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A Hungarian harpsichord virtuoso, Marton Borsanyi, met with music lovers in Istanbul as part of Hungarian Culture Day, an annual observance marked on Jan. 22, 2026. The concert was held at the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center, where Borsanyi performed works by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn and Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti.
The event was framed around Hungarian Culture Day, which the Liszt Institute linked to a key moment in Hungarian national history. The center noted that on Jan. 22, 1823, Ferenc Kolcsey completed the text of Hungary's national anthem, which was later set to music in 1844 by Ferenc Erkel.
The anthem, described by the center as a national prayer, was referenced as having carried symbolic weight long before it was officially recognized in 1989, and this background was presented as part of why the day is associated with national solidarity and shared identity.
Before the performance, Borsanyi described his past visits to Türkiye and spoke about how local audiences respond. He indicated that listeners in the country can be quick to get enthusiastic while also staying disciplined and serious, adding that each visit has left him feeling genuinely happy.
He also portrayed appearing for Hungarian Culture Day as personally significant, saying that representing his country on such an occasion stood out as an honor.
Aron Sipos, director of the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center, connected the evening to the institutions broader mission in Türkiye.
He said the center aims to bring Hungarian culture from Hungary to Istanbul as much as possible, and described its work as spanning a wide range of fields, including literature, film, music, performing arts, dance, theater, science and book presentations.
Sipos also noted that during 2024, held as the Turkish-Hungarian Culture Year, the institute carried out 170 events, and the center welcomed Borsanyi in Istanbul this year within the scope of Hungarian Culture Day programming.
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