History of the Vigadó

The history of the Pesti Vigadó (literally, 'place for merriment') begins in the early 19th century. Designed and built by Mihály Pollack, the 'Redoute' counted among the most prominent cultural and entertainment venues of the capital. Destroyed in the 1848/49 Hungarian war of independence, the building was reconstructed according to the plans of Frigyes Feszl. Completed in 1865 the edifice, whose style intermingles the unique Oriental with the romantic, is to this day one of Buda's principal architectural monuments. Its interior spaces are bedecked with frescoes with ballad themes by Károly Lotz and Mór Than. Most of the statues were created by the sculptor Károly Alexy. The Vigadó was seriously damaged in the Second World War, too. Its reconstruction did not begin until the seventies and it was only reopened in 1980.

Ever since it was first opened the Vigadó has had the advantage of its concert hall being suited for many different events. In the 19th century not only a great many balls, receptions and galas were held here, but it was also the hub of classical music life where the greatest musicians of the 19th and 20th century performed. Franz Liszt, the pianist and conductor, appeared in the Vigadó on several occasions, even together with Richard Wagner once, in 1875. Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Debussy gave concerts here, as well as the conductors Bruno Walter and Herbert von Karajan, and outstanding soloists including Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein. 

The  Vigadó was a second home to the most celebrated Hungarian composers: Dohnányi, Bartók and Kodály.