CSARDAS! "The Tango of the East" Budapest Dance Ensemble
Friday, January 30, 2004; Page WE09
by Mark Jenkins
Before European composers were exposed to such influences as Indian ragas and Balinese gamelan, they turned to the nearby East -- Hungary, Romania and Slovakia -- for exotic tone colors. To illustrate this link between classical and folk forms, Washington's Post-Classical Ensemble is presenting "Csardas!," a program that places pieces by Bartok, Liszt, Schubert and Brahms next to the sort of traditional melodies that inspired them. The latter music will be performed by the Gazsa Hungarian Folk Music Band, a Budapest group led by violinist Istzan "Gazsa" Papp.
Papp and three other members of his current ensemble perform on "The Tango of the East," a collection of tunes to accompany performances by the Budapest Dance Ensemble. Some of these pieces do suggest tangos, but their trebly timbres, lively counterpoint and brisk rhythms are also akin to Celtic jigs, Jewish klezmer and other venerable forms. Papp and his fellow musicians -- mostly bowed string players, but also including a clarinetist and a dulcimer player -- nimbly pirouette through these short, untitled pieces and medleys, executing melodic flips and twirls. You don't need to see the dancers to know what this music is for.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
Strains From the Heart of Hungary
Saturday, February 7, 2004; Page C02
by Cecelia Porter
The bell of the sax-like tarogato jutted out trumpet-style in sonic pungency; one violin was played left-handed; a three-string viola was right-angled to the floor, sounding close tone clusters with fast-paced bows; a three-string bass was stroked in sporty riffs; the cimbalom rang out its hammered resonance. This was the Gazsa Hungarian Folk Music Band of Budapest -- teamed up Thursday with the Post-Classical Ensemble for "Csardas!" a concert of Hungarian folk, Gypsy and classical music at Georgetown University's Gaston Hall.
The evening's Hungarian folk music, itself multiethnic, was performed in true folk style with some Gypsy tunes and Hungarian-inspired classical works by Brahms, Liszt and Bartok. This was the latest installment of the Post-Classical Ensemble's series -- offering concerts of genuine folk music that has been absorbed into classical works. Artistic Director Joseph Horowitz says this mix "respects the integrity of music."
The ensemble's concerts were begun three years ago by Music Director Angel Gil-Ordoñez and Horowitz, who launched a similar program as executive director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra.
Starting with a medley of urban Hungarian Gypsy pieces, the folk band had a spellbinding immediacy and earthiness, seasoned with non-Western micro-intervals, accelerating tempos, delayed beats and fiery solos. The cimbalom's hammered tremolos flowed easily into two of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies in a mega-powered display by pianist Alexander Shtarkman, who, with his wife, Maria Strezova, also played five of Brahms's entrancing Hungarian Dances.
Rural Hungarian and Romanian peasant music followed intermission. The band broke into some hearty, many-hued folk tunes, the basis for Bartok's Violin Duos, played with excitement and grace by David Salness and Sally McLain. Gil-Ordoñez led the Post-Classicals in Bartok's more abstract Divertimento for Strings in a performance now pulsing, now beautifully reflective. The band and ensemble united for Bartok's Six Romanian Dances -- a combination no less than riveting.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
Click here for the concert program (pdf).
Listen to two tracks from this performance.
Review One: Strains From the Heart of Hungary
