A Return to the Hungarian Stage

Andras Schiff’s return to the Hungarian stage after a 15-year self-imposed exile marks a significant shift in the relationship between the country’s artistic diaspora and its current cultural administration. Schiff, a defender of the central European tradition of legato (a style of playing where notes are connected smoothly without intervening silence), provides a necessary corrective to the increasing parochialism of the local conservatory culture. His return to Budapest to perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Score on IMSLP) suggests a cautious reopening of a channel between the Hungarian capital and the international concert circuit. The significance lies in the music: Schiff’s presence restores an aesthetic standard that transcends the political isolationism of the last decade.