Magyar News, 1997. szeptember-1998. augusztus (8. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1998-02-01 / 6. szám
The Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest Kocsis noticed a mistake of one note on the part of the harpist during a tutti (full orchestra) passage. He obviously has quite a good ear! Many Hungarians have become great symphony conductors (George Szell, Eugene Ormandy, and Antal Doráti to name a few) and maybe Kocsis will follow in their footsteps. Besides hearing great music in a superb acoustical environment, I was able to absorb some of the architectural splendor of the Academy. It merits a visit even without a performance! The exterior features a colossal statue of the seated Franz Liszt while the interior is highlighted by excellent marblework and tum-of-the-century stained glass on windows, doors and hallway entrances. Besides being a great environment for study purposes, the Academy also reminds one of those who passed through here: Bartók, Kodály, Solti and many others. The night of October 23rd, the anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, featured two major musical events. A closed performance of Bánk Bán took place in the Operaház. It was for diplomats, government officials and special invited guests only and was held under very strict security. Before leaving for Hungary, I had called the Operaház and asked without any luck, for tickets (as a reporter for Magyar News) for October 23rd. Instead I was given complimentary tickets for the October 26th performance and the opportunity to interview the Artistic Director of the Operaház. You'll read about these interesting events in my next article. The other musical event, a concert (free and open to the public), was perfonned in Mátyás Templom. The program offered choral music by Hungarian composers only, including Kodály, Liszt, Bárdos and Ernő Dohnányi. Seven different choral organizations and school orchestras of varying age range from all of Hungary participated. Musically, the pieces ranged from Latin mass settings to somewhat avant-garde twentieth-century compositons. The quality of the performance was excellent and the acoustics in Mátyás Templom are favorable to a good-sized choir. A full audience was very attentive throughout the concert, which finished with the singing of the Béni Egressy-Mihály Vörösmarty Szózat. As we can see from all the above, the music scene in Budapest is very much alive and even a non-Hungarian like myself can appreciate the depth and quality of music performance here. I hope the readers of Magyar News wiill take avantage of these same opportunities in future visits to Hungary. There is so much good music to hear. n lX Experienced in all phases of TAX and ACCOUNTING Allan Chomortany, CPA FAIRFIELD LOCATION Phone:(203)335-1935 j HlA(iAi:LU COMMUNITY CLUB 147 Ward St., Wallingford, CT. Tel:(203)238-4781; P.O. Box 1816 Available for cultural and social events. Hall, kitchen, bar, stage,and parking. Contact Kati Kovács. Journey of a talent Most of the time when we talk about Hungarian artists, we usually associate them with the Old Country. Well we should know that there are some who live among us and create here in the states. A lovely young lady, Suzanna Cseke, who originally came from Pecs, studied at the Janus Pannonius University and the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. After her Fine Arts studies in Hungary and Italy she received an international scholarship from Amherst, MA. As an outstanding talented painter the Soros Foundation also supported her with a grant. Suzanna’s exhibitions span from Hungary through Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England, Canada and naturally the United States. Her works adorn the walls of many collections. Beside official places, as museums and libraries, she has paintings owned by such celebrities as Pierre Cardin in Paris and Adrianne Vitadini in New York. We also find her works at the Hungarian Consulate in New York. At the beginning of her career Suzanna mostly worked in printmaking, etching, lithography and silk-screen art. In this period her drawings were strongly figurative, first taking subjects from the Hungarian scene. During her second stay in Italy painting became her primary media. At the same time the subject matter changed from figurative to abstract and surrealism. In the past years, back in America, Suzanna Cseke is working hard to reestablish herself in the very competitive art world of this country. We are looking forward to her upcoming exhibition in the near future. New York will meet Suzanna’s new style adding her name to the list of all the Hungarian artists who brought their talent to this land. We wish her ongoing success. Page 5
