A tigris

The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble's nativity programme counts down to the night of the birth of Jesus, with scenes that are sometimes comic and other times heart-warming.

It has been a long time since we thought of Cécile McLorin Salvant as merely the promising winner of the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Her expressive voice capable of conveying profound emotions and refined sentiments, her virtuoso improvisation, and her brave, experimental combinations of styles have now come to represent a point of reference to a new generation.

It could be that even we ourselves often don’t fully comprehend how many ways the digital age has changed our relationship with music. Nevertheless, there remain themes that simply demand an analogue, more traditional approach. Active since the ’10s, singer-songwriter Gergő Szakács has transitioned over the years from monumental pop sounds to more intimate, live instrumental productions, and this journey will reach its next important milestone at Müpa Budapest.