William Penn Life, 2009 (44. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-01-01 / 1. szám
Magyar Matters ian filmmaker Bela Tarr. Alongside works by Tarr, an uncompromising master of contemporary cinema, MoMA will screen new works by young Hungarian filmmakers. Other programs in New York include: • Productions of new Hungarian plays at the Lincoln Center Festival, an annual summer-long showcase of international theater; • Cabarets of Hungarian music at the Neue Galerie's Café Sabarsky; • Two exhibitions at The Forbes Galleries, one showcasing ceramics by the legendary Zsolnay porcelain factory, including Art Nouveau masterworks; and the other featuring early 20th Century Hungarian paintings from the Nancy G. Brinker Collection; • An underground music festival of revolutionary bands active in Eastern Europe in the 80s and their contemporary counterparts at LaMama, and (Le) Poisson Rouge, in coordination with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; • Contemporary Hungarian design exhibition and fair in conjunction with New York Design Week; • A contemporary dance performance by Hungarian-American choreographer Vicky Schick at Danspace Project; and • Five contemporary Hungarian writers at PEN World Voices Festival. In Washington, festival events include: • A specially-commissioned performance by György Kurtág of a new work inspired by Bartók's music, presented at the Library of Congress; • An exhibition at American University's Katzen Art Center juxtaposing works by Lajos Vajda, the most distinctive artist of the Hungarian avant-garde, with those of contemporary Hungarian artists; • A forum on the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism at the Newseum, including discussions with journalists who reported from Eastern Europe in 1989; and • A concert by current European folk sensation Bea Palya at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Hungarians in America America is a country collaged of settlers and immigrants, and Hungarians are embedded into our nation's firmament—during the American Revolution, Hungarian- American Michael de Kovats founded the nation's cavalry. Since then, Hungarians have maintained a constant state of immigration to the United States, with surges following the Hungarian revolutions of 1848 and 1956. In the 1930s, many talented Hungarian intellectuals immigrated to the United States, among them numerous internationally known scientists, artists, and filmmakers who would forever impact America. Forced into exile by the rising tide of fascism, they would alter the way we fight and prevent wars, help shape modern art, design, photography and cinema, and transform the way we communicate and view the world. The thread of creative achievements by Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans infused the fabric of American culture with contributions that helped to establish modem art movements. Franz Liszt and Béla Bartók are considered among the greatest composers of the last two centuries, with legacies that extend to modern and contemporary compositions. Hungarians and Hungarian- Americans also made their mark in Hollywood: from entertainers Harry Houdini and Béla Lugosi, to business tycoons William Fox and Adolph Zukor, the founders of 20th Century Fox and Paramount Studios, respectively. Émigré Michael Curtiz directed Casablanca, one of the most influential films of all time, itself an anti-fascist treatise. The legacy of Hungarian-American entertainers continues today with Jerry Seinfeld, Drew Barrymore, Kate Hudson and Adrien Brody, among others. Over a dozen Nobel Prize winners emerged from the mid-century generation of Hungarian talent, including innovators who helped usher in both the nuclear age and the age of the computer. Physicist Leó Szilárd discovered nuclear chain reactions, the foundation for the atomic bomb—and the discovery that fueled the Manhattan Project. In 1951, the Hungarian physicist Edward Teller, who had worked alongside Szilárd on the Manhattan Project, built on that work to conceive the hydrogen bomb. Meanwhile, Hungarian-born computer scientist John Kemeny invented BASIC computer language, which made computers usable for the masses. A few decades later, fellow émigré Andrew Grove pioneered the Intel microprocessor. New York remains the area with the largest concentration of Americans of Hungarian origin. First generation Hungarian-American political leaders include former New York governor George Pataki. Hungarian-American titans of industry include technology executive and space tourist Charles Simonyi and financier George Soros. These and many more form the body of exceptional individuals and contributions that are the inspiration, of Extremely Hungary. The Hungarian Cultural Center Dedicated to enhancing knowledge and appreciation of Hungarian culture, the Hungarian Cultural Center (HCC) organizes and supports a wide spectrum of events that celebrate Hungary's past, present and future. Since its founding in 2001, the HCC has linked Hungarian artists and intellectuals with American audiences through exhibitions, lectures, concerts, performances and screenings. The HCC has also partnered with major venues, including the New York Public Library and Lincoln Center, to bring its programming to larger audiences. Extremely Hungary is made possible by funding from the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture. Additional information can be found on the festival's website, www.extremelyhungary.org. |wpl| William Penn Life, January 2009 17
