A Festival of Hungarian Folk Music
The music that inspired Bartók
Authentic village music from Hungary and Transylvania
ÖKRÖS FOLK MUSIC ENSEMBLE
from Budapest
” … Hungarian string players who have remembered the ethnic research of Bartók and Kodály in their revivals of peasant tunes… rough, joyous energy… Mr. Balogh played some impressive cimbalom solos, scampering through melodic variations or showering the music with arpeggios, the set was a showcase for the violinists, who drew sighs from the slower melodies and accelerated into breakneck turns and trills and curlicues…remarkable virtuosity.”
The New York Times
The ÖKRÖS ENSEMBLE, the leading folk revival band in Hungary, is a special treat for music lovers. They have the marvelous ability to present the soul of their music, performing on authentic instruments. Csaba Ökrös, the leader of the Ensemble, is one of the most respected revival violinists in Hungary. He teams up with other excellent musicians to present authentic and unique Hungarian folk music, elevating it to a high level of artistry. Members include Miklós Molnár, László Major, László Kelemen and Robert Doór who are considered the best folk musicians in Hungary with impressive global recording and performance background. Members of the Ensemble are ROUNDER RECORDS recording artists.
A Festival of Gypsy and Hungarian Folk Music (1999)
The Ökrös Folk Music Ensemble with Sándor Fodor “Neti”, Kálmán Balogh and Ági Szalóki, presented by Concerted Efforts, Inc. and Centrum Management. “Hungarian string players who have remembered the ethnic research of Bartók and Kodály in their revivals of peasant tunes … rough, joyous energy.” The New York Times
At age 77, SÁNDOR FODOR “NETI”, is the last great violinist in the Kalotaszeg region of Transylvania. Fortunately for the Hungarian revival movement, “Neti” was discovered as a nearly inexhaustible source of melodies, dance tunes, technique and inspiration. Fame has also come to him in his revival realm. He has been featured on his own CDs and has guest recorded with Hungarian folk music bands as well as with vocalists like Márta Sebestyén.
KÁLMÁN BALOGH is an internationally celebrated cimbalom (hammered dulcimer) artist who, in the gypsy musical tradition, is a versatile performer accomplished on the Hungarian concert cimbalom as well as in the folk and jazz idioms. He is a graduate of the Budapest Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music and has performed with great success throughout the world. He has helped to establish the Hungarian cimbalom as a contemporary instrument.
ÁGI SZALÓKI is a young folk singer sensation and upcoming star on the Budapest folk revival scene. Her beautiful voice and authentic presentation of Central European folk singing tradition is singular. She is an avid researcher of folk songs and often found in villages learning from the last surviving informants. She has collaborated on several recording with the ÖKRÖS Ensemble.
There is a special relationship between SÁNDOR FODOR “NETI” and the ÖKRÖS Ensemble. They have played at village weddings together, they have toured Western Europe and North America together and they have performed on many recordings. To hear “NETI” play is to be transported back to a different, more vibrant, more intense musical world. The members of ÖKRÖS Ensemble are proud to consider themselves to be his disciples and he, with his wisdom, gently directs them to the “right” road allowing centuries old traditions to survive.
