Duna Art Ensemble & National Dance Theater

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In the second week of January, the Duna Art Ensemble will return to the stage of the National Dance Theater with its first performances of 2024.

On January 12, from 5 p.m., the public can see their latest show, Fathers and Sons – Dance Performance in the wake of Albert Nagy’s collections.

OÍn January 13, from 11 a.m., the audience/families can see with their children the performance of Cinderella.

The professional folk dance group Fathers and Sons – Dance performance (previously on may update on rollinginbudapest.com). In brief reminder … Albert Nagy’s latest production, titled After the Collections, wants to talk about tradition and passing on through the spiritual relationship between fathers and sons. In the performance, the dances pay tribute to the outstanding work of the folk dance collector Albert Nagy, who was the master of the group’s artistic director, Zsolt Juhász. On the stage, the audience can see, among other things, the most famous collections of the Szeged area, the gypsy dances of Szegvár, Baksi, Hódmezővásárhely and Kiskundorozsma, but also dances from Elek, Méhkerék from Békés County, Nádasdaróc and Inaktel from Kalotaszeg, and Lőrinrevé from Küküllő-mente are also presented in the production, in which Ferenc Kölcsey Parainesis to Kálmán Kölcsey c. excerpts from his work are also quoted in the interpretation of Ödön Jászai Mari Prize-winning dramatist, Merited Artist. On January 12, the audience can see the production again at the National Dance Theatre.

The Duna Artist Ensemble Cinderella performance for children and families has been running with great success on stages in the capital and the countryside for many years. The production studded with interactive elements is one of the best-known and timeless of the Brothers Grimm process his tale. Cinderella meets the Prince during a dance at a ball, whose story is told through dance and music. The life of the royal court, the quarreling of the stepchildren, the search for the owner of the lost shoe and the lovers finding each other come to life in the energetic choreographies set to the music of Ghymes. Drawing from the dances of the European peoples (from Scandinavia to the Balkans), the Duna Art Ensemble created its spectacular and cheerful performance, which is understandable and enjoyable for children, and which will be shown on January 13 in its recently renovated special scenery at the National Dance Theater.

Recomender: Aggie Reiter

Hello January & Happy 2024 Year.

Happy 2024 Year

Tchaikovsky evening – Xmas Concert – Concerto Budapest – December 23&24.

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Those who did not make it to the band’s Christmas concerts can follow it in the form of a free live broadcast.

In view of the huge interest in the Christmas Tchaikovsky evening, András Keller decided at the end of November that Concerto Budapest will give an encore concert and will also perform the program of the evening Christmas concert from 11 am, in which Tchaikovsky’s Meditation from Souvenir d’un lieu cher, D -major violin concerto, the Swan Lake Suite and the Nutcracker Suite. The soloist of the evening is Kristóf Baráti, the concert is conducted by András Keller.

The tickets for the morning concert were also sold out in a few days, so the idea of a live broadcast came up, the implementation of which was resolved, so the stream of the concert will be available for free on the orchestra’s online platforms for everyone who wants to enjoy the joy of waiting for Christmas through Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music.

“The main purpose of musical art is to convey humanity, love and human goodness, to elevate the soul and to complete our emotional world. That is why it is especially important for me to spread the feeling of harmony, peace, community and finding each other to as many people as possible at Christmas,” said András Keller –  Kossuth Prize-winning music director of the band, about the concert broadcast, and then quoted the words of Zoltán Kodály: “The music it is a nourishing, comforting elixir, and it empowers the beauty of life and all that is valuable in it.”

Imre Stein Szabó, the creative producer of the recording and the band’s chief international strategy consultant, said the following about the broadcast: “In the past three years, it can be said without exaggeration that Concerto Budapest has been at the forefront of film recordings and live broadcasts not only in Hungary, but also in Europe in terms of quality and viewership. I believe that there are two important directions for streams, one is when, for example, by broadcasting a Mozart day or a Beethoven day, we can create a cinematic presence that actually opens up a new kind of reception dimension. A typical example of the other direction is the current situation, when considering the solemnity of the moment, the day, the event, it would be a mistake to exclude those who cannot enter the concert hall from the musical experience. Although the full house, the packed choir and the stage would all speak against the proper implementation of the recording, this time we will also provide a worthy experience with the broadcast.”

Update by Aggie Reiter

Paris-based Epica – Capa Silver Medal – Capa Center Budapest

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“Machines don’t see the world the way humans do”
At one of the most important communication awards, the Paris-based Epica Awards in the Recreation & Leisure category, Innocean Berlin’s ads, created for the Robert Capa, Correspondent exhibition that opened at the Capa Center, won a silver medal.
Capa’s name is recorded among the first and the best in the history of universal photography.
The campaign juxtaposes Robert Capa’s photographs with those created by artificial intelligence-driven image generators, showing what is produced when they are fed the description of the original photograph.
“Machines don’t see the world the way people do” – this is the main message of the campaign of the creative agency Innocean Berlin, which was created for the Robert Capa, the Correspondent exhibition that opened in the new 500 sqm exhibition space of the enter for Contemporary PhotographyIn 2008, the Hungarian State purchased the Master’s Set III series, which contains 937 enlargements made in the nineties. Along with New York and Tokyo, Budapest thus became the most important custodian of the Capa legacy. The unique exhibition presents 138 photographs from the series, many of which have become iconic, and presents the most important stages of the photographer’s life to the visitor, processed according to the themes defined by the oeuvre. (the attached photo is Capa by AI – The AI Captured Soldier). The war correspondent who visited five battlefields also created a lasting impression during his tragically short life: with his photos taken on the fronts and in the hinterlands, he created a school and renewed the work of photojournalism. He photographed the war, the battles, the soldiers in the trenches or the everyday life of the hinterland from the observer’s position of the participant, with boundless compassion. He was there with the soldiers, he was there in the middle of the events and he documented what happened in close proximity to death. With this closeness, this participation, he recreated the genre of war photography. This is what his often quoted famous saying is about: “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you weren’t close enough”. Robert Capa had a significant impact on the photojournalism profession and war photography. His pictures and work have provided and continue to inspire generations. The ethical principles he embodied and his dedication have been important pillars of the photojournalism profession ever since.
The attached photo is Capa by AI – The AI Captured Soldier.
Update by Aggie Reiter

Hungarian Theater Award Gala @ the Karinthy Theater Budapest -2023.

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Another Hungarian Celebrity born 113 years ago moved in Madame Tussauds Wax Museum @ Budapest.

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Katalin Karády was born on December 8, 1910. The movie star’s memory is preserved by a marble plaque on the wall of her former residence in Pest and in New York, and a lifelike figure depicts her unforgettable figure in the building of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum – Budapest.

Since May of this year, visitors may take a photo with a lifelike version of the Hungarian icon.

An international crew worked on Katalin Karády’s wax figure for several months to present the actress in the most authentic way. With the help of original photos and film footage, they tried to reproduce her queenly posture and suggestive gaze in the most authentic way. The actress was 174 cm tall with characteristic green color of eyes with tiny mole on her cheek.  At Madame Tussauds Budapest, the public can see Karády in a black evening dress embroidered with white pearls. Its sleek simplicity is modern and timeless, just like the cult of the actress.

Karády’s life  journey was a typical 20th century Hungarian fate.  The actress and her fiancé, István Ujszászy, were arrested by the Gestapo in April 1944. She was interrogated and tortured for several weeks before she was allowed to return to her ransacked apartment. Ujszászy – head of Hungarian counterintelligence, was taken prisoner by Russia after the war, and then disappeared under unclear circumstances. Even in the most horrific hours of the war, the actress saved the persecuted, including children. However, after the fighting ended, she was only able to enjoy a peaceful new life for a very short time. The Rákosi system ran out of air around her. She did not receive a theater contract and was regularly harassed by the State Defense Authority. On 19th of February, 1951, Karády traveled to Szombathely under the pretext of a performance, and then left the country by a pre-organized action. She started a new life first in Brasil and then in the United States. After emigrating, Karády opened a cool hat shop, first in São Paulo, and then in New York under the name Rochelle Millinery, where even Nancy Reagan liked to shop. The star with excellent manual dexterity preferred to work in the workshop, she really enjoyed the creative work. After defecting from Hungary, she never crossed the Hungarian border again. She died in New York. However, her remains were brought home in accordance with her last will and laid to rest in the Farkasrét cemetery – Budapest – Hungary.

Update by Aggie Reiter

Funky Festival Budapest – 2024.

Funky Festival

Thursday, 27. June, 2024. 7  p.m.  venue: MVM Dome

Kool and The Gang
Earth Wind and Fire experience by Al McKay
Martha High and The Soul Cookers

According to the one of the Hungarian saying  … for far to the future …”A lot of water flows down the Danube.”

Anyway the Funky Festival will fill the air at the MVM Doma at Budapest,  yet indeed worthwhile to mark your calender as a reminder not to be missed. Lately was announce the 2024 Funky Festival, where the heavyweights of Funky music will gather in Budapest. Funky is not just a musical style, not just a realm of rhythms and colors, but also a positive energy-infused way of life that equals joy and vitality. It encompasses those vibrant sounds and grooves that are inseparably linked to the legends of the Funky universe. At the festival, you can experience three iconic and defining bands that guarantee an explosive atmosphere. The transitions between the bands will be taken care of by the well-known Hungarian DJs of Get Funky Party: Imre Suri and László Jazzkovács, ensuring the best guarantee for escalating the party. Alongside Funky, their repertoire includes Soul, R&aB, and Hip-Hop, as well as classic American disco.
Groove never stops with the funky Legends.
Best of – Kool &The Gang … This legendary band has been dominating stages since 1969, bringing us hits like Celebration, Cherish, Jungle Boogie… Two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B, and 9 Top Ten Pop hits – just a few of their many accolades. Masters of Funk, they have rewritten the course of history with their music. Not only proud figures of the past, but they continue to create, innovate, and captivate fans worldwide today. They are continually honoredwithin their hits integrated into blockbuster films, and their concerts remain eternal memories.  What a Band, over 50 years in the industry together!
Best of Earth Wind & Fire experience by Al McKay … Led by the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay, this ensemble comprises some of L.A’s finest studio and concert musicians. Their music is rhythmically rich and invigorating, but their fans know this very well. The band’s history dates back to 1990 when Al McKay revived the spirit of EWF under the name  Allstars, later renamed Al McKay Allstars.  They are hailed as the best Funky band on the planet.
Best of – Martha High & The Soul Cookers … Martha High, the Soul Goddess who accompanied James Brown for 35 years, brings her musical legacy and greatest hits to the Funky Festival. Martha continues to tour regularly with the Maceo Parker band. Her consistent musical contributions to the history of soul music, including the 1968 Boston Garden concert on the night of Martin Luther King assassination, are recognized. The Soul Cookers brilliant performance is greeted with immense enthusiasm by critics and audiences alike,encompassing old and new melodies from Jazz to Soul … Blues to Funky.

Update by Aggie Reiter

Klimt “The Kiss” – Exhibition on Screen in Hungarian Cinemas.

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In December, the newest member of the Exhibition on Screen, the English fine art documentary of the iconic Klimt – “The Kiss”, distributed by Pannonia Entertainment, will be released in Hungarian cinemas.

Director: Ali Ray – Producer: Phil Grabsky – Music: Asa Bennet – Producer and distributor: Seventh Art Productions.

“Maybe not everyone knows who painted it, when and why, but it can be known through Gustav Klimt’s painting “The Kiss.”

Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” is one of the most famous and most reproduced paintings in the world. It is perhaps the most popular poster on the walls of student dormitories from Beijing to Boston.
The suggestive picture depicting an unknown couple, painted in Vienna around 1908, enchants viewers with its mystery, sensuality and dazzling materials. But what is behind the appeal of the painting; and who was its creator? You can find out when watching the documentary film.
A close study of the painting – the real gold, the decorative patterns, the symbolism and the seething eroticism – takes us to the remarkable turn-of-the-century Vienna, when a new world was battling the old.

Recomenttion by Aggie Reiter

Primitivo and its Italian counterparts @ Budapest

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Today attended on the second occasion @ the AB-OVO wine shop @ SZEGA – Budagyöngye Shopping Center, whereas was held winetasting for the winelovers and wine-related professionals to taste the flavors of the Made-in-Italy  wines from the Puglia areas. The Puglia wine area lay in bigger land than the whole territory of Hungary, so we are talking about an enormous wine field, whereas dozen-of-dozen characteritc winemakers produce their wines.   Twelve bottle of Italian wines were in line to be tasted along with crunchy-muchy yummy foodies to match the Italian wines on the spot. These delicous bit-and-pieces was served by the SZEGA grocery store.

Would highlight a couple:

IMG_6378The rosé made from Primitivo! Has a unique character, hard to compare with other rosés. Hand harvested from red earth rich in organic matter. This was followed by gentle pressing, followed by fermentation in steel tanks at a low temperature, with short skin contact, with special yeast strains. Its color is pale pink. In addition to strawberry jelly, cherry, watermelon, some rose petals and aromatic herbs can also be found in its aroma. In the mouth, the richness of the aroma is almost enormous, with a fruity, thick sip that lasts a long time. It goes well with tomato or seafood pasta, tuna tartar, risottos, or even Thai chicken with piri-piri sauce.

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Femar Gran Appasso Primitivo Rosé IGP 2020. Rosé, which is made from Primitivo, has a unique character that is difficult to compare with other rosés. Hand harvested from red earth rich in organic matter. This was followed by gentle pressing, followed by fermentation in steel tanks at a low temperature, with short skin contact, with special yeast strains. Its color is pale pink. In addition to strawberry jelly, cherry, watermelon, some rose petals and aromatic herbs can also be found in its aroma. Gastronomic benefits … perfect for tomato or seafood pastas, tuna tartar, risottos, or even Thai chicken. Recommended serving temperature: 8-10C. 

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Masca del Tacco Lu Ceppu Negroamaro. The appellation Lu Ceppu takes its name from the stump of the grape cluster, which conveys the power of the ancient area here and testifies to the work of the generations who have been working with the grapes all their lives. Negroamaro has always been one of the most representative grapes of the Puglia wine region, from which excellent wines are made. The grapes were harvested towards the end of September from the lower-lying areas covered with red soil rich in organic matter. After gentle pressing, it was kept on the skins for a short time and then fermented in steel tanks. Its color is a sparkling, bright ruby red. Its intense aroma is blackberry, cherry, aromatic herbs, mild tobacco leaves, with some balsamic. In the mouth it is silky, perfectly structured, with fresh, smooth tannins and a long aftertaste. Gastronomic benefits … with raw, smoked hams, ragout pastas, mushroom risotto, lamb and pork, and medium-aged cheeses. Recommended consumption temperature: 16-18C

By-the-way … at least four facts are worthwhile to keep in mind … 1. The Primitivo grape was brought to Italy from Croatia in the 1700s … 2. The name Primitivo means “first to ripen” … 3. Primitivo and Zinfandel are the same grape variety … 4. Sweet wines made from the grape are called “dolce naturale”

Riport and snaps by Aggie Reiter

“Whispering Land” – Solidarity Connect Israeli Art with Hungarian Art – Contemporary Art Exhibition.

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Exhibition display: December, 7. 2023 – January, 7. 2024., @ Budapest

Upon invitation to the exhibition’s press launch in addition to seven major cities, the Jerusalem Biennale can also be seen in Budapest at the Museum of Ethnography – District, XIV., 35. Dózsa György Road.
“This exhibition is a stands solidarity for Israel,” said György Szegő –  artistic director of the Műcsarnok, adding that the Jerusalem Biennale is an important venue for fine arts life. Attila Turi – president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, recalled that the 6th Jerusalem Biennale did not open on the planned November date this year due to the war that broke out as a result of the terrorist attack on October 7.

Because of the war, the 6th Jerusalem Biennale, announced under the title Iron Flock (Vasnyáj), had to be postponed, but presumably in 2024, sometime during  Springtime will be take place. Budapest just as other big cities hosting in one of the thirty-five exhibitions. Under adventurous circumstances, in a very short time, the exhibition was completed, which included the landscapes of the failed Jerusalem Biennale, supplemented by the works of Hungarian artists.

Getting art objects out of Israel now, during the wartime, was absolutely less easy, as less planes took-off with a smaller capacity, and the documents of the shipment  in a way got mixed up its way. Rami Ozeri – founding director of the biennale, flew to Budapest from Israel so that the art objects could be “exhibited”. The president of the MMA said that one part of the biennale’s projects will be presented in seven big cities: in addition to Budapest, New York, London, Rome, Turin, Los Angeles and Buenos Aires. This creates a kind of cultural network, he added.

At the exhibition will feature the works of 20 Israeli and 18 Hungarian artists with the participation of three Israeli and three Hungarian curators. The exhibition presents traditional and alternative, contemporary interpretations of landscape depiction, from plein-air painting to symbolic expressions. The works presented in thematic groups reflect each other and create a comprehensive, contemporary art landscape, Attila Turi – MMA president explained Q.: “The opportunity to show the power of art in this way, despite the depressing events, strengthens the connection between the culturally diverse Jerusalem and the city’s supportive community around the world.”
“The request to implement the exhibition came in a terrible situation, it was clear that we had to make this gesture,” said Lajos Kemecsi – director general of the Museum of Ethnography and added Q.:  The institution is no stranger to hosting such an exhibition, a contemporary exhibition can still be seen in the museum.  The short deadline was a challenge, but it proved the preparedness and willingness to cooperate.  László Koppány Csáji director of the MMA’s Art Theory and Methodological Research Institute, recalled that at the beginning of November, when the invitation arrived, it seemed almost impossible to create an international exhibition of this weight. With the exhibition, we express our solidarity and connect Israeli art with Hungarian art, said the director. He pointed out that the works of art displayed in the 800 square meter space of the Ethnographic Museum reflect to each other.
Curator Vera Pilpoul from Italy, who organized the exhibition “Behind the Mask” in the small town of Casale Monferrato – Italy, signed in online at the press conference. She said: the theme of the accepted exhibition was the Book of Esther, and Israeli and Italian artists presented themselves. The large-scale works had to be reproduced on site, alongside the contemporary works, the ancient Scroll of Esther was also visible, added the curator.
Tibor Munkácsy Award-winning painter Iski Kocsis, one of the curators and director of the Budapest exhibition, spoke about how the Israeli and Hungarian works can be seen in 5 thematic groups in Budapest, reflecting on the landscape, the land, the homeland. The exhibited works include oil paintings, large-scale drawings and photography. The Hungarian artists included young people and several Kossuth Prize winners, he said. Among other things, the thematic groups are built around the dystopian landscape, landscape as environment and home, the relationship between landscape and man, and landscape and ecological thinking. The curator also said that the title of the original project, which was not realized in Jerusalem, was Landscape, Landscape, Landscape.

In addition to Tibor Iski Kocsis, the curators of the exhibition were Nehemja Boáz, Ofer Kahana, Victor Rjabkin and Avi Róth.

Riport and snaps by Aggie Reiter