The Hague String Trio presents their latest CD – Echoes of Budapest – A homage to three friends: three string trios and a duo, including two world premieres by three Hungarian-Jewish composers and lifelong friends: Pál Hermann, Zoltán Székely, and Géza Frid.

The album is a tribute to three exceptional musicians whose remarkable friendship began over a hundred years ago in Budapest.

As young students, they met around the beginning of the 1920s at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where they studied composition under Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók and and rose to prominence as masters of their respective instruments: cello, violin, and piano.

They left their homeland at an early age, travelled through Europe, and eventually all three settled in the Netherlands, where they played a significant role in Dutch musical life. They married there, and Székely and Frid lived in the country for many years. Hermann resided in Berlin but often visited his in-laws in the Netherlands. Sadly, his life ended tragically; he did not survive the war. Székely and Frid became Dutch citizens after the war. Frid remained in the Netherlands until his death in 1989, while Székely emigrated to the United States and Canada.

At the presentation concert, a selection of the recorded works will be performed, introduced by Lex Bohlmeijer, radio presenter, interviewer, and journalist, well known to many for his wonderful programmes on NPO Klassiek. After the concert, there will be an opportunity to purchase the CD, and we warmly invite you to raise a glass with us in a toast to Echoes of Budapest!