Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The Devil's Fiddler
I'm a sucker for gypsy violinists. I know, I know. It's like confessing that you have a secret fondness for The Carpenters or Steve and Edie or Salieri. Most of us have experienced these colorful characters in red tablecloth territory--dubious, mustachioed Hungo-romanians hovering over your table, desperate to impart romance into your dull, grey life and maybe score a tip, or steal your date. But, after a few bottles of Sz�rkebar�t with a dinner of fogasszelet bakonyi m�dra and gundel palacsinta at a good restaurant like the Gay Hussar in London, it starts to sound like the music of the Gods. If Brahms, Liszt, and Bartok found it irresistible, who are we to blow against the wind?
All of which is preparatory to saying that Roby Lakatos, the reigning king of gypsy fiddlers, and his ensemble will be demonstrating their mysterious art at Zankel Hall on the evening of April 28.
Lakatos is the real deal--descended from Janos Bihari, the original king of gypsy violinist. He was introduced to music as a child and at age nine he made his public debut as first violin in a gypsy band. His musicianship evolved not only within his own family but also at the B�la Bart�k Conservatory of Budapest, where he won the first prize for classical violin in 1984. Between 1986 and 1996, he and his ensemble were resident at "Les At�liers de la grande Ille" in Brussels, their musical home throughout this period. He has collaborated with Vadim Repin and St�phane Grappelli, and, we're told, his playing was greatly admired by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who always made a point of visiting the club in Brussels to hear Lakatos.
Here at the Casa Balaton, Mark Berry reports on a new Naxos release, Redline Tango: Music for Wind Band, performed by the University of Kansas Ensemble.
posted by Jerry Bowles
4/11/2006
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