MARTA SEBESTYEN AND MUSZIKAS
House is nothing new. From the early 70s. the movement swept the country. Hungarythat is. Dance House is the symbol otthe Hungarian tolk revival. and one at the tirst. and the most talented ot the groups arrives tor two
Scottish concerts. Muzsikas
celebrate the national variety ot dance tunes. airs and songs using the traditional violin. bass and the viola-like chording instrument called the kontra. along with the likes ol zither. pipes and hurdy gurdy. And the bewitching singing at Marta Sebestyén. This slight creature has one otthe most remarkable voices in European tolk song. and like the rest otthe band. an amazing energy and stamina. All those years playing tor a Dance House. As she says. 'We get used to it. It's not easy. We play about six hours. but it you go to a wedding party you have to play torthree days without stopping.‘
Ten years with the same line up at Peter Eri. Mihaty Sipos. Daniel Hamar and Sandor Csoori. has given Muzsikas a fluency and tightness most tolli bands . tacit. And although they all play in other groups. Marta even belonging to the Hungarian State Ensemble otthe Army. and Euro Supergroup Mosaic with
Dick (iaughaii t It) May) and John Martsnt7 H May). while a contemporary. Rohin Williamson ( I3 Mas ). has. since the demise of the Incredihle String Band. led a peripatetic existence. like his helos'ed harpers of old
African c‘:iri't-stzintt-sti|| music riiakes the 'l hird Iiye a dance serum with the intoxicating Taxi I’ata Pata ( lh May ). and Sierra I.eonean hand African (‘ulture (2 May),
A longdraught of (‘hicago Miles from (‘arey and l.urrie Bell ( It) May). who are among the hest from North America. while the social and political ferment ofthe southern halfofthe continent finds expression in the work of Mexico (‘ity-has‘ed Yolocamhri I-Ta ( I 3—H May). But in all ofthis. and there are hands from Pakistan and Algerians from Belgium. try and get to hear the outstanding Hungarian hand Muzsikas and their compelling singer Marta Sehestyen. (Norman Chalmers)
Planxty's Andy Irvine. they all consider Muzsicas their musical 'home'. Over here in 1987 tor Fairport's annual Cropredy reunion. she received rave reviews with the band. and with the current roclr scene interest in the raretied vocals trom Bulgaria and the glamour oi Glasnost. herstar seems set to rise ever higher. Voted best popular singer in Hungarytor her role in a mid 80s rock opera. she avoided the rock cliches. suttusing the songs with her teeting tor the idioms ot the real music at the country. a revelation to much otthe young urban audiences.
AUTHENTICALLY ANCIENT
\thn l)as id Todd. until a couple of ss ceks ago Manager of I-diiihurgh’s ()ireen‘s I Iall. mos ed ioh to take osei theI.ondoii hased Academy of '\t)t‘leltt Music. ss ell known for itstoursto glamouious foreign parts. little did he think that his tirst trip would hririg hiiii hack to Scotland Iloss esei . it is. as he explains ‘the end ol a I~uropean toiir which also takes iii Bologna. Milan. (irariada and Madrid.‘ Highly acclaimed for its authentic performances in the style of. and using. instrumentsotthe period from w hich the music dates. the group's tour repertoire includes Beethos en's Symphony No 7 in the same soitof forces as might haye heeri risedoii tour iii Beethosen'sday So instead of an SN( ) si/e orchestra. audiences can expect something more
THE LIST
MAYFEST
used to the 'gypsy' tiddling doled out tor the tourists. She wouldn't want to do it
any other way. ‘Music was always around me. Right trom the beginning. because my motherwas studying musicology — she was a student ot Kodaly in the Academy at Music. So this music was really ingrained. She was pregnant— I was in her body and I heard everything. I‘m sure.‘ (Norman Chalmers) .Wiifs‘i/s'm. .’ .‘lfrii'. Ri’rifri'ii' l‘i’rri'. See listings.
.lliirm .Se/iesis'r‘n um/ .lfllly‘lkll.8'. 2 Mar See Listings
«Lin tittlii' S(‘(). although the otils modern instruments iii sight will he copies ot those iii use in Illc‘("tll\ lulltei'tltltfl This .-\dmimstt.itor. Sarah Bonner \lorgan ‘mcatis that stylistically we are doing thiiigsas faras
possihle in the same ss :is' as Beethos cti would has e done. \Ve's e gone to the original riiamiscripts and taken assay what sheen added through the years without losing ans colour or immediacy mctedthlcetfcct with. lot instance. wooden flutes iiisteadot metal ones. natural horns and trumpets. esen authentic
It‘sati
timpam. ss hich gis e a much drier sound than modern oties.‘
Although we don't hear much of it in Scotland. the ant liciit ic performance hrigade is strong in I oiidoii witheminent musicians including T tesor Pinriock..lohii Iiliot (iardiner and Roger Norriiigtoii all directing period hands Todd feels that ‘such competition is healthy . w itli each group
I
MUSIC
haying a different sort of focus. largely taken from the director". The Academy 's(‘hristopher
I Iogssood res is ed the name in N70 from an institution originally founded in 1726. 'At that tinie'.explains'l‘mld. ‘academies w ere not places where yoti went to studs . hut the concerts themsels es and ancient music was ans thing more than 3“ years old There
\s ere no classics as such Most of the music performed 'tl this time ss as tor pris ate patrons and new . hut the Academy gas e puhlic concerts and repeat performances of music people liked. so it's through these academies that classics vs et'e estahlished "I‘ooui'ears now Academy of Ancient Music can‘t help sounding academic and rather stufty as a name. hut w hether anyone actually realised it or not. the hackground gis'es it the perfect credentials for appear tug at a I'cstis al such as Maylest t('arol Main) I‘hc :I (‘iii/i’ntl' 0fo Helen! Music. ('in' Hull. I.“ Must l’iillili'mi/s net! issue
CLASSICAL SMALL TALK
(‘Iassical music at May test is again relegated totlie position ot the poor relation. its two pages iii the (it l-odd page programme looking pretts tcehlc compared to the eight each for theatre and folk popular music The greatest strokes of imagination has e heeti iii hiiiiging the Academy of Ancient Mirsic on a rare s ml to Scotland (see separate panel) and iii importing \ssc‘mlils Miisic's ilehiit sertcsot outstanding young Scottish artists ss ho are not normally heard on the concert plattorni in Scotland
This includes names stic Ii as ( ‘hrtstitie I 'zitt'ns (Sim it). Steseiison Hall). a tiieI/o soprano who has appeared w ith Pres iii and the l (is Angeles Philharmonic. Ashkena/y and the RP( ) on international tottrs. the Vienna Philharmonic. hut ss ho. incredihle as it may seem. has nes er yet had her own recital in a maioi Scottish concert hall lot this concert. she sings Brahms and Schoenherg Izqualls welcome is a rate recital hs haritorie Donald Maxwell ( \Ved ltl, Stes-eiisoii Ilall). Much in demand internationalls on the oper'i circuit. his biggest success is as I"als‘t:iffiii Peter's Stein's production for Welsh
National Opera. recently screened on (‘hannel 4. In a programme chosen for wide appeal. he performs songs hy Purcell. IIadyn. Beethos eti and Sliostkos ich with pianist Angela Livingstone. TV hroughi tame. hut not much work in this country for Itdinhurgh classical guitarist Paul ( ialhraith (\Ved 3. Ste\enson Hall). a past winner of the RM. Young Musician ot the Year In histiriieahroad he Iias adopted a new and unusual way ol playingthe guitar. so that it issertical rather then horizontal. more like the 'cello Another Young Musician of the Year is pianist I)it\ td I Iorne It should he worth going to his recital on Tuesday lo(Stcs‘ensori Ilall) tust to heat Balakires ‘s Islamey.
()tlier concert performances has c all heen heard hefore in Scotland within sery recent memory. Both I.eeds w inner Vladimir ()s chtnikos and The Wallace ( ~ollection appeared at last sear's I‘dinhurgh I‘estis'al and the Scottish I-‘arls Music ("otisort‘s I,ut‘i'rs_ I.eiirners um/ li/miimiy was part of their I‘lts’ts' season Not that tlieros anythingwrongwitharis of these thes 're all terrific hutoriecan'l hpr teelirig that .May test could Iiase heen (list a hit iiioreorigirial in its concert programming
(hi the operatic front. I" iiglisli National Opera's .-l Smul/ ( iri'i'n .S/nii i'( I uc IS Sat 3“. Siesensori Ilall). aimed at the south market. deals w ith issues ot consersation and presets atioii (See I'eaturc riest issue ) and the British premiere ot Philip ( ilass's Ill/IN.—Ilr/rlmti's ()n [he Roof is ilescrtl‘ed as the highlight ot this year's theatre prograriiriic (See I'eaturc) ((at'ol Main)
JAZZ: SAX AND STRINGS
It you hypass the
Songhai (18 May)
costumed choreography of the four females in the Fairer Sax ( I7 May). you can thank Mayfest for bringing the Kolner Saxuphone Mafia ( I5 May) over from Germany. who don‘t just use the .saxes. hut a bewildering range of w ind instruments. and all with tremendous rhythmic dris'c. eschewing drums or percussion. As for singing. Britain‘s
os erdressed and old fashioned iazzererrge Melly hrings his droll show and the speakeasy sonorittesof .Iohn ('hilterii's Feetwarmers (1 I I2 May) . while local mainstream singer Shelagh Buchanan teams tip with leading jazz guitarist Martin Taylor and the uhiquitous Sandy Taylor Trio (7 May).
America sends over the hugely proficient hlues harp. from that city of harmonica players. of ('hicagoans ( ‘arey and l.urrie Bell ( It) May). and the world of World Music is exactly expressed by the imaginatis'e and successful groupingof London hassist Danny Thompson (ll 14 May) with Spanish new-flamenco group Is'etama and Malian kora. or gourd harp player. 'I'oumarii I)iahate. creatinga s‘il’ttioso synthesis.
But the sharp end of (an evolution will hest he seen in the concert ofthe Pointy Birds( I: May ). a sax and strings triosshosc- appetite for extreme musical idioms feeds a heast that roams untethered through the map of modern music. and the professional polish of young tenor st:ir(‘ourtney Pine ( III Mas ) and a harid w hich includes tsso s'ocalists
The hiin quality ia/l currently heiiig played iii Scotland is reflected in concertshy keyhoard player ( 'hick I.ya|l‘shand (Ill May ). arid drutiiiiier Ilill Kyle's latest. alssass stimulating aggregation. his I ondon Iall I’rolcct ( l I May )_ with Pete Ilurt on alto and soprano (Norman ( 'halmers)
The list 21 April
4 May was) 27