After fifteen years, world-renowned Hungarian pianist András Schiff—who has been honored with the Kossuth Prize, among other awards—will once again give a concert in Hungary. Schiff had announced back in 2011 that he would not perform in the country as long as the Orbán government remained in power. The pianist has now accepted an invitation from Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony to perform in Budapest again, and is planning to do so in May—roughly coinciding with the inauguration of the new government—in front of as large an audience as possible. Schiff plans to arrive in Hungary well before the concert, according to Klubrádió.
Schiff, who was reached by phone in China, and said he is in a state of euphoria following the elections, he is very happy, and hopes that “the ugly things the Orbán government has done will come to an end.” As he said, over the past 16 years he has often been ashamed of Hungary, but for the first time in a long while he is proud, since “all of Europe is looking at Hungary with admiration, and that is a very good feeling.” He added that, of course, he was also proud when László Krasznahorkai and Katalin Karikó won the Nobel Prize, but “that’s not quite the same, since they can be proud of their own achievements.”
András Schiff emigrated from Hungary in 1979. In 2000, seeing the rise of the Austrian far right, he renounced his Austrian citizenship and has been a British citizen ever since. In 2011, he announced that he would not perform in Hungary as long as the Orbán government remained in power, a decision that earned him several threats. Nevertheless, he has made it clear on several occasions since then that he has no plans to return home until he sees positive change in Hungarian public life. He recently told Klubrádió that this was a matter of conscience for him, “so that when one gets up in the morning, goes to the bathroom, and looks in the mirror, one does not have to spit at one’s reflection.”
He added that it wasn’t easy, because he has missed Hungary very much—his friends and his memories are here—but if he had to make such a vow again, he would still stand by it. He also said that his decision to not go to the United States as long as Donald Trump is in power still stands, regardless of how many invitatioins he receives.
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