The stars of this show are the instruments themselves. Listeners young and old are invited to learn about a variety of unusual instruments through authentic live music played by expert musicians. Once again, this season's Instru-Mentor programme introduces the instruments of Hungarian folklore. We know relatively little about those string instruments referred to as violins before the 17th century. There can be no doubt, however, that the plucked and/or bowed lute-like instruments played across ...Europe – variations on the fidula and rebec – were also known in Hungary. The Hungarian fiddle was similar and had a long, rectangular body and neck fashioned from a single piece of wood. Musicians were still carving instruments from single pieces of wood in the early 19th century. This practice did not entirely die out even in the 20th century, although these instruments were modelled on the factory-made violins we know today. Over the past century and a half, the design of “folk” violins has come to closely resemble those played in the modern symphony orchestra, essentially a factory violin with minor adjustments. One instrument that differs from the standard violin is the three-stringed kontra used as an accompaniment in Central Transylvania and Kalotaszeg. Here, the E string is simply done away with as it has no purpose when the violin is played as an accompaniment. The remaining strings are retuned accordingly and positioned at the same height along a flat bridge. This allows three-string chords to be played by bowing three strings at the same time and with the same force. The violin requires more intense practice, preparation and natural talent than any other folk instrument. As a result, it is primarily an instrument of professional or semi-professional musicians, often of Roma ethnicity. (Based on the writing of Bálint Sárosi.)
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
Safe ticket purchase
Dear Visitors, please note that only tickets purchased from the Müpa website and official ticket offices are guaranteed to be valid. To avoid possible inconvenience, we suggest buying tickets to our performances and concerts via the mupa.hu website, the Interticket national network (jegy.hu) or at our official ticket offices.