A Don Giovanni mini festival; Bluebeard’s Castle; Wagner, Mahler, Mozart; and a line-up of world-class solo singers and violinists will all be here for our audiences during the BFO’s 2025-2026 season. Music director Iván Fischer's creative vision and the BFO’s innovative approach will once again open new vistas in classical music through new experiences and exciting ideas.
Browse the complete program of the Budapest Festival Orchestra's 2025-2026 season in our ONLINE SEASON BROCHURE or by CLICKING THIS LINK.
Learn more about BFO season passes here.
“What is truth? - Iván Fischer asked, alluding to the global uncertainty in the world today caused by the internet, artificial intelligence and populism. The rhetorical question, according to the music director, is best answered by classical music. “You can still trust music. If we perform one of Beethoven’s symphonies, the orchestra provides true information about it to the audience. There may be differences in interpretation, with the performer highlighting various aspects of the composition, but we can never play false notes simply to manipulate the audience. The orchestra is reliable.”
Orsolya Erdődy, the orchestra’s managing director, emphasized that the BFO presents its classical repertoire in a way that is always fresh and contemporary, thereby sharing new perspectives with our audiences. She added: “Conductor and music director Iván Fischer’s range of creative ideas, social sensitivity, his openness to societal problems and his momentum represent a standard to which the philosophy and the image of the orchestra must also be appropriately readapted from time to time.
Opening the season with an opera premiere and a mini-festival
Kicking off the 2025-2026 season will be a multi-day mini-festival accompanying the season-opening opera premiere, a joint production of the BFO and Müpa Budapest. The festival will center on Mozart’s eternal masterpiece, Don Giovanni, directed by Iván Fischer and starring Andrè Schuen (Don Giovanni), Luca Pisaroni (Leporello) and Maria Bengtsson (Donna Anna). After the performances, audiences will be invited to continue to enjoy the magic of the opera at exclusive thematic dinners. Following its premiere in Hungary, Don Giovanni will be featured at the Vicenza Opera Festival and, at the end of the year, in Baden-Baden.
The collaboration between Müpa Budapest and the BFO continues in the coming years: In 2026, the spotlight will be on The Magic Flute, and in 2027, on The Marriage of Figaro. Each year, different artistic genres will complement the particular opera, offering a range of diverse programs to showcase the cultural connections of the given piece.
Vocal magic
The mystic world of the opera will be in the spotlight several times during the season. After Mozart, a double dose of Bartók: In Bluebeard’s Castle, Dorottya Láng and Krisztián Cser reveal what hides behind those seven doors. The production will complement the ballet The Miraculous Mandarin, which premiered in 2023 to critical acclaim, and was staged in collaboration with the Éva Duda Dance Company. In May, excerpts from Wagner’s Die Walküre will once again shine the spotlight on song, in the interpretation of two outstanding Wagner specialists, soprano Anja Kampe and bass baritone Hanno Müller-Brachmann.
The BFO’s acclaimed Mahler series returns with the composer’s Symphony No. 3, with the Cantemus Children’s Choir, the Pro Musica Girls’ Choir and Gerhild Romberger joining the orchestra. This year, the Christmas surprise is a secret no longer: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Budapest Congress Center will feature Julian Prégardien (Evangelist, tenor), Julia Lezhneva (soprano), Olivia Vermeulen (mezzo soprano) and Hanno Müller-Brachmann (bass baritone), as well as the singers of the world-renowned Collegium Vocale Gent in the choral movements.
Global sensations and audience-favorite series
The BFO will be joined during the season by a number of outstanding soloists and guest conductors, including Akiko Suwanai, the youngest winner in the history of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, performing Saint-Saëns’s Violin Concerto composed for Pablo de Sarasate; and Alina Ibragimova, performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major. The season will also star the harp in a special role: in early December, harpist Xavier de Maistre will perform the solo of Ginastera’s concerto, with Grammy-winner David Robertson conducting the concert. Marek Janowski will return to lead the BFO as a guest conductor for a performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B major. And in January, the BFO will welcome one of the greatest masters of the clarinet, the outstanding conductor and composer Jörg Widmann, for a rich and thoughtful program at Müpa Budapest, where he will be joined by his sister, violinist Carolin Widmann.
The orchestra's audience-favorite series will also continue. In the Haydn-Mozart series, Nicolas Altstaedt will once again take the stage in a dual role, as conductor and soloist in Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major. Gábor Takács-Nagy will conduct Haydn's Violin Concerto No. 3 in A major, starring Alexander Sitkovetsky as the soloist. A special concert in the series will feature a line-up comprised only of Mozart pieces, with Máté Szűcs performing the viola version of the composer's Clarinet Concerto in A major.
Two outstanding historical performers, violinists Julien Chauvin and Sergey Malov, will perform Baroque music at the Liszt Academy, and the Concertino series also returns, led by János Pilz and Daniel Bard.
To the delight of the orchestra's youngest fans, the season will once again include Cocoa Concerts; and the Storytime with Iván series, the Midnight Music series and the rehearsal hall chamber music concerts are also set to continue.
The tried and tested season pass offer is still available
As before, the BFO's popular season passes will remain available for the new season, with the selection including ten different pass types. The Doráti and Solti passes include all performances at Müpa Budapest, while the Ormándy pass covers all concerts during the season at the Liszt Academy. Those preferring afternoon concerts may opt for the Reiner or Fricsay passes, while those intending to visit both Müpa Budapest and the Liszt Academy for concerts may wish to choose the Kertész or Széll passes.
The Budapest Festival Orchestra invites music fans to a world which promises reliable and true moments for all. With a revamped image, the BFO once again offers audiences an exciting and sweeping season. The costume may be new, but the quality standards will remain unchanged, once again setting the bar for classical music in Hungary and internationally in the 2025-2026 season.
Season passes go on sale to the general public on April 8, with single tickets and flexible season passes becoming available April 29.
Watch the video to explore the new brand of the BFO
