Magyar News, 2004. szeptember-2005. augusztus (15. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-12-01 / 4. szám
I had a feeling that this performance at St. Emery’s Hall in Fairfield, CT is going to be something good. When the performance was over, I just sat there enjoying the experience that totally filled my whole being. It went deep into my soul. There was no put on, nothing fancy, only this one woman who’s singing came from far beyond what we could imagine. He voice carried the historical life of people, their whole existence, the belief of their soul. Well, who is this singer? Irén Lovász. Irén Lovász is not only one of the most respected Hungarian folk singers in the world, she is also an academic scholar in Human Sciences. She is a doctor (PhD) of Ethnography. She combines very well her scientific knowledge and her musical talent in her solo concerts, lectures, and performances. Irén grew up in the middle of Hungary. In her family folk songs were sung on a daily basis and she learned her first folk songs from her parents and grandparents. As a university student of Linguistics and Literary Sciences she went on singing and began to collect and study ancient Hungarian folk songs in different regions of Hungary and the Carpathian Basin: Romania, Slovakia, Croatia among ethnic Hungarians. Working as an ethnomusicologist at the Hungarian Museum of Ethnography, Department of Ethnomusicology, dealing with the famous collection of Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály and László Lajtha. Between 1986 and 1995 she was also a university lecturer in Cultural Anthropology. In 1995 she was awarded her PhD in Ethnography. Her thesis was on Sacred Communication, study of Folk Prayers. She participated in the Hungarian folk music revival, the so called dance house (Táncház) movement. She won competitions in Hungary and abroad in international folk festivals. Her first solo appeared at the request of the Hungarian National Museum for being used as a background music for the exclusive archeological exhibition of the Millecentenarium. This music was made by László Hortobágyi. She also sang contemporary music, and worked with jazz musicians. Toured in Europe with jazz guitarist, Ferenc Snétberger. An Estonian contemporary composer, Peeter Vahi wrote new music for her voice in which she sings early medieval Tibetan and Sanskrit language texts. Since 1998 she has been working with the Makám group. The new project is based on ancient Hungarian folk songs, and an authentic performance of them with Irén's voice. Composer, Zoltán Krulik, uses the language of contemporary music, style of ethno-jazz, adopting different ethnic sounds and instruments of traditional cultures. In 2000 she was invited as a vocal soloist of the Hungarian World Music orchestra. Then she elaborated a nice and successful concert repertoire with the classical lute player, István Kónya. She began her newest and most promising project, an acoustic duo with a contrabass player, Attila Lőrinszky. Together they created a musical meditation, an inner journey based on the four natural elements: Earth, Water, Fire and Air. Sándor Semsei wrote:”Irén Lovász and Attila Lorinszky have shouldered an immense task: to get acquainted with and investigate the world beyond the self. To show that there have remained intact places in the world and they live within us. They slumber in our vocal chords and the strings of our double bass. We only need to have courage to hear them." This was very well said, and I am sure that I wasn't alone sharing this uplifting experience. Top: a portrait of Irén Lovász, Below: Performing on stage In 2003 she received The SINGER OF THE YEAR AWARD in Hungary. The program started with Dr. Balázs Somogyi, President of the Hungarian Cultural Society of Connecticut, remembering the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. He compared the 1848 Revolution with 1956. Each was put down by outside powers. Only later did it happen that success came. In 1867 the Compromise, and in 1991 the Soviet military left the country. In 1514 the peasant rebellion was crushed with cruelty. In the early 1700s the Hapsburg mercenaries put down the Rákóczi insurrection. The Hungarians were heroes at all times and they always had to face greater powers. We hope that the new possibilities, specially with becoming member of the European Union will help Hungary leave behind all the disadvantage they had to suffer during the Communist Regime. OCTOBER 23 WITH THE VOICE OF THE SOUL Page 3 Dr. Balázs Somogyi in his speach remembers 1956 Zsuzsa Dömötör recites a poem, the Walesi Bárdok by János Arany
