We’ve got an idea if you’d like to reenergize yourself after the summer. From 4 to 20 October, CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival breathes new life into the city with cultural programs, one better than the other.
Exciting premiers and world-famous stars are expected to grace the city with their presence this autumn thanks to CAFe Budapest. Once again, the region’s most important contemporary art festival won’t let us fall into boredom. The festival welcomes renowned Berlin-based company FAMILIE FLÖZ known for its grotesque masks and non-verbal performances. Their show titled Dr. Nest blurs the lines between the phases of wakefulness and dreaming, rationality and absurdity, creating scenes one can only witness at a lunatic house.
Admirers of dance will also have plenty of programs to choose from. As a result of a blooming cooperation with composer Felix Bunton (Basement Jaxx), iconic contemporary artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui brings an interesting choreography titled Nomad to Budapest, summoning the flora and fauna of the desert as well as wind-carved dunes. Trafó House of Contemporary Arts will give home to (D)OPEN Your Move mini-festival celebrating contemporary dance styles: hip-hop and street dance. International workshops, concept battle, numerous performances, and a world premiere are to take place. The two choreographies of János Feledi are based on essential stories that have inspired countless poets, playwrights, and composers for centuries since antiquity. Roland Szentpáli’s composition, Orpheus conjures up the tale of the musician and poet who descends into the underworld for his love, while Revenge is the evocation of Electra’s tragedy, based on the drama of Euripides and the opera of Richard Strauss.
Performed in more than a dozen cities before (including Hamburg, London, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles) with an extraordinary success, Péter Eötvös’s two-act opera, Angels in America can now be seen in Budapest. The co-production of Neue Oper Wien and CAFe Budapest will be directed by Matthias Oldag while conducting duties will be performed by 75-year-old Péter Eötvös himself. As one of today’s most exciting jazz musicians, Israel-born pianist-composer Omer Klein comes to perform at BMC with his worldwide renowned trio; be the ear witness of why the New York Times calls him a “musician without borders”! Speaking of world music, head to Akvárium Klub where Budapest Ritmo festival will feature popular Hungarian and foreign musicians from Portugal to the Balkans, and Poland as an honorary guest.
When walking around the streets of Budapest, keep your eyes open, because who knows when you’d bump into surprising artistic pieces. Here’s a hint: famous public artist Olivier Grossetête will build the model of a truly iconic building somewhere in Budapest.
For further info, visit cafebudapestfest.hu.