the most significant and influential living composers of contemporary music. To mark this exceptional jubilee, Müpa Budapest will host a special concert, which the artist himself will attend in person.
As part of the Kurtág 100 series, the concert programme presents key works from the composer’s oeuvre, revealing his deeply expressive and distinctive musical language—from his intimate piano pieces to the monumental composition Stele.
The evening’s soloist will be Víkingur Ólafsson, Artist of the 2025/26 Müpa Season, whose career has been influenced by Kurtág’s works from the very beginning. His profound artistic connection to Kurtág’s music and thought is clearly reflected in his own work: several Kurtág compositions appear on his album From Afar, some of which will also be performed at this concert.
György Kurtág’s work, his centenary, and the concert itself are expected to attract significant international attention, and Müpa Budapest will broadcast the performance live worldwide.
The free livestream, available without registration, is expected to begin around 7:20 PM CET on the Müpa website.
The live broadcast will start a few minutes before the concert begins, following the opening titles and advertisements. The presenter will greet viewers in both Hungarian and English and introduce the programme items, while at the end of the concert, György Kurtág will be greeted on stage.
The concert will be available to watch live only; a recording will not be accessible afterwards.
This event is a unique moment in the world of contemporary music—an exceptional opportunity for the international community to witness and share in the celebration of György Kurtág’s milestone birthday.
Müpa Budapest’s Artist of the Season, the Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson whose recording of the Goldberg variations earned him a Grammy Award in 2025, will on this occasion pay tribute to the hundred-year-old György Kurtág, the living legend of contemporary music with whom he maintains a close working relationship. Further proof of this personal connection is the 2022 album ʺFrom Afarʺ, from which several pieces will be performed in Budapest, on grand piano and upright piano, as on the album. The Danubia Orchestra is led by Markus Stenz, who conducted the world premiere of Kurtág's opera Fin de partie at La Scala in Milan, as well as its Hungarian premiere at Müpa. On this occasion, the concert audience will discover the composer’s impassioned and surprising musical world by taking in the key milestones of his oeuvre. The programme extends from a series of intimate moments to the monumental Stele, while the dialogue between Kurtág and Bach will shed a fascinating new light on one of the defining figures of 20th- and 21st-century music.
The event is taking place as part of the Kurtág 100 programme series organised by the BMC and presented by Müpa Budapest.