Welcome to the 22^nd Börzsöny Baroque Days early music festival

Year after year in late August, an ever growing number of early music enthusiasts gather among the majestic landscapes of the Danube Bend and Börzsöny regions, in their picturesque villages and beautiful historic churches, to enrich themselves with musical experiences of the highest standard. In 2024, we celebrated the 20^th anniversary of one of Hungary’s longest continuously running early music festivals, which has featured the cream of the Hungarian early music scene as well as several foreign artists, including such renowned groups as the Hilliard Ensemble and London Baroque. The festival’s ‘ensemble-in-residence’, Sebastian Consort, lead by recorder player and our artistic director Imre Lachegyi, also serves as a permanent local early music workshop throughout the year, involving local artists. This year, the ensemble’ key role is more prominent than ever: the Sebastian Consort will perform three of the festival’s four concerts, appearing in different formations and presenting diverse programmes that span several centuries.We consider it an important mission to engage young people and cultivate the future audience and performers. We are proud and delighted to welcome all age groups at the concerts, including the youngest generation and families with children.

About this year’s programme

The 22^nd edition of Börzsöny Baroque Days lasts for five days between 26—30 August, and takes place in the beautiful churches of Nagymaros, Verőce, Kismaros, Szokolya, and Göd. Our performers include renowned Hungarian artists. The festival is traditionally opened with a liturgical event: a Vespers service with plainchant and renaissance polyphony. Despite its name, Börzsöny Baroque Days does not strictly adhere to the Baroque period when curating our programme. For many years, we have been striving to cover the entire timeline of early music with our concerts. However, the lovers of Baroque will not be disappointed either: from early to high Baroque, and from Spain to Northern Germany, this era will be well-represented at the festival. Once again, the closing concert is co-hosted by the ‘Göd Baroque Days’ series.

Præambulum: on-stage interviews

This year we will continue a new tradition at our festival: short on-stage interviews before the concerts, featuring some of the performers talking about the programme, composers, instruments, and other interesting details. These 15-minute conversations, called ‘Præambulum’, will take place from 5.30 to 5.45 p.m. before the Vespers on 26th and the concert on 30th August.

Donations

For 23 years, our mission has been to ensure that the Börzsöny Baroque Days can be attended free of charge. However, we could not organize the festival without your donations. You can donate via the collection boxes placed at the concerts, by bank transfer, and by credit card payments through our website. We are truly grateful for your support.

We hope to welcome our faithful audience again, who return to the festival year after year, as well as new visitors eager to discover the rich world of early music. We look forward to seeing you at our concerts. Please follow our news and updates on Facebook and Instagram.