Wacław Felczak Polish-Hungarian Festival in New York

Wacław Felczak Polish-Hungarian Festival in New York

September 8-9, 2018

Hungarian House of New York

213 E 82 Street, New York, NY, 10028

PROGRAM

Saturday, September 8, 2018

3 PM–5 PM – HUNGARIAN FOLK DANCE WORKSHOP

Instructors: Júlia Redő and Csaba Zsolt Tőkés

6:30 PM–12 AM FOLK and CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT & HUNGARIAN FOLK DANCE PARTY

Ogiński Polish Men’s Choir  & Hungarian Üsztürü Folk Band: Hungarian bravado

Special Guests:

Daniel Szász, violin – concertmaster, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham, Alabama

Jenő Lisztes, cimbalom virtuoso, Hungary

Júlia Redő and Csaba Zsolt Tőkés, dancers – Hungary, Transylvania

members of Fényes Banda, NY

The concert is centered around Polish choir music, authentic Hungarian folk music and works by classical composers inspired by Hungarian folk music, includes selections by Brahms, Bartok, Liszt, Lehar, and Monti, among others.

Admission on September 8, Saturday

3 PM–5 PM: $10/person

From 6 PM: $20/adult, $10/student/senior

Whole day: $25/person

Sunday, September 9, 2018

2 PM – MEET and GREET: “Hazajáró” Hungarian TV series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NCMA6GR3e0

4 PM – BOOK LAUNCH: Polish Spirit in Hungarian

Presenting six books of the Felczak-series of the Rézbong Publishing Company by Gergely Kovács and Áron Hujbert Áron

Authors: Marta Kwaśnicka, Marcin Świetlicki, Ryszard Legutko, Áron Petneki, Noémi Kertész https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZTFmyzmYjM

5 PM – ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: Dwa Bratanki w Ameryce – Két jó barát Amerikában

Discussion between the representatives of the organizers of the festival about Polish-Hungarian cultural and economic relations in the US.

Host: Ambassador Ferenc Kumin PhD, Consul General of Hungary in New York 

18:15 – INTRODUCTION of Wacław Felczak Foundation, Hungary

18:30 – JAZZ CONCERT: Bridges

Presenting the first jazz CD of the series of Felczak Records

Kuba Stankiewicz, piano (PL) – Kornél Fekete-Kovács, flugenhorn (HUN)

Special Guest: Chris Potter, saxophone (US)

Bridges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOJNrWePQD4

8 PM – RECEPTION

Admission is free on September 9, registration requested!

Kindly ask for RSVP by September 5: hungarianhousenyc@gmail.com

PARTICIPANTS

Üsztürü Band was founded in 1992 by young Hungarian musicians born in Transylvania who were rooted in communities where Hungarian folk music was still a living tradition. The members of the ensemble were able to learn and play with the last of the great masters of Transylvanian music. Through their many years of playing and studying with these folk artists and collecting their music, Üsztürü’s musicians have continued to carry on the tradition of Transylvanian Hungarian music.

At this time Üsztürü Band chose from the arsenal of Hungarian folk music which represent the “Hungarian bravado” the best: fiddle, kontra, bass, cimbalom, as well as male and partner dances from the heart of Transylvania: Gyimes, Székelyföld, Küküllő, Marosmente, Mezőség, Kalotaszeg; Szilágyság, Szatmár Felvidék and Rábaköz.

Üsztürü: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-UhudmbhW0

Jenő Lisztes was born in Budapest in 1986. He started to play on the most famous Hungarian instrument called cimbalom at age of 4. His father and grandfather are cimbalom players too, so it is kind of tradition in his family. Lisztes is a member of the world famous Roby Lakatos Ensemble since 2006 and has his own jazz trio called Jeno Lisztes Cimbalom Project. He often plays as a soloist with world famous symphonic orchestras. He played on the most famous stages like Carnegie Hall, Musikverein, Concertgebouw, Bozar, Palace of Arts in Budapest with several formations. In 2012 he was invited to make the cimbalom part for a Hollywood movie called Sherlock Holmes 2, Game of Shadows by Hans Zimmer.

Active as a concert soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist, violinist Daniel Szasz has been the concertmaster of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra since 1997. Born in Romania, in the Transylvanian city of Sibiu, Mr. Szasz began playing the violin at age six under the supervision of his father, a former principal trumpet player with the Sibiu State Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of eight he played his first solo recital, and at thirteen he performed his first concerto with a professional orchestra. Szasz is a versatile musician, interested in performing both standard and less familiar repertoire, Mr. Szasz has been consistently praised for his “expressive, rich and warm sound” as well as for his “strong, confident, and assertive playing.” His performances have been described as “breathtaking” and “exquisite” and have generated great enthusiasm among his audiences and in the press.

Ogiński Polish Men’s Choir, Hempstead, Long Island, New York

The choir’s beginnings date back to September 1945 in Southern Bavaria, Germany, in the repatriant’s camp in Wildflecken. After the war, Poles who refused to return to the incipient communist regime in Poland were placed in camps such as the one in Wildflecken. During their time in the camp, the choir organized Christmas carols and concerts, took part in radio shows, and eventually performed in theaters. At the peak of its creativity, the choir had as many as 120 members. It was named after Duke Michał Kleofas Ogiński (1765-1833) whose fate was very similar to that of the choir. Their patriotism, valiance, and the suffering they endured living a life away from their beloved country had inspired the Oginski Men’s Choir to retain the choral traditions of their homeland. In its remarkable history, the choir has performed at Carnegie Hall, Academy of Music (Philadelphia), Hunter College (Manhattan), West Point, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral and has worked alongside celebrity soloists such as Ladis Kiepura, Marian Nowkowski, Bohdan Paprocki, Kazimierz Ganski, Kazimierz Zan-Zajac, Maria Foltyn, Longina Nano, Pawel Prokopieni, Lunia Nester, Jurek Lazowski, Loda Bielicka. Currently the choir rehearses regularly in Hempstead, Long Island under the direction of Joanna Mieleszko.

Ogiński: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5qJ04wrDOQ

Felczak Records use music – the most universal language – to demonstrate that the friendship between the Polish and Hungarian nations has common emotions, mode of thought and values with roots in the historical past. This kind of friendship is an example for all of Europe insuring greater future and enrichment.

Fekete-Kovács Kornél (flugelhorn) and Kuba Stankiewicz (piano) represent the highest level of music life in their countries. They continuously enrich the Polish and Hungarian jazz scenes as performing artists, teachers and producers. They tour the world with their own formations and as members of well-known international bands. They both hold many distinguished awards. In so many respects their musical approach shows similar traits. For both artists, knowledge of and respect for tradition, discovering their roots, and passing on and interpreting their heritage – are of extreme importance. Both of them seek depth, restraint and delicacy in performance style and composition. Perhaps what characterizes their ensemble work the most is that we hear their pasts in the music. This album “Bridges” is not simply several pieces of music, but musical works born of concrete dramatic elements.

Joining the duo a world-class soloist, accomplished composer and formidable bandleader, saxophonist Chris Potter who has emerged as a leading light of his generation in jazz. Down Beat called him “One of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet” while Jazz Times identified him as “a figure of international renown.”

A potent improvisor and the youngest musician ever to win Denmark’s Jazzpar Prize, Potter’s impressive discography includes 20 albums as a leader and sideman appearances on over 100 albums. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his solo work on “In Vogue,” a track from Joanne Brackeen’s 1999 album Pink Elephant Magic, and for the Best Jazz Instrumental Album in 2018 with The Dreamer is the Dream, and was prominently featured on Steely Dan’s Grammy-winning album from 2000, Two Against Nature. He has performed or recorded with many of the leading names in jazz, such as Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, John Scofield, the Mingus Big Band, Jim Hall, Paul Motian, Dave Douglas, Ray Brown and many others.

Supported by

Bethlen Gábor Fund, Hungary

Consulate General of Hungary in New York, US

Hungarian House of New York, US

Ministry of Human Capacities, Hungary

Partner organizations

Balassi Institute, Hungarian Cultural Center, New York, US

Bocskai Radio, Cleveland, US

Fonó Budai Zeneház, Hungary

Philidor Institute, Hungary

Polish Heritage Council of North America, US

Rézbong Publishing Company, Hungary

Artistic directors of the festival

Ildikó Nagy & Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács

Further information: hungarianhousenyc@gmail.com