kamara.hu/3 Presented by Liszt Academy

Tragic destiny, exotic sounds, and rare instrumental combinations – the Cupola Hall concert remains one of the crown jewels of Kamara.hu, offering a space for reflection, introspection, and the most profound musical experiences. This intimate programme picks up the thread from Friday’s performance: in his final completed work – a haunting piece for string quartet, piano, and voice – Ernest Chausson gives voice to the anguish of a woman abandoned.

Following this, the festival pays tribute to the heritage of the long-suffering Frida Kahlo through a quartet by her contemporary, the Mexican composer Julián Carrillo. The second half of the evening is dedicated to the complexities of love. The late Harrison Birtwistle (d. 2022) set the verses of American poet Lorine Niedecker – another of Frida’s contemporaries – to music. This unconventional pairing of cello and soprano, rather than the traditional piano accompaniment, serves as a poignant reminder of the bond between Frida and Diego Rivera. Finally, the programme concludes with a 1938 work by Shostakovich, symbolising her lover Leon Trotsky, who had fled to Mexico just a year earlier.

The artistic directors dedicate this year’s festival to the memory of Imre Földes, the beloved and highly respected professor of the Liszt Academy, who passed away recently.