Klassisk var tilstede under årets bransjefestivalen Classical:NEXT i vårvakre Budapest.
Dette er den internasjonale versjonen av vår egen arena:klassisk med over 500 delegater fra hele verden. Fokuset ligger i «hvor går den klassiske musikken videre» — med nye formidlingsformer, uttrykk, publikumsutvikling, markedsføring, osv. Classical:NEXT er proppfull av foredrag og debatter, og mange land og organisasjoner har egne stand.
Klassisk var representert med daglig leder Anderz Døving og vår nye prosjektleder for arena:klassisk, Ingebjørg Vilhelmsen, og vi deltok på en rekke gode (og noen mindre gode) arrangementer og flere ypperlige showcase-konserter.
Det viktigste under Classical:NEXT er kanskje allikevel alle møter med kollegaer, og å få innsikt i hvordan andre organisasjoner arbeider, og idéer til hvordan vi kan utvikle Klassisk og arena:klassisk videre. Ingebjørg var til stede også som selvstendig komponist, og opplevde Classical:NEXT som faglig utviklende, med nye perspektiver og et rikt tilfang av idéer, både for egen komposisjon og for arena:klassisk.
At arrangementet fant sted i Budapest, Ungarn, bare dager før det meget avgjørende valget gjorde settingen spesiell, med plakater av Zelenski og Magyar fremstilt som krigsforbrytere. Ledelsen i Classical:NEXT valgte å late som om politikken ikke betyr noe for den klassiske musikkbransjen, og det var merkelig hvor apolitisk hele arrangementet var. Anderz valgte å skrive et åpent brev til ledelsen om dette.
Classical:NEXT 2026
Fugue of Silence: Politics and the Classical Music World
An open letter to the leadership and delegates of Classical:NEXT
Another edition of Classical:NEXT has come to an end. Once again, it offered inspiring presentations, insightful discussions, and impressive showcases—all against the backdrop of a sunlit, beautiful Budapest.
However…
This year’s conference took place in Hungary just days before one of Europe’s most consequential elections in years. The country has drifted steadily toward authoritarianism—marked by widespread corruption, rising fascist tendencies, restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights, state control of the press, closed borders to refugees, and a growing estrangement from the European community. Most troubling has been Hungary’s alignment with Russia and obstruction of aid to Ukraine. Have we forgotten the Soviet invasion of 1956—when Ligeti fled this very city?
Walking through Budapest, we saw posters depicting Zelensky and Magyar as war criminals. Did the organizers not see the same streets, the same signs? Throughout Classical:NEXT, politics were astonishingly absent. Perhaps this was a deliberate choice—to keep art and politics apart. Yet to many of us, it felt like denial: a refusal to confront the world as it is. Silence does not dissolve reality, and sweeping it away solves nothing.
There were almost none Ukrainian delegates this year, and many nations—Germany among them—sent smaller contingents, likely in protest of the location. Planning such an event takes time, of course, and Budapest has much to offer. But when the world changes, so must we. It says something unsettling when the Eurovision Song Contest seems more politically aware than the classical music industry. It feels dissonant to speak of “open-mindedness” and European unity while war and oppression rage just beyond the door.
Perhaps I am a lone delegate calling for greater political awareness within the classical field. Yet in countless conversations during the conference, I found I was not alone. Many share the view that Classical:NEXT must acknowledge how profoundly the political landscape shapes our art.
With Magyar now apparently victorious in the election, one can hope that Hungary may yet turn toward greater openness, closer ties with Europe, and renewed solidarity with Ukraine. If that happens, it will certainly affect the arts. And it is time—past time—for Classical:NEXT to open its eyes to that truth.
Anderz Døving
Managing Director, Klassisk, Norway