In the age of crossover and world music, there is nothing surprising about having the MÁV Symphony Orchestra share the stage with the world-famous jazz artist Roby Lakatos and his fellow musicians. The 'common denominator' between the two genres is folk music, which has been a rich source for both jazz and symphonic music. Born in Budapest in 1965, Lakatos is a direct descendant of the famous Hungarian violinist János Bihari. He was six years old when, at a memorial concert for Pista Dankó, he played the instrument belonging to the famous 'prímás', or lead violinist. At the age of 18, he found himself in Belgium, performing with a Gypsy band in a music club in Brussels. It was here that he developed his own style fusing Gypsy music with classical music and jazz - which later took him to America and world fame. At this concert, Roby Lakatos will also demonstrate how his playing is built on the classical violin tradition.
The symphonic works will include the popular Hungarian Dances of Johannes Brahms. They are based on collections of verbunkos-inspired dances that were fashionable in the 19th century and which the composer received from the likes of Ede Reményi, the chamber partner of his younger days. Zoltán Kodály wrote the music for his folk opera Háry János from the cream of the Hungarian folk songs that he and his associates had gathered, and he later composed an orchestral suite from these. And in order for the evening to be one of true 'world music', the concert will also include Russian melodies and a renowned work by the Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla.

Presented by: MÁV Symphony Orchestra