Iván Szenes, the most prolific originator of Hungarian hit songs, who also knew the ins and outs of theatre, was born 100 years ago. In his case, it is indeed no exaggeration to say he had countless songs to his name as a lyricist and partly as a composer. According to his own ‘statistics,’ he wrote around 2000 compositions, of which 120 became hits. We know most of them by heart, and may not even suspect he was responsible for lines we quote as adages. Over an incredibly rich and long career, he worked with Pál Jávor, Katalin Karády, Pál Szécsi, Géza Hofi, Zsuzsa Cserháti and Sarolta Zalatnay. Here are just a few titles to indicate the riches Iván Szenes has left to posterity: ‘Kicsit szomorkás a hangulatom’ (Gloomy Today), ‘Nehéz a boldogságtól búcsút venni’ (Farewell to Happiness), ‘Kicsi, gyere velem rózsát szedni’ (Let’s Go Pick Roses), ‘Kislány a zongoránál’ (Little Girl at the Piano). One of the most exciting acts on the Hungarian popular music scene, The Qualitons are keen to use their unique fusion style to explore the world of the 1960s and 1970s, as it’s not the first time the band has reimagined legendary songs – most recently, they revived the music of the iconic band, KEX. Now they will bring to life Szenes’s œuvre in Müpa Budapest’s concert hall.

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