Balázs Szabó always had a strong penchant for bringing musical settings of poetry into - or rather back into - Hungarian pop music. His first album, released in 2004, set works by György Faludy to music, but he has also adapted the poems of János Pilinszky, Ferenc Szemlér and Sándor Weöres, as well as tackling works by contemporary writers such as Krisztián Grecsó. The defining poem of his life, however, is Miklós Radnóti's Enchantment, the magical song version of which he wrote in his twe...nties and has accompanied Szabó's entire career as he has performed the song everywhere and with all kinds of ensembles. With the help of radio, this song has brought him nationwide popularity, and "in return” Szabó has familiarised thousands of young people with the poem, thus securing it a deserved place "in young hearts” (to use the words of another great poet).
"Miklós Radnóti was among the first to influence me,” says the singer-songwriter. "Since he had such an unusual fate full of vicissitudes, I was always interested in how he saw the world: the poet always on the move but still able to write in any circumstances. I have read his books of verse a lot, and discovered the importance of the idea of how to remain steadfast not only with others but with ourselves, how to escape into ‘art' when everything in the world turns its back on us. Radnóti's poetry has helped me through a lot of troughs; his pure intellect, his relationship to and love of life - for this reason I want to sing, to hum in contemplation, to travel within and after him, and have others travel with me, treading in the footsteps of a poet and a period, with deep respect and in tribute to his memory.'
Szabó's enthusiasm for Radnóti's verse naturally does not stop at a single poem. As in the case of Pilinszky and Faludy, he has thoroughly immersed himself in the poet's oeuvre. In wandering among the poems, material for an entire evening's performance has been created, lines of verse couched in melody and coming together in a bouquet of songs which he now presents to his loyal audience.
Presented by: Palace of Arts
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
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