Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 1993 (5. évfolyam, 31-51. szám)

1993-11-05 / 43. szám

AMERICAN Hungarian Journal LOS ANGELES CORVINA ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY This page written by ATA accredited translator SUSAN JANCSO The Corvina Culture Club held its annual awards ceremony at the Unity Center of La Crescenta last Saturday night, in conjunction with the Knights of St. Ladislas and the Arany János Culture Circle. Those present celebrated the three organizations for their devoted work to upkeep and nur­ture Hungarian language and cul­ture in the adoptive country, the artists who provided entertain­ment for the evening, and the four honorees, who were being recog­nized for their lives’ achieve­ments. Guests included Father Rettig- Hermann, Father Kristóf Hites, who had words of praise to offer for the quality artistic program in a city that is thought of by San Franciscans as "the big village", film director Miklós Csányi from Hungary, and the guest of honor, Dr. Maria Eckhardt, director of the Liszt Museum and Research Institute in Budapest. Ernő Tálas, the distinguished soloist of the Stockholm Opera, unfor­tunately was unable to make it. The first item on the agenda was delicious dinner, to set the tone for the rich cultural nourishment of the evening. The actual pro­gram started at six o’clock, with the opening remarks of the or­ganizer, piano artist Judith Nes­­lenyi, and greetings from the Hungarian Consulate General by Éva Rér. Pianist Csilla Bíró, decked out in colorful Hungarian embroidery, delivered Kodály’s Meditation (inspired by Debus­sy) and Petrarca’s Sonnet No. 104 by Liszt with great artistry. Julius Stubner outlined the history of the Knights of St. Ladislas, founded in 1861, named after a king of Hungary, and its role in supporting Hungarian minorities abroad. Julie Cser’s wonderful render­ing of Mendelssohn’s violin con­certo was a delightful surprise: " the little girl has grown up and developed into a fine lady and an accomplished artist, giving the audience a full audio-visual treat. Once again we had an oppor­tunity to observe how rich and exciting a live performance is! Julie, a pupil of Olga Mitana and Endre Balogh, is the youngest member of the American Youth Symphony, conducted by Zubin Mehta’s son Mehli. They will ap­pear in concert on November 7 at U.C.L.A. Royce Hall. George Székely recounted how the Arany János Circle was born nineteen years ago, upon the in­itiative of two enterprising women, Sári Vámos and Gizella Gerle, who wanted to create a home for the greats of Hungarian literature in the new country. Music, dance, painting, history and the figurative arts are also accepted topics of the circle’s monthly meetings. Guests fea­tured include local poets such as Árkosy, Bagladi, Csapiár, Stub­ner, Strém, Kannás, Zas, and visitors like Pomogáts, Csurka, Mózsi, Faludi. Presenters vary, but the Chronicle is kept by the same person, throughout the years, without a hitch: George Székely. His wife, Iby, is his faith­ful helper, Joe Markus handles the money, and for the last 8 years, the Oriold family has taken over the duty of mailing invita­tions. Barna Boros is the master of ceremonies. The Arany János Circle fulfills the dual purpose of keeping the Los Angeles Hungarian com­munity entertained and stimu­lated, and at the same time creating records for cultural his­tory with its audio- and video tapes of the programs. The Circle will be 20 years old next year. Geraldine Keeling introduced the other virtuoso, winner of the 1992 Liszt Competition, Rufus Choy. His rendering of "La Cam­­panella", composed by one magician of the piano (Liszt) for another (Paganini), was truly thrilling, with the clear sound of all the "chimes", while the Mefisto Waltz appeared almost modern, forceful and slightly bizarre. This young man is also likely to make his name known in the world - he is only fifteen! The guest of honor, Dr. Maria Eckhardt, musicologist and director of the Liszt Museum in Budapest, talked about - what else but her beloved Museum! The Hungarian Academy of Music was founded in 1875, and Franz Liszt was its first president. Even in earlier years he sup­ported financially the predeces­sor of the Academy, but from 1870 on, until his death he devoted one third of every year to teaching at the Academy. He would spend the winter months - the main concert season - in Budapest, then leave for Weimar in the spring, and spend autumn in Italy. He never accepted a salary for teaching; he felt his being a genius was also an obliga­tion to pass on his knowledge, just as "nobless oblige". He had an apartment at the Academy, and so did Ferenc Erkel, who was director at the time. Liszt’s former rooms are housing the Museum today. Although it was not possible to seal Liszt’s posses­sions immediately after his death, and the building served later as ballet school, secret police head­quarters, coffee house and ex­port-import agency, the curators of the Museum were able to get back, or buy back, many pieces of his furniture, personal posses­sions, and most importantly, seven pianos used by the Master. Two of these were made in America, by Chickering. Only rarely is a talented and renowned pianist allowed to play the sacred relics, e.g., Paul Badura-Skoda, and Judith Neslenyi had this honor last year. During the recess, a gorgeous chocolate cake delivered by Csárdás Hungarian Restaurant, in the shape of a piano, sitting on a bed of musical notes, was ad­mired and instantly consumed by the guests. This too was a great success. The second part was dedicated to the honorees who were intro­duced and then received their medals (the silver raven of King Mathias Corvinus, symbol of the club) and their certificates. Painter Ferenc Daday was intro­duced by Marra Rácz. Born in a small village in the Hungarian countryside, he later studied in Italy. His paintings have been ex­hibited in Washington, D.C. as well as in Budapest, his most famous one being "Nixon at Andau”. Margit Arvay-Chánky talked about wood carver Béla Ferenczy and his artistry (The Noontime Bell, The Vision of St. Brigitta, interior of St. Stephen’s Church in Los Angeles, and recently, the Rock Chapel on Mt. Gellert, in Budapest). László Eloed introduced George Székely, adding previously un­known details about the origins of the Arany János Circle, which go back to the Alma Mater. Finally, Geraldine Keeling talked about Dr. Maria Eckhardt and her career before the Liszt Museum. The program ended with folk songs from Dohnányi’s collec­tion, sung by István Czövek, and the Hungarian Anthem. It was a memorable event, and it was good to know there are so many great artists and great patriots living among us. As Judith Neslenyi pointed out, we should not take this for granted - we should let them know they are being noted and appreciated. This is exactly what happened at the 1993 Award Ceremony. S. J. BUDAPEST Los Angeles Hungarians Recognized in the Homeland 56 Minutes About ’56 JOSEPH MIKO and his wife Victoria are active members of the Los Angeles Hungarian com­munity, known for supporting every just and important cause, with effort and often with large sums of money. Just to mention the latest, they responded to Father Kristóf Hites’ fund-rais­ing call in order to establish the Péter Pázmány High School in Hungary. We have known and ap­preciated Joseph Miko for a long time, but suddenly he became the most talked-about person in Budapest. How do I know? Not from him, to be sure, he is too , modest even to mention little things like that. I happened to ; talk to a friend of mine in Budapest, and she told me with great enthusiasm, the Hungarian TV was showing this wonderful documentary about the Revolu- • tion of 1956, made by Miklós Csányi from Joseph Miko’s private collection, and the whole family just loved it, and they can hardly wait to see the second part on November 3. Joseph Miko was a professional photographer and film-maker, who always had a camera within reach. As he was walking home on October 23, 1956, he met the crowd of university students on their way to a demonstration, took his hand camera and started to take pictures. From that mo­ment on, he moved with the revolution, witnessed its birth, and created a historical record of it, without being aware of its value. The rolls of film just turned up, after all these years, from the bottom of a box, and Mr. Miko donated them to the Hun­garian government. Now the film is the talk of the town, and Mr. Miko enjoys well-deserved recognition for it. Dr. Alfred Pasternak Honored The cream of the Budapest medical society gathered at the Imre Haynal Unversity of Health Sciences on October 4, 1993, to witness the bestowal of a honorary doctorate upon Dr. Alfred Pasternak. In the first rows were sitting: Minister o' Public Welfare, Dr. László Surján; Education Minister Dr. Ferenc Madl; Professor István Gáti, head of the National In­stitute of Obstetrics/Gynecology, and of course the proud wife, Dr. Erzsébet Hollós. Also, a retired teacher who was moved to tears of pride and happiness: János Pottornyai, Dr. Pasternak’s grade school teacher from his native vil­lage, Tállya. After the tunes of"Gaudeamus Igitur" and the Hungarian Nation­al Anthem, Dean Pál Szemere jj talked about Dr. Pasternak’s life story. He has seen Auschwitz as a young boy, and lived to tell about it. Though an honor stu­dent, he had trouble getting ad­mitted to medical school because his parents were "capitalists". He won national first prize with his thesis, and graduated with summa cum laude, yet he could only work in a factory. He defected to the U.S. in 1956 and, with hard work and per­severance, got all the degrees a doctor can get in America (his main title is Diplomáié of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology), membership in a lot of important associations and medical organizations, and awards from city, state and federal government. Dr. Pasternak responded to the call of Hungarian medicine with sincere friendship and willing­ness to help. He was instrumen­tal in developing a new surgical procedure, endoscopy, in Hun­gary, and received several awards in his native land as well. After receiving the honorary diploma and shaking hands with the chancellor, Dr. Pasternak delivered his acceptance speech about "New ethical issues in obstetrics/gynecology". The timeliness of the topic and his faultless use of the Hungarian language earned him further recognition. The ceremony ended with the "Szózat" (a "second anthem" for Hun­garians), followed by a cham­pagne reception where the over 150 guests engaged in friendly conversation with the honoree. The editors and friends of the American Hungarian Journal congratulate Dr. Pasternak on his achievements. JÁNOSI TRAVEL December 18: Budapest - Los Angeles • Budapest CSOPORT UTAZAS KÍSÉRŐVEL December 17: Los Angeles - Budapest - Los Angeles CSOPORT UTAZÁS Mi készségesen megvalósítjuk az Önök kívánságát, hogy az ünnepeket rokonaival tölthesse Tel: (818) 834-1145 945 S. Western Ave. #104 LOS ANGELES, CA 90006 DR. PETER VIRÁG Attorney at Law Tel: (818) 382-3666 Fax: (818) 905-8074 Autóbaleset, válás, kereskedelmi szerződések. Első konzultáció díjtalan. 16000 Ventura Blvd., Suite 1100 Encino, CA 91436 Parkolás az épületben. 25% kedvezményt kap, ha e hirdetést felmutatja! ÉREZZE JOBBAN MAGÁT! Jól képzett, szép, fiatal európai modellek masszírozást vállalnak! Telefon: (310) 271-7131 Page: (213) 580-4103 HELENA AMERIKAI PPfl H l Ufagyar tfiylap (Q

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