The Hague String Trio has announced the release of its latest recording, Echoes of Budapest, with a string of concerts scheduled across the Netherlands this autumn in celebration of the new album.
Issued on September 12, 2025, Echoes of Budapest: A Homage to Three Friends presents a carefully curated program of works by Hungarian-Jewish composers Pál Hermann, Zoltán Székely, and Géza Frid. The album comprises three string trios and a duo, including lesser-known works and two world premieres.
The recording highlights the close personal and musical connections among Hermann, Székely, and Frid, tracing their origins at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, where they studied under luminaries such as Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. Over the course of time, all three left Hungary and ultimately established links with the Netherlands — a shared thread that the Trio emphasises in its interpretive approach.
This project is the ensemble’s third release on the Cobra Records label, following After the Darkness and Celebrating Women, both of which earned positive critical attention. The Trio, formed in 2006 by violinist Justyna Briefjes, violist Julia Dinerstein, and cellist Miriam Kirby, is known for championing neglected repertoire alongside more mainstream works.
To mark the release, the Trio has arranged a series of “CD presentation concerts” and related performances. The first such concert takes place on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 16:00 in the Paleiskerk, The Hague, with an introduction by radio presenter Lex Bohlmeijer. A second presentation follows on Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 15:00 in Uilenburgersjoel, Amsterdam.
With Echoes of Budapest, The Hague String Trio continues its mission of giving voice to neglected — yet historically and musically rich — repertoire, pairing rigorous scholarship with expressive performance. Audiences at the upcoming concerts will experience live interpretations of pieces integral to the Trio’s new recording, in venues across The Hague, Amsterdam, and beyond.
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