Budapest Spring Festival

Having completed his studies in classical piano, Sarp met Vogel, who was experimenting with his own keyed instruments, as he was immersing himself in Steve Reich’s work. Their duo grew out of the simple idea of connecting the piano’s hammers with Vogel’s cache of instruments. John Cage’s famed quip became their motto: “I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” With the 2017 Open, the Düsseldorf duo made the album that finally set them apart from the multitude of new neoclassical productions. The formula of Grandbrother’s chemistry, the harmony between the sweeping electronic soundscapes and the ringing melodies of the piano, is as playful and captivating as it is unassumingly fragile. Meet the greatest European promises of a contemporary classical sound that overlaps with the outer reaches of electronica.

Chapelier Fou, or, the Mad Hatter, is one of the most original voices of French downtempo, who composes exceptionally varied music. Nor is it an exaggeration to talk about composition in his case: following his fourth album, released in 2017, the classically trained multi-instrumentalist is now looked upon as one of the greatest artists of experimental electronica, in the league of Amon Tobin and Yann Tiersen. However, the French producer’s music defies categorization as he continues his uncompromising quest. Sweet trifles, cheerful chansons, über-complex rhythm patterns, a rich array of instruments, electronic textures, dense atmospheres, and extreme mood swings add up to form a lush music that serves up new surprises at every turn.

Braids, the Canadian pop/art-rock band that formed over ten years ago, make their Budapest debut. Jealously guarding their independence from the start, the three core players have been making music together since their teens. Now based in Montreal, they have toured several continents, and now they finally come to Hungary. They last released an album in 2015, so their Budapest set list can be expected to include some new material. The evening’s programme opens with the concert of the Hungarian Belau, who draw on sundry sources, and whose music features endlessly floating synthesizer themes, dreamy echoes and soothing vocals.

Great and touching indie pop by the Estonian star-group Ewert and the Two Dragons perform on an especially pleasant night in the company of two great Hungarian bands.

BSF and the A38 present

Budapest Spring Festival