Budapest’s St. Stephen’s Basilica is bringing back its Friday night organ concerts at 8 p.m., pairing two organs, two organists, trumpet, and soprano for a one-hour program steeped in Baroque and Romantic favorites. Composer lineup: Charpentier, Bach, Handel (Händel), Gounod, Albinoni, Liszt, Franck, Purcell, Mascagni, and Widor. Date: 2025.12.26. Venue: 1051, Szent István Square (Szent István tér) 1., Basilica.
Artists
On the Grand Organ: Gábor Szotyori Nagy. At the Sanctuary Organ: Ágoston Tóka. Soprano: Lívia Scheer. Trumpet: László Borsódy.
Program Highlights
Charpentier: Te Deum (trumpet). T. Albinoni: Adagio. G. Caccini: Ave Maria. J. S. Bach: Toccata, Air, and Fugue in D minor on the Basilica’s Grand Organ. G. F. Handel (Händel): Water Music (trumpet). Ch. Gounod: Ave Maria. Franz Liszt (Liszt Ferenc): Hosannah. C. Franck: Panis angelicus. H. Purcell: Trumpet Voluntary (trumpet). P. Mascagni: Ave Maria. Ch. M. Widor: Toccata from Symphony No. 5 on the Grand Organ.
Handel’s Water Music
Commissioned by King George I for a Thames celebration, Water Music premiered with 50 musicians aboard a royal river journey. The king loved it so much he had it played three more times. The only absent instrument: the harpsichord, impractical on a boat. Here, it’s heard in a trumpet-and-organ arrangement.
Tickets & Info
Admission: I cat. $28, II cat. $25, III cat. $21 (students/seniors: $27/$24/$20). Tickets on sale Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. at the Basilica’s main entrance. Concert length: 60 minutes. Organizers reserve the right to change the time and program.
