Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lowing names: pianists András Schiff, Zoltán Kocsis (who also conducts) and Dezső Ránki;
the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Hungarian Ra-
dio and TV Symphony; conductors Iván Fischer and Tamás Vasáry; and singers Mária Zá-
dori, Ingrid Kertesi, Andrea Rost, Adrienne Csengery, József Gregor and Kolos Kovats.
Folk and Gypsy music can be bought at all record stores - Fonó is the biggest label. Note
that a CD with a picture of a Gypsy orchestra all dressed up in red waistcoats is of the “
nóta
”
variety - listen before you buy to check this is the kind of Gypsy music you want. As well as
the artists listed here, there are hundreds of great recordings in the above fields. The follow-
ing simply offer an introduction; particular recommendations are marked with the
sym-
bol.
INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS
Kálmán Balogh
Kálmán Balogh and the Gipsy Cimbalom Band
(Fonó). A terrific col-
lection of tunes from Hungary and the wider region, including the heart-rending version of
the folk song “A csitári hegyek alatt”. Recorded with artistic director Romano Kokalo,
Gipsy
Colours
(Fonó, Budapest) is a fabulous selection of Gypsy dance tunes from the region.
Félix Lajkó
Remény
,
Félix
(both on Tilos),
Lajkó Félix and his Band
(Fonó). The best
recordings so far of this Hungarian virtuoso violinist from Subotica in northern Serbia -
Remény (Hope)
features previously unreleased concert recordings alongside pieces from the
soundtrack to
Othello
, while
Lajkó Félix and his Band
is a highly charged set of recordings
made in the woods near his home. He also features with the Boban Markovic Orchestra, the
fantastic Serbian Gypsy ensemble, on the CD
Srce Cigansko
, which combines typically rum-
bustious Serbian brass with Lajkó's busy violin.
Roby Lakatos
Earlier works include
Lakatos
(Deutsche Grammophon), which features
new workouts of favourites by the likes of Brahms alongside traditional Hungarian folk
songs;
Later with Lakatos
(Deutsche Grammophon), a homecoming concert in Budapest's
Thália Theatre in 1999. More recent albums (all on the Avanti label) are
Firedance
, a sizzling
record exploring Gypsy themes from around the world;
Klezmer Karma
, a funky, Jewish-
influenced recording featuring performances by Miriam Fuks and the Franz Liszt Chamber
Orchestra; and
Roby Lakatos with Musical Friends
, an all-jazz project boasting some stellar
guests such as Stephane Grappelli and Marc Fossett.
BeaPalya
Ágról ágra
(Orphea). Starting with a Hungarian folk prayer at dawn Palya moves
across borders to embrace Romanian and Persian songs with the same authority she brings to
her own tradition.
Márta Sebestyén
Kismet
(Hannibal). On this wide-ranging album, Hungary's leading
Táncház singer draws upon various folk traditions, with Bosnian, Hindi and Irish songs,
among others; otherwise, Sebestyén is best known for her recordings with the folk group
