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Arriving in Budapest, most of us for the first time, we knew we were entering a city steeped in a rich heritage of classical music. Renowned as the home of Liszt, Bartók, and Kodály, it’s fair to say that these composers’ legacies still shape the vibrant musical life of the Hungarian capital. From the grandeur of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music to the opulent Hungarian State Opera and the city’s many historic churches and concert halls, Budapest resonates with a deep devotion to musical excellence. Our excitement on arrival was tinged with some element of awe at the prospect of performing on such hallowed musical turf.

There would be two principal venues for our tour to Budapest: the famed Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem), gleaming in all its Art Nouveau splendour, and the beautiful Matthias Church (Mátyás-templom), sitting atop Buda Hill overlooking the Danube, a wonderful amalgam of the medieval and the neo-Gothic.

But these experiences would come later. First there was a day of cultural, social, historical, and topographical acclimatisation…

Kate at the Széchenyi Baths. Credit: Helen Hyland

Being around 80 in number, it seemed best for everyone to find their own way to explore and familiarise themselves with Budapest. Some took themselves off to the famous Széchenyi thermal baths. For Kate Adams, this was a bucket list moment, finally realising a dream already fulfilled by everyone else in her family! Tenor Kerr Noble had come with a plan to hire bicycles. He, with a small group, set off along the Danube in search of the pretty little village of Szentendre known for its baroque architecture, churches, colourful houses and narrow, cobbled streets. Others headed for the Hungarian State Opera House or the darkly named House of Terror, a museum commemorating two tragic periods in Hungarian history.

Wherever our fellow choristers wandered, they were assured of experiences they would find entrancing, uplifting, invigorating or sobering… all unquestionably memorable.

The principal reason for our trip was, however, musical…

Chorus at Franz Liszt Academy. Credit: Máté Steirer © MÁV Symphony Orchestra

To perform Haydn’s Te Deum and Harmoniemesse in the Franz Liszt Academy of Music felt far more than a concert. Rather a coming together of musical traditions, a union of Central European heritage and Scottish musical endeavour, all within one of Europe’s most inspiring halls. Under the direction of Maestro Róbert Farkas and accompanied by the MÁV Szimfonikus Zenekar, the evening brought together two works that could be said to frame the breadth of Haydn’s sacred vision – from jubilant praise to profound reflection.

The Te Deum, written for Empress Maria Theresa, is Haydn at his most radiant and festive. Its concise brilliance and joyful choral writing express an unshakable confidence in divine order. In contrast, the Harmoniemesse, Haydn’s final completed mass, belongs to the closing chapter of a long and fulfilled life. It combines grandeur with tenderness, serenity with strength, and a deep sense of gratitude that feels almost timeless. To perform these two works side by side was to travel from youthful exultation to mature faith – a journey that mirrored Haydn’s own musical and spiritual life.

The Liszt Academy, with its gilded Art Nouveau splendour and glorious acoustics, provided the perfect setting. Designed to celebrate both artistry and devotion, the hall seemed to amplify the spirit of Haydn’s music. The Harmoniemesse in particular – named for its rich “Harmonie” wind writing – found new colour here, as the MÁV Symphony clarinets, bassoons and horns weaved their way around the choral lines in luminous harmony. The Te Deum too, with its bold orchestral energy and antiphonal exchanges, filled the space with an exhilarating sense of celebration.

For the RSNO Chorus, singing in the very city where Haydn’s patron, the Esterházy family, shaped so much of his career, felt especially poignant. His sacred works influenced generations to come – Beethoven, Schubert, and of course Franz Liszt. In this hall, we could almost sense that continuum: the living dialogue between Classical faith and Romantic expression, between past inspiration and present performance.

At the heart of it all lies Haydn’s humanity. His music radiates joy without grandeur, reverence without austerity – qualities that transcend time and faith. To share this music in Budapest, with the MÁV Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Róbert Farkas – and our wonderful soloists Ildikó Megyimórecz (soprano), Vivienne Ortan (contralto), Benjamin Beeri (tenor), Ferenc Endrész (bass) – was a profound privilege and a celebration: a joining of musical cultures, and a reminder of what Haydn himself expressed so eloquently — that music, at its best, is a prayer of thanks.

RSNO Chorus Director Stephen Doughty taking a bow. Credit: Máté Steirer © MÁV Symphony Orchestra

Our second performance in Budapest was within the radiant interior of Matthias Church. Performing, among other works, Poulenc’s Gloria and Lauridsen’s Lux Æterna felt too like an encounter between light, faith, and sound. Under the direction of our Chorus Director Stephen Doughty, and with soloist Polly Beck and pianist Edward Cohen, we brought these two 20th-century masterpieces to life in a space whose Gothic spires and jewel-like mosaics seem to echo these works’ contrasts of brilliance and contemplation. Poulenc’s Gloria, with its striking mix of exuberant praise and sudden moments of humility, mirrors the vivid contrasts of the church itself — ornate yet intimate, sacred yet human.

Lauridsen’s Lux Æterna, by contrast, unfolds as a serene meditation on eternal light, its luminous harmonies perfectly matched to the way light played across the richly decorated walls of the church and its fabulous stained-glass windows. Together, these works create a dialogue of faith across centuries and continents – from Poulenc’s Parisian modernism to Lauridsen’s Californian lyricism – united beneath the vaulted splendour of one of Budapest’s most iconic sanctuaries.

Chorus at Matthias Church. Credit: David Miller

As our final notes faded into the vaulted ceiling of Matthias Church, we felt a stillness that was almost as moving as the music itself. Performing in Budapest was more than just another performance – it was a reminder of why we sing together: to connect across cultures, to step into history, and to share something larger than ourselves.

The grandeur of the Liszt Academy and the spiritual resonance of Matthias Church offered us two very different but equally unforgettable stages. Both reminded us of music’s power to unite, uplift, and leave lasting echoes in the places where it is performed.

We left Budapest not only with memories of applause and awe-inspiring venues, but also with a renewed sense of purpose as a Chorus – and a shared gratitude for the gift of singing in one of Europe’s great musical cities.

David Miller at Matthias Church. Credit: Martin Engelbrecht