Roby Lakatos became known as “the devil’s fiddler” due to his amazing virtuosity and his ability to place numerous musical styles alongside each other with ease and great elegance. As a violinist, he feels at home in a multitude of styles, be it classical, Gypsy, jazz, flamenco, tango, bolero or klezmer, moving from one style to another in an entirely natural way. Wondering about how old Lakatos was when he began to play music is almost irrelevant as it is obvious that music is in his genes. Born into a musical family in 1965, he is a descendent of the great Roma violinist János Bihari. His most famous master was Sándor Járóka and even Sir Yehudi Menuhin took notice of this exceptionally gifted young man. He was barely eighteen years old when he left his country of birth to try his luck in Belgium. In Brussels, he played at Les Ateliers de la Grande Ile for ten years with his ensemble, where Menuhin would go to listen to him play whenever he was in town. Over the years Lakatos has travelled the world and worked with artists as varied as Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Stéphane Grappelli, Randy Brecker, Giora Feidman and Herbie Hancock. To this day he resides in Brussels, but whenever he receives an invitation he happily returns to his country of birth to give a performance or two. The audience at this two-part concert will enjoy a varied performance aimed at introducing all sides of the violin virtuoso. Apart from well-known classical and jazz pieces, the band will also play a few of their own compositions, while familiar film images will flash before the mind’s eye during an evening rich in improvisation. Presented by: Palace of Arts

Presented by: