MUZSIKÁS. Hungarian Folk Music Ensemble. concert programs with CLASSICAL MUSIC. The Muzsikás Ensemble

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1 CLASSICAL - TRADITIONAL MUZSIKÁS Hungarian Folk Music Ensemble concert programs with CLASSICAL MUSIC - solo violin - solo cello - solo piano - string quartet - symphonic orchestra - choir - organ The Muzsikás Ensemble Muzsikás, with a career spanning more than 40 years, is the world s most renowned and popular Hungarian folk music ensemble. Muzsikás has dedicated their distinctive musical skills, instrumental knowledge and musical versatility, toward creative collaboration with noted musicians and groups, from folk and world music to classical, jazz, and alternative rock. As the first Hungarian folk ensemble acknowledged by the classical music world, Muzsikás does concert programs that combine traditional music with classical compositions. The group s interest in blending 20th century Hungarian classical with traditional folk music preserve the heritage of the greatest Hungarian composer and collector of traditional music, Béla Bartók. Muzsikás has created these musical programs with renowned soloists, string quartets, choirs, symphonic orchestras, folk musicians and ensembles. Muzsikás has received the Kossuth Prize, Hungary s highest state award for artists; Hungary s Prima Primissima Award; and the 2008 WOMEX Award for World Music.

2 The concept The genuine Hungarian traditional music had a distinct influence on the great Hungarian composers of the 20th century. After playing traditional Hungarian folk music for nearly 4 decades, the musicians of Muzsikás easily recognize this influence even in the most abstract works of Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, and also in the works of Liszt, Dohnányi, Ligeti, Lajtha or even Kurtág. The basic concept of these concert programs combines works by these composers, with the traditional folk music to create a new musical experience. Working with renowned classical musicians the two genres of music - the classical and the traditional - are performed one after the other, or sometimes even together allowing the two musical genres to strengthen one another. Venues, music festivals Muzsikás has performed at the most prestigious venues and music festivals. The joint concerts focus on two different audiences: fans of authentic folk music and those who like classical music and the compositions of Bartók and Kodály. For some classical audiences it was their first encounter with, and opportunity to hear live traditional village music. Bartók placed folk music on equal ground with the great works of classical music. A list of venues and festivals where such programs have been performed: Concert halls: The classical partners Muzsikás has had the honor of working with many great classical musicians, soloists, ensembles and orchestras. These artists were open to this new concept and helped Muzsikás put their creative ideas into the special concert-programs. These collaborative concerts have reaped success in many different countries. Some of Muzsikás partners in recent years: Alexander Balanescu (violin, Great Britain) András Keller (violin, Hungary) Roel Dieltiens (cello, Belgium) András Schiff (piano, USA) Jenő Jandó (piano, Hungary) Balázs Szokolay (piano, Hungary) Andreas Bach (piano, Germany) Levente Kende (piano, Belgium) Péter Eötvös (conductor, Holland) Takács String Quartet (USA) Bartók String Quartet (Hungary) Keller Quartet (Hungary) Dohnányi Quartet (Switzerland) Pro Musica Girls Choir (Hungary, cond.: Dénes Szabó) BBC Scottish Symphonic Orchestra (Great Britain, Ilan Volkov conductor) Danubia Symphonic Orchestra (Hungary, Domonkos Héja conductor) London Sinfonietta (Great Britain, Martyn Brabbins conductor) Philharmonia Orchestra (London, G.B, Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor) Symphonic Orchestra (Hungary, Ádám Medveczky conductor) Concerto Budapest (Hungary, András Keller conductor) Mendelsson Chamber Orchestra (Hungary) L Orchestra de Cambre de Genéve (Switzerland, Ariel de Beek conductor) Ludwigsburg Festival Orchestra (Germany, André de Ridder conductor) Music festivals: Carnegie Hall New York Théatre de la Ville Paris Queen Elisabeth Hall London Royal Festival Hall London Barbican Center London Royal Albert Hall London Jordan Hall Boston Royce Hall Los Angeles Carnegie Music Hall Pittsburgh Metropolitan Museum of Arts New York Filharmonie Köln Wiener Konzerthaus Vienna Accademia Santa Cecilia Rome Concertgebouw Amsterdam Opera House Dijon, France Slovenska FIlharmonija Ljubljana Liszt Music Academy Budapest Palace of Arts Budapest BBC Proms London Opera and Music Festival Aix-en Provance Festival of Arts Hong Kong Aspen Music Festival Aspen, CO Bartók and Opera Festival Miskolc, Hungary La Folle Journée festivals Nantes, Bilbao, Tokyo, Warsaw Dresdener Music Festival Dresden Bartókiada Dijon Bartók Marathon Antwerpen String Quartet Festival Heidelberg Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele - Ludwigsburg, Germany

3 Programs with solo violin Bartók Album Muzsikás and Alexander Balanescu (violin) Muzsikás performs the concert version of the Bartók Album CD with Alexander Balanescu, the Romanian virtuoso violinist who resides in London. Collaboration with one of the best violinists in the world began with the recordings for the Bartok Album. In the last five years we had several joint concerts in the most famous concert halls and festivals from New York and London to Tunisia and Hong Kong. In the concert, Balanescu always plays one of his virtuoso improvisations proving that contemporary and traditional music can be matched. Alexander Balanescu Programs with solo cello Kodály: Cello sonata - folk music Muzsikás and Roel Dieltiens (cello) The spirit of the Hungarian folk music can be heard in the compositions of Kodály. This concert is based on the Cello Solo Sonata (Op. 8.), one of the world s most challenging cello works. This fantastic music is performed by Roel Dieltiens, the famous Belgian cellist; Muzsikás surrounds it with traditional tunes. Muzsikás pays tribute to the great Hungarian composer, musicologist, folklorist, and teacher Zoltán Kodály. Kodály created and developed his famous system for music education starting from early childhood. On the other hand he was a great composer. The central core of this concert program is his famous composition for cello, the Solo Sonata, one of the most challenging works for cellists the world over, performed by Roel Dieltiens, the great Belgian cellist from Antwerpen. This program has been performed at the Royal Festival Hall (London), Liszt Music Academy (Budapest), Hammamet Festival (Tunisia), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Accademia Santa Cecilia (Rome), Music Academy (Brussels), Royal Music Academy (Stockholm) and at other festivals and venues in Italy, Sweden and Hungary. Similar programs were developed with András Keller, violin soloist, and leader of the Keller Quartet. Possible works in these programs: Bartók: 44 Duos for Two Violins Ligeti: Dance Album: The Bartók Album HNCD 1344, Rykodisc When he began collecting in the first decade of the 1900s, Bartók made long journeys in his native Hungary with a phonograph to record folk songs in the countryside. The Bartók Album explores this Hungarian traditional music by tracing Bartók s folk encounters and inspirations. The material is charmingly played by Muzsikás and is interspersed with original phonograph recordings made by Bartók himself more than 80 years ago. Three original Bartók violin duets are played by folk fiddler Mihály Sipos (of Muzsikás) and the widely-acclaimed, classically-trained violinist, Alexander Balanescu. Included are extensive liner notes that provide interesting and detailed information on the source of each piece. Reviews: On this disc we have three things: some of the original There are many fine Hungarian bands, but it sometimes seems that Muzsikás is the only one that field recordings made by Bartók, reinterpretations of these by Muzsikás retaining the folk presentation and finally examples of Bartók s own praise. There s nevertheless absolutely no world music has heard of for its festivals and music that incorporated the folk tunes doubt that they deserve high status, he collected. This is a great idea and and the fact that they ve avoided it works very well. fashion-ligging and made this Reviewer: Len Mullenger, album shows their class. Classic Music on the Web Reviewer: Andrew Cronshaw, froots We play traditional tunes before this piece, and play folk music between the movements. Although there is no direct melodic connection between the Solo Sonata and the folk melodies, the essence of the traditional music can be detected. We selected folk melodies which match the atmosphere of the movement or do just the opposite, by contrasting it. The whole process was extremely exciting and we would like to express our thanks to Roel for his kind cooperation. Muzsikás Some venues where this program was performed: Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan Concert Hall, Nantes, France Liszt Music Academy, Budapest Concerthall, Bilbao Auditori Pau Casals, El Vendrell, Spain De Singel, Antwerpen, Belgium Programs with string quartet QUARTETTO Bartók and the folk music Muzsikás and a string quartet: Takács Quartet (USA), Bartók Quartet (Hungary), Keller Quartet (Hungary), Dohnányi Quartet (Switzerland) This concert with a leading string quartet of the world - such as the 2003 Grammy winning Takács Quartet; or one of the great Hungarian string quartets, like the Bartók Quartet or the Keller Quartet shows the spiritual background of the works of Bartók. The two quartets: the classical and the village-style traditional sit together on the stage, inspiring each other, taking turns playing or sometimes even playing together. The origin of this program dates back to the Aspen Music Festival in We wanted to show the connection between the compositions of Bartók and Kodály and the traditional music. The program was first performed in Pittsburg with great success. Later it was performed in several concert venues throughout the USA, ending with a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. Later on this joint program was also performed in several European concert venues. Muzsikás Zoltán Kodály

4 Works of Bartók (and Kodály) in this program: Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 4 (1928) Béla Bartók: 44 Violin Duos (1931) Béla Bartók: Sonatina (1915; transcribed by Endre Gertler) Béla Bartók: Rumanian Folk Dances (1915, transcribed for strings by Arthur Willner) Zoltan Kodály: String Quartet No. 2. London - Queen Elisabeth Hall New York - Carnegie Hall Paris - Theatre de la Ville Boston - Jordan Hall Los Angeles - Campbell Hall Washington - Library of Congress Pittsburgh - Carnegie Music Hall Köln - Filharmonie Newcastle/Gateshead -The Sage Lisboa - Grand Auditorium Dijon - Opera House Nancy - Salle Poirel Bilbao -Theater of the Philharmonic Society Sevilla - Centro Cultural El Monte Programs with piano soloist Allegro Barbaro Bartók piano works and the folk music Muzsikás and Jenő Jandó (Hungary), Levente Kende (Belgium), András Schiff (USA) Andreas Bach (Germany) or Balázs Szokolay (Hungary) With all the anguish and hand wringing over shrinking audiences, this concert was a jewel to display what creative music programming can be. By Jeffrey Rossman Classical Voice of North Carolina It s a commonplace of music history that Bartók was a keen student of the folk music of his native Hungary. The two groups have joined up to show that it can be compelling and entertaining, By David Weininger, The Boston Globe The influence of the atmosphere of the rural musical tradition can be discovered in many of Bartók s famous piano works. This concert of traditional tunes played by Muzsikás and famous piano works by Bartók performed by a brilliant pianist, (e.g. András Schiff, USA; Jenő Jandó, Hungary; Levente Kende, Belgium; Andreas Bach, Germany) creates a new, unique musical experience. This program presents a rare opportunity to hear what Bartók heard - recreated here by the contemporary Hungarian folk ensemble Muzsikás, together with the brilliant Hungarian pianist Jenő Jandó performing Bartók piano works. How close are the well-known Bartok Rumanian Folk Dances (1915) to their sources? To hear Muzsikas Péter Éri play Peloc on a wooden flute - a rendition based not on Bartok s composed Pe loc but on the original tune as Bartok collected it in the village of Irgis in may or may not suggest an answer. The program, The Routes and Roots of Bartok, celebrated Bartok s legacy, both as a pioneering ethnomusicologist who travelled through Hungary transcribing folk songs and dances and as a composer who incorporated that music into his own works. Muzsikás afforded a glimpse of what Bartok heard on his tours of the countryside; Mr. Schiff showed how he transformed it. By Allan Kozinn, New York Times Bartók piano works performed in this program: Improvisations on Hungarian peasant songs Out of Doors 15 Hungarian peasant songs Three songs from County Csík Rumanian folk dances Allegro Barbaro Petite Suite For Children Dance Suite Programs with symphonic orchestra Classical - Traditional Hungarian composers and the folk music Muzsikás and the BBC Scottish Symphonic Orchestra (cond.: Ilan Volkov) Danubia Symphonic Orchestra (cond.: Domonkos Héja) A joint concert with a symphonic orchestra provides some perspective on the origin of works by 20th century Hungarian composers (Bartók, Kodály, Ligeti, Kurtág). Muzsikás has performed in concerts together with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ilan Volkov (Israel) and the Danubia Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Domonkos Héja. In December 2006 Warner Music released a DVD named CLIP with the joint concert of Muzsikás, Márta Sebestyén and the Danubia Symphonic Orhestra. Bartók in Glasgow, culminated at Tramway in a fantastic collaboration between the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and leading Hungarian folk group Muzsikás. The infectious rhythms of Hungarian and Romanian folk dances pervade the music of Bartók, and Muzsikás have made it their business to bring back to life, in song and in dance, some of the village music he collected early in the 20th century. Ilan Volkov and the orchestra perform his Dance Suite as well as songs for voice and orchestra Márta Sebestyén. I look forward to seeing you at what could be the first Scottish-Hungarian ceilidh! Ilan Volkov, Chief Conductor BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Ilan Volkov Some pieces performed in these concerts by the symphonic orchestra: Bartók: Dance Suite Bartók: Concerto Bartók: Rumanian Folk Dances Bartók: Transylvanian Dances Kodály: Peacock variations Kodály: Dances of Marosszék Dohnányi: Ruralia Hungaria Ligeti: Concerto Romanesc New York - Carnegie Hall Antwerpen - De Singel Budapest - Liszt Academy Budapest - Palace of Arts Miskolc - Bartók - Opera Festival Kapolcs - Völgy Festival Graz - Minoritensaal Budapest Liszt Music Academy Glasgow Tramway Budapest Palace of Arts London Royal Albert Hall, BBC Proms Dresden Music Festival Győr Richter Concerthall It was just the final point in a concert that was a breathtakingly kaleidoscopic display of music and dance: an authentic folk music idiom and a classical medium thoroughly cross-fertilising each other in a night that was a showcase of artistic excellence and entertainment...knock-out night. By Michael Tumelty, The Herald, Glasgow Zoltán Farkas and Ildikó Tóth

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