Hungarian Cultural Centre - Programme Brochure Sep-Dec 2012

Events

SEPTEMBER



DECEMBER

2 01 2

Neighbourhood Madonnas by Lili Zoé Érmezei | Photo exhibition | 12–25 September 2012

september 5, 6 Sep ≥ page 3 • jazz Mátyás Gayer Trio 12–25 Sep ≥ page 4 • photo exhibition Neighbourhood Madonnas

by Lili Zoé Érmezei 19–22 Sep ≥ page 5 • exhibition The Hungarian pavilion at 100% Design 2012 20–23 Sep ≥ page 6 • exhibition Look, Love, Keep in Mind: Here Comes Hungarian Design 21 Sep ≥ page 6 • architecture Zoo-topia: Zoo architecture as taxonomies of national representation

october 1–7 & 8–20 Oct ≥ page 9 • exhibition Hungary’s Atelier Art Gallery debut in London 4 Oct ≥ page 14 • literature George Mikes. Centenary Evening with Mátyás Sárközi and Myrtill Nádasi

november 6 Nov ≥ page 22 • talk Count István Széchenyi 8, 9 Nov ≥ page 22 jazz Róbert Farkas (violin) and Brian Kellock (piano)

•

9 Nov ≥ page 24 literature / theatre Miklós Radnóti Evening – Performance of Poems

by Miklós Turek

•

8 Oct ≥ page 15 • monday music soirées János Palojtay, piano 10 Oct ≥ page 16 • theatre The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

12 Nov ≥ page 25 concert Julia Hamos, piano

•

14 Nov – 7 Dec ≥ page 26 exhibition Halas Lace and Herend Porcelain

•

17 Oct ≥ page 17 • literature + talk Gyula Krúdy literary evening with Ákos

23 Nov ≥ page 28 children Kodály-based music sessions for children

•

22 Sep ≥ page 7 • family Postcard Competition for Children

17, 18, 19 Oct ≥ page 18 • literature Launch of Noémi Szécsi’s The Finno-Ugrian Vampire

23 Nov ≥ page 28 film The Door, dir. István Szabó

•

24 Sep ≥ page 8 • opera Sir Georg Solti centenary – Das Rheingold 25–30 Sep ≥ page 9 • exhibition Hungary’s Atelier Art Gallery debut in London 26 Sep ≥ page 11 • film + talk Remembering John Halas 28 Sep ≥ page 13 • concert Gábor Presser

20 Oct ≥ page 20 • commemoration Remembering 1956

29 Nov ≥ page 29 advent concert Irén Lovász, Sacred Voice

•

25 Oct ≥ page 20 • film Lúdas Matyi (1949)

29, 30 Nov ≥ page 31 jazz Lajos Sárközi, violin

•

26 Oct ≥ page 21 • children Kodály-based music sessions for children and their families

december 8 Dec ≥ page 32 family Advent Family Day with a Folk Dance House

•

hungarian cultural centre • london

e JAZZ

The Hungarian Cultural Centre has regularly been bringing the best Hungarian jazz talents to London as part of its long-term cooperation with the well-known 606 Jazz Club in Chelsea. The Mátyás Gayer Trio will entertain jazz-lovers at both venues, giving jazz connoisseurs the opportunity to hear them in two venues with a different ambiance.

Mátyás Gayer, this shy young man in his 20th year from a small town in Hungary is a sensational jazz pianist.

He does not come from a musical background, was not a pupil of a secondary music school but became fascinated early on by the sounds of jazz and did his utmost to acquire as much of the art of playing it as he could from local teachers who were, admittedly, thin on the ground. In time he became a private pupil of Károly Binder, Head of Jazz at the world famous Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Audiences and musicians alike were dazzled not just by his technique but also by his startling originality.

Mátyás Gayer was featured at the annual Jazz Showcase at the Budapest Palace of Arts. A talent scout for one of the record companies quietly remarked on hearing him: ‘I don't like to say things like that but this boy has it in him to become a world star’.

Mátyás was offered a scholarship to one of the most prestigious institutes of learning in jazzdom, the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA but for financial reasons he chose to study in Graz, Austria.

Mátyás Gayer’s bass player Norbert Farkas, also studying in Graz, is another great promise on his instrument, which he plays with effortless ease with a beautiful, big, rounded tone – often without an amplifier. He is also a wonderful soloist.

Award-winning young drummer Márton Juhász studied extensively in his native Hungary, winning national first prize for solo percussion in 2005, before re-locating to study in London. After being awarded the prize for top overall student on his course, in 2007 he was accepted into Berklee

2012

Mátyás Gayer Trio – a fantastic new outfit from Hungary

september

Wednesday | 5 September | 7.30 pm ≥ 606 Jazz Club ✉ 90 Lots Road, London SW10 0QD Thursday | 6 September | 7.30 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

3

september

2012

4

hungarian cultural centre • london

College of Music. Since then he has performed and recorded extensively both in the US and Hungary, including performances at the 14th, 15th and 16th International Drum Festivals. In November 2011 at the Anglo-Hungarian jazz festival at the 606 Club in London he showed his sensitive and inventive best when backing the world famous alto-sax player Peter King.

Péter Pallai will host the evening at the Hungarian Cultural Centre. Δ Entry to the concert at 606 Jazz Club: £10. For more information and booking please contact 606 at jazz@606club.co.uk, on 0207 352 5953 or visit www.606club.co.uk

The concert at the Hungarian Cultural Centre is free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

12–25 September ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre

✉

10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

e PHOTO EXHIBITION Lili Zoé Érmezei – Neighbourhood Madonnas Introduced by Colin Ford CBE, Founding Director, National Media Museum • opening hours: Mon–Fri 10 am – 5 pm • private view: Wednesday 12 Sep, 7 pm

To coincide with the London Fashion Week the Hungarian Cultural Centre opens the photo exhibition of the talented young Hungarian photographer Lili Zoé Érmezei, who has made a special selection of her photography for this unique occasion.

The collection comprises photographs of ordinary women and models who radiate like iconic Madonna figures of our everyday lives.

lili zoé érmezei ‘self-portrait’

hungarian cultural centre • london

Colin Ford will introduce Lili Zoé Érmezei and her Neighbourhood Madonnas at the private view on 12 September. Colin Ford is a distinguished photography expert, who is the founding director of the National Museum of Photography Film & Television in Bradford (now The National Media Museum) and was the curator of the highly acclaimed Eyewitness: Hungarian Photography in the 20th Century – Brassaï, Capa, Kertész, Moholy-Nagy, Munkácsi photo exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2011. Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email

bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon. Further information: www.ermezei.com

19–22 September ≥ 100% Design 2012, Earls Court Exhibition Centre

✉

Warwick Road, London SW5 9TA

e EXHIBITION hungarian investment and trade agency (hita) presents

The Hungarian pavilion at 100% Design 2012 100% Design is the largest and most prestigious single-site design event in the UK. As one of the world’s most important design trade events, 100% Design is the commercial cornerstone of the annual London Design Festival.

laokoon

The Hungarian pavilion is supported by HITA, which promotes the export of Hungarian products and services as well as facilitates foreign investment into Hungary. HITA offers reliable and updated information about Hungarian economy, market, business opportunities, companies and investment incentives. Hungarian designers exhibiting at 100% Design include Gábor Bloch, Krisztina Búza, Andrea Hegedûs, Laokoon, Kaza Concrete, Mosaiclights, Polifoam, Pos1t1on, Anikó Rácz, Nóri Vidó, Zsolnay.

Δ Opening hours: Trade › Wed 10am–7pm, Thu 10am–9pm, Fri 10am–7pm, Trade and Public › Sat 10am–5pm

Further information: www.100percentdesign.co.uk, www.hita.hu

2012

Femininity, the female body and body image constitute her key topic. Lili’s photograph called ‘Judith’ was exhibited in The Mall Galleries London in June as a finalist selected from the 6000 entries at the successful International Renaissance Photography Prize 2012 exhibition.

september

Lili Zoé Érmezei holds an MA from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest. She also attended the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera of Milano. Her work has been shown at several solo and group exhibitions in Hungary as well as in Paris, London, Cologne, Luxembourg and Krakow.

5

2012

20–23 September

september

6

e EXHIBITION

≥ TENT London, Stand No B06, Hall T2

✉

Old Truman Brewery, Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR

hungarian investment and trade agency (hita) presents

Look, Love, Keep in Mind: Here Comes Hungarian Design At TENT this year, HITA will present a group of contemporary Hungarian designers working in disciplines including product, glass and furniture design. At varying stages of their careers, the exhibitors all present a high degree of specialized knowledge and unique vision in their products.

Most of the designers will be exhibiting new collections especially for TENT and will be available at the stand to talk to visitors.

Designers include Gyöngyi Bokor, Péter Borkovics, Judit Ducsai, Sára Kele, Gábor Kodolányi, Daniella Koós, Zoltán Lublóy, Réka Molnár, Zsuzsanna Sárossy, László Tompa and VTCS. Δ Opening hours: Thu 10am–9pm, Fri 10am–8pm, Sun 11am–6pm Further information: www.tentlondon.co.uk, www.hita.hu

Friday | 21 September ≥ Huxley Theatre, ZSL London Zoo

✉

Outer Circle, Regents Park, London N1 7RY

e ARCHITECTURE Zoo-topia: Zoo architecture as taxonomies of national representation The Budapest Zoo and the London Zoo in focus • symposium and film screening: 10 am – 6 pm • publication launch: 7 pm – 9 pm

Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity

Zoo-topia is part of this year’s International Architecture and Design Showcase, initiated and commissioned by the Hungarian Cultural Centre London in partnership with the Budapest Zoo (Fôvárosi Állat- és Növénykert), the ZSL London Zoo and the Royal College of Art. The Zoo-topia project is conceived and organised by curator Eszter Steierhoffer.

hungarian cultural centre • london

This project was made possible with the generous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary.

main entrance, budapest zoo, 1912

Δ All events are free but booking is essential. For further information and booking please call 020 7240 8448

or email bookings@hungary.org.uk and visit www.artnetworkagency.org.uk or www.hungary.org.uk.

Saturday | 22 September | 3 pm – 5 pm ≥ St Hugh's Church (Club Room) ✉ 95 Victoria Road, Knaphill, Woking GU21 2AA e FAMILY hungarian club in woking presents

Exhibition and Award Ceremony of Summer Postcard Competition for Children The exhibition consists of the art work of children who entered the Summer Post Card Competition of the Hungarian Club in Woking. Children were asked to tell about their summer holiday by creating colourful postcards.

2012

The British Council’s International Architecture and Design Showcase (23 June to 23 September 2012), presenting a range of events including exhibitions, installations, lectures, debates and films, leads a global debate about architecture, design and issues that are vital to cities and communities around the world. Inspired by the international focus on London for 2012 and produced in partnership with the London Festival of Architecture and the London Design Festival, the International Architecture and Design Showcase is represented within the London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad.

september

obaysch the hippopotamus, london zoo, 1852, by don juan, comte de montizón

The zoo is a showcase of modernist architecture and experimentation. The Zoo-topia symposium brings together artists, architects and writers to explore the display of architecture within zoological gardens. Zoos are also considered as psycho-geographical spaces of fantasy and also as sites of national representation, staging the power-knowledge relations during the formation of the Modern period. Zoo-topia includes a screening of short films and a related publication called Zoo-topia, which features newly commissioned work by artists and architects around the theme of zoos. Some of the well-known Hungarian architects and artists in focus of Zootopia are Károly Kós and László Moholy-Nagy.

7

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to provide the winning prizes for the children.

The afternoon is to be a relaxed and friendly get-together for families and friends.

september

8

Δ Further information: magyarokklubja@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/pages/Magyar-Klub-WokingHungarian-Club-Woking

Monday | 24 September | 7.30 pm ≥ Royal Opera House ✉ Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD e OPERA dedicated to sir georg solti in celebration of his centenary

Das Rheingold The 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir Georg Solti (Solti György), one of 20th century’s most important and influential conductors, is celebrated worldwide in 2012/13 with a number of events, broadcasts and recordings.

Solti @ 100 will feature two centrepiece concerts in October, the month of Solti’s birth: New York on 19 October and Chicago on 21 October.

A number of special commemorative exhibitions will also open that month at venues including the Royal Opera House; Symphony Center, Chicago; Musikverein, Vienna; Carnegie Hall, New York and the Barbican, London. An exhibition, focusing on the conductor’s career will run from 24 September to 22 February 2013 at the Royal Opera House.

sir georg solti. photo: allan warren

Sir Georg Solti was born in Budapest in 1912 before studying at the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. He began work as a repetiteur at the Hungarian State Opera, making his conducting debut in a production of Le nozze di Figaro in 1938. After moving to Switzerland during the war, he became Director of Bavarian State Opera in 1946.

His profile grew and he conducted Der Rosenkavalier on the occasion of Strauss’s 85th birthday and subsequently at the composer’s funeral in 1949. His British debut came in 1954 at Glyndebourne, followed by his Royal Opera House debut in 1959 with Der Rosenkavalier.

hungarian cultural centre • london

This evening’s performance of Das Rheingold is thus appropriately dedicated to Sir Georg Solti. The first opera in Der Ring des Nibelungen introduces Richard Wagner’s vast, mythical world. Director Keith Warner presents a conceptually rich production that combines the epic and the contemporary. Δ Booking and further information: www.roh.org.uk

25–30 September ≥ West Bank Gallery

✉

133–137 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, W11 2RS

• opening times: Tuesday to Sunday 11 am –7 pm • private view: Thursday 27 September 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm

1–7 October ≥ Gallery 286

✉

286 Earl’s Court Road, Chelsea, SW5 9AS

• opening times: The gallery and garden can be visited by appointment • private views: Tuesday 2 October, 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm and Thursday 4 October 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm

8–20 October ≥ Britannia Centre

✉

Britannia Road, North Finchley, N12 9RU

• opening times: Monday to Saturday 11 am –7 pm • private views: Thursday 11 October 7 pm –9 pm and 19 October 7 pm –9 pm

e EXHIBITION Hungary’s Atelier Art Gallery makes a debut in London The newly established Hungarian Atelier Art Gallery presents a stunning exhibition series and art fair with the works of 12 established Hungarian artists. Their works can be found in private and public collections all over the world. The exhibition will appear in three different galleries in London, each time providing for a new atmosphere.

The collection includes paintings, photographs, sculptures, pottery and carved wooden figures, and the exhibited artworks offer a wide-ranging experience not only of Hungarian art, but also of the secrets of human existence, with an emphasis on their timeless quality.

2012

In January 2012, Solti’s performance of Der Ring des Nibelungen with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was named the greatest recording of all time by BBC Music Magazine.

september

In 1961 Solti became Musical Director of the Royal Opera House, a post he held for ten years. He was awarded an honorary CBE in 1968 and won awards for his performances and recordings with Decca throughout his career. His final performance at the Royal Opera House before his death in 1997 was at the Farewell gala on 14 July of the same year. He conducted Tutto nel mondo è burla from Verdi’s Falstaff.

9

september

2012

10

hungarian cultural centre • london

The Hungarian Cultural Centre proudly supports the initiative of Atelier Art Gallery.

Director Dr. Beata Pászthy will open the exhibition series at the private view on Thursday 27 September 6.30 pm.

Inner universes (contemporary painting) András Berkes, András Gyôrfi and Attila Orbán have completely different ways of seeing, each of them working with their own techniques. Their paintings transmit feelings of their own, yet they do become related in each of their works by revealing their innermost worlds and making them visible to everyone in vibrant colours, fine lines and dashing forms.

Masters of raku (art pottery, ceramics) Miklós Bercsényi, János Miklós, Klára Kós, Éva Kun, Anna Schéffer, Sándor Somogyi and Mónika Zádori present a wide variety of modern ceramics art alluding to ancient and medieval styles. Many of these works are raku-fired, which is probably the most spectacular firing technology, originating in ancient Japanese culture.

VillageCity (photography) Lehel Fuchs shows us the similarity and the diversity of village and city. In his photographs he matches landscapes and buildings formed either by nature or humans.

But his works are not just documentations; they make us think about our way of living and reflect our wishes and alternatives.

The choice is ours.

Mention must be made of Sándor Pécsi’s carved wooden creatures, carrying native power and incarnating his nation’s legends and beliefs. The artists invite everyone to a journey to the land of ancient traditions, to the labyrinth of spirit and beauty, back to nature, back to what is human, back to art. Δ Further information:

www.ateliersgallery.com, www.hungary.org.uk

hungarian cultural centre • london

e FILM, TALK Remembering John Halas (1912–1995) A centenary evening with Vivien Halas and Jez Stuart (BFI)

John Halas was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1912, the seventh son of a Jewish mother and Catholic father. He studied art in Budapest under Sándor Bortnyik, where he was greatly influenced by the Bauhaus movement and its leading light, László Moholy-Nagy who he helped with early experiments in animation.

John Halas formed his own film studio making advertising films in 1932 with Gyula Macskássy, who later founded the Pannónia Filmstúdió in Budapest. In 1936 he was asked to set up an animation studio in London and whilst looking for animators to work on a film called Music Man about Ferenc Liszt’s childhood, he met and employed Joy Batchelor, whom he also married.

2012

The Hungarian Cultural Centre is proud to host a unique evening dedicated to the pioneering animator John Halas (János Halász). His daughter Vivien Halas and Jez Stuart, curator at the British Film Institute present an evening of animated short films and a documentary to commemorate John Halas’ Centenary and his contribution to the world of animated film.

september

Wednesday | 26 September | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

11

september

2012

12

hungarian cultural centre • london

Together they founded Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Films and over the next 50 years the studio grew into one of the largest and long-lived animation studios in Europe which earned an international reputation for fine animation, extending the medium to explain complex ideas with clarity and humour.

Besides making the first British animated feature Animal Farm in 1954 they produced commercials, propaganda and educational films, television series, art movies and experimental films, all pushing the boundaries of the animated film that they believed was an art form like any other.

John Halas experimented with new film techniques, from 3D stereoscopic animation to computer animation, producing award-winning films such as The Owl and the Pussycat (1952), Autobahn (1979) and Dilemma (1981).

John Halas was a founding member and the President of the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) from 1960 to 1985, then Honorary President. This led him to put together a series for the BBC, the Masters of Animation in 1987 which brought together work from the best animators around the world. He was the author of numerous invaluable books on animation and design, but perhaps his greatest talent was to make things happen – to assemble the right people, motivate them and get projects off the ground.

Quote from a review of the John Halas centenary DVD: The JH1912–2012 Centenary Celebration DVD is not simply a tribute to one of the leading forces in British animation but an entertaining and thought-provoking collection of a small sample of the outstanding output of over 2,000 films by the man who animated Animal Farm and so many shorts warning of the dangers of 'advancements' and ‘improvements’ and yet who always insisted that animation was not political but a true contemporary art form. awards to john halas: OBE 1972, The Queen’s Award for Industry 1974, Annie Award Hollywood 1986, ASIFA Prize 1986, Life Achievement Award Zagreb 1990, Pro Cultura Hungarica Budapest 1992. Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

hungarian cultural centre • london

september

Friday | 28 September | 6 pm–9 pm ≥ Scala ✉ 275 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NL e CONCERT drum & monkey presents

Gábor Presser One of the most iconic figures of 20th century Hungarian music and cultural life, Gábor Presser is coming to Scala with his friends Magdolna Rúzsa, Mariann Falusi and Tamás Szabó. Gábor Presser would not need an introduction in Hungary. Those people who are not so familiar with the name might still have come across his work, without knowing the artist behind.

magdolna rúzsa

Gábor Presser’s 45 years of career left a mark not just on the Hungarian and European music sphere, but in theaters as well as in the movie industry. He composed scores for over 30 movies, for a number of musicals as well as for many songs for the biggest artists.

With his first band, Omega, after a very successful UK tour in 1968, he appeared on BBC Late Night Show. He released an album on Decca label, named Omega Red Star from Hungary, recorded and produced in the UK. Presser’s ‘supergroup’, Locomotiv GT, formed in 1971, recorded many albums in places like Abbey Road and in Los Angeles. Hits that never age have been composed, such as Ringasd El Magad (Rock Yourself). Many of their albums have been released all over the world and the songs are still being played on radios.

Gábor Presser is the composer of many soundtracks and musicals, the two most wellknown are Padlás (Attic) and Képzelt riport egy amerikai popfesztiválról (Imaginary Report From An American Pop Festival), which was a huge success all across Europe and was the first successful Hungarian rock musical, having even been staged in the USA. Δ Tickets: £25 (advance). Information and booking: www.scala-london.co.uk, www.drumandmonkey.org, www.musicglue.com (This show has been rescheduled from 8 July. Tickets bought for that date will be valid.)

2012

Featuring Magdolna Rúzsa, Mariann Falusi & Tamás Szabó

gábor presser

13

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

Thursday | 4 October | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

october

14

e LITERATURE George Mikes (1912–1987) A Centenary Evening with Mátyás Sárközi and Myrtill Nádasi ‘In February 1912, there was not a word about my birth in The Times. But there was a piece about it in Siklós és Vidéke. My father was the editor’ wrote George Mikes.

He became a journalist in Budapest, and in 1938 his paper sent him to London on a three week assignment to find out the British views on Hitler’s latest movements.

He stayed in Britain for the rest of his life.

He joined the BBC’s Hungarian Section and wrote brilliant political cabaret sketches for the programme. When in 1946 he scored an enormous success with his first humorous book, How to be an Alien, he left the BBC and became a freelance writer. He wrote scores of witty travel books (How to Scrape Skies, Italy for Beginners, Über Alles, The Land of the Rising Yen, Boomerang etc), serious studies about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and of the Hungarian Secret Police (AVO), as well as novels (Mortal Passion, The Spy Who Died of Boredom). On his seventieth birthday André Deutsch published his autobiography How to Be Seventy (1982).

A picture in this book shows the author standing against the wall of the Fulham house where he lived. Above his head there is a round, blue ceramic plaque with the legend: ‘George Mikes lives here’.

Unfortunately Mikes died in 1987, so he does not live there any longer, but some of his witticisms are quite immortal: ‘Continental people have sex life; the English have hot-water bottles’ or ‘If you settle in England and don't succeed in imitating the English, you become ridiculous. If you do, you become even more ridiculous.’

hungarian cultural centre • london

Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Monday | 8 October | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA e MONDAY MUSIC SOIRÉES Introducing János Palojtay, piano The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to introduce to London audiences an outstanding young talent on the piano, János Palojtay, who has already won numerous awards, played with the best orchestras and toured widely internationally. János Palojtay will enchant his audience with a varied programme programme on this special evening.

Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) • Sonata no. 3 in f-sharp minor, op. 23

Born in 1987 in Budapest, Leoš Janácˇek (1854–1928) Hungary, János Palojtay • In the Mists started to play the piano Robert Schumann (1810–1856) at the age of five. He was • Intermezzi op. 4 admitted to the Special School for Exceptional Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) • Cappriccio (Fantasie) in C major, Young Talents of the Hob. XVII/4 Liszt Academy of Music Budapest at the age of Béla Bartók (1881–1945) thirteen. A year later he • Improvisations on Hungarian enrolled in the Bartók Peasant Songs, op. 20 Béla Secondary Music School where he was learning not only the piano, but composition as well. He won the school’s improvisation competition in 2003. The following year Palojtay was awarded the second prize at the International Chopin Competition in Budapest and the Sári Bíró Memorial Award of

2012

This evening Mátyás Sárközi tries to answer the question: ‘How to become a celebrated British author, not losing your heavy Hungarian accent?’ Myrtill Nádasi, the famous Hungarian actress, ballerina and writer, will help the effort.

october

Mátyás Sárközi was a close friend of George Mikes. He is a writer and editor, who was awarded the prestigious Attila József Prize in 2004.

He is the son of György Sárközi and Márta Sárközi and grandson of Ferenc Molnár, the world-famous Hungarian dramatist and novelist.

15

october

2012

16

hungarian cultural centre • london

the Liszt Academy. Between 2007 and 2009 he interrupted his studies in Budapest in order to continue them with Professor Imre Rohmann at the Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria) before graduating at the Liszt Academy in 2011. Currently he is studying at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart with Kirill Gerstein.

János Palojtay has participated in festivals such as the Encuentro de Musica y Academia Santander and MusMA European Broadcasting Festival in Spain, Schubertiade 2008 in Schwarzenberg, Austria and master classes of Ferenc Rados, Dmitry Bashkirov, Murray Perahia and András Schiff. Palojtay is also a member of a group of musicians gathered by Professor Gábor Csalog, which is dedicated to the performance of György Kurtág’s works. Since 2008 Palojtay has regularly performed orchestral keyboard parts for the Budapest Festival Orchestra. In 2011 he received the Gundel Artistic Prize in Budapest, which granted him the opportunity to play with conductor Christopher Hogwood and the Budapest Philharmonic Society in the Hungarian National Opera. He has played recitals in Seoul, New York, and in a number of European cities. In 2012 he received the third prize at the Paloma O’Shea International Piano Competition in Santander. Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Wednesday | 10 October | 6.30 pm for 7.30 pm start ≥ Polka Theatre ✉ 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon SW19 1SB e THEATRE stage in london presents the london premiere of

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) Performed in Hungarian by Péter Kálloy Molnár, Artúr Kálid and András Gáspár S.Ö.R. – Shakespeare Összes Rövidítve, the Hungarian adaptation of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) has been running in Hungary for 18 years with great success – audiences had the pleasure of enjoying the 500th performance in June this year.

For eighteen years now Péter Kálloy Molnár, Artúr Kálid and András Gáspár achieve an impressive – not to mention hilarious – theatrical feat night after night: squeezing all of Shakespeare’s works into a mere two hours, telling the story of Othello in the form of gangsta rap, A Winter’s Tale as opera, making a cookery show out of Titus Andronicus, and summing Hamlet up in a super-efficient 20 seconds.

hungarian cultural centre • london

Δ Tickets: £22 (advanced) / £25 (at the door) Seating is assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Online booking and further information: www.stageinlondon.co.uk ( £1.10 booking fee applies per ticket)

Wednesday | 17 October | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA e LITERATURE, TALK Gyula Krúdy literary evening Adventures with the Ancient King by Ákos Kovács Directed by Gábor Szigethy, literary historian Ákos Kovács, the Kossuth Prize winning singer-songwriter realised his age-old dream when he published a spoken word CD containing the selected writings of his favourite Hungarian writer, the outstanding 20th-century novelist Gyula Krúdy under the title Adventures with the Ancient King in 2008.

Hungary’s leading pop star Ákos is equally at home in huge arenas singing to tens of thousands of fans and on the theatre stage reciting poetry. His acclaimed lyrics are rich in literary reference.

The double CD contains Gyula Krúdy’s short stories read by Ákos Kovács, directed by Gábor Szigethy, the renowned Hungarian literary historian.

This unique literary evening at the Hungarian Cultural Centre will see Ákos Kovács read from the selected writings of Krúdy in Hungarian. Gábor Szigethy will be in discussion with Ákos about Gyula Krúdy, the classic film adaptation of Krúdy’s writings Szindbád (1971, dir. by Zoltán Huszárik) and their own literary collaboration.

 Please note this event will be in Hungarian.

2012

 Please note this event will be in Hungarian.

october

An absolute must for Shakespeare-lovers, and an unmissable opportunity to get to know all of the great playwright’s works without risking spending a lifetime doing so, we urge everyone to join us at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon for an unforgettable, side-splittingly uproarious evening. The trio of Kálloy Molnár-Kálid-Gáspár make this production work completely, and despite the difficult circumstances (those pesky spectators keep interrupting with their laughter and applause all the time!), they accomplish their mission to present the comically incomplete ’complete works’ of William Shakespeare.

17

october

2012

18

hungarian cultural centre • london

Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Wednesday | 17 October | 6 pm ≥ Albion Bookstore Oxford ✉ 34 Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6AA

˙yna Plebanek and Noémi Szécsi – moderated by Tibor Fisher • book launch: Graz

Thursday | 18 October | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

• book launch: The Finno-Ugrian Vampire by Noémi Szécsi – moderated by George Szirtes

Friday | 19 October | 7.30 pm ≥ Manchester Literature Festival

• book launch: Sex and the Cities featuring Anjali Joseph, Graz˙yna Plebanek and Noémi Szécsi

e LITERATURE UK Launch of Noémi Szécsi’s The Finno-Ugrian Vampire The Hungarian Cultural Centre is proud to host the London launch of Noémi Szécsi’s novel The Finno-Ugrian Vampire, translated into English by Peter Sherwood and published in the UK by Stork Press. George Szirtes, the Hungarian-born English poet and translator will be in discussion with the author Noémi Szécsi. Stork Press will generously provide the surprise element to this special book launch.

The book launch at the Hungarian Cultural Centre is preceded by Stork Press’ joint event with Noémi Szécsi and the best-selling Polish writer Graz˙yna Plebanek in Oxford on 17 October at 6 pm, and it is followed by the two writers’ participation with Anjali Joseph at the Manchester Literature Festival on 19 October at 7.30pm.

Noémi Szécsi, born in 1976 in Szentes, Hungary, started her university studies in Budapest in 1994.

She graduated in English and Finnish in 2001/2002.

In 2000 she studied cultural anthropology and gender studies at the Christina Institute in Helsinki. She wrote her first novel, The Finno-Ugrian Vampire there. The script based on the novel participated in the Sundance Scriptwriters’ Workshop in Prague in November 2001.

The novel was first printed in 2002 and reprinted in 2003, and Eurofilm Studio acquired the film rights in 2002. The Polish translation of the novel was published

by Czarne in 2005.

hungarian cultural centre • london

George Szirtes was born in Budapest in 1948 and came to England as a refugee in 1956. He was brought up in London and studied Fine Art in London and Leeds. His poems began appearing in national magazines in 1973 and his first book, The Slant Door, was published in 1979. It won the Faber Memorial Prize the following year. After the publication of his second book, November and May, 1982, he was invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Since then he has published several books and won various other prizes including the T S Eliot Prize for Reel in 2005. He has also worked extensively as a translator of poems, novels, plays and essays and has won various prizes and awards in this sphere. His own work has been translated into numerous languages.

Stork Press is an independent publishing house based in London dedicated to new writing from Central and Eastern Europe and selected exceptional authors in English. www.storkpress.co.uk. Δ The event at the Hungarian Cultural Centre on 18 October is free but reservation is essential.

Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon. For further information visit www.szecsinoemi.hu, www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk and www.hungary.org.uk

2012

Tibor Fischer is a British novelist and short story writer, whose debut novel Under the Frog won the Betty Trask Prize for literature, and was the first debut novel to be shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. The title is derived from a Hungarian saying that the worst possible place to be is under a frog's arse down a coal mine. Tibor Fisher’s parents were Hungarian basketball players, who fled Hungary in 1956. The 1956 revolution, and his father’s background served as base for this excellent book.

october

In 2001–2002 Noémi Szécsi completed a course in journalism and started writing for various magazines between 2002 and 2004. Her blog about the ups and downs of pregnancy was published as a book under the title A kismama naplója in 2003. It was reprinted several times and received a prize from the readers of Elle magazine. When writing her second novel Noémi Szécsi held the Móricz Zsigmond State Grant. The Communist Monte Cristo, published in 2006 by Tericum, was awarded the European Union Prize For Literature in 2009. In 2009 Noémi Szécsi published a novel about present-day anarchists under the title of Last Centaur.

In 2010 she was the writer-in-residence of Het beschrijf in Brussels. In 2011 she received the prestigious József Attila Award for literary achievement in Hungary.

Her most recent novel The Restless (Nyughatatlanok) was published by Európa Könyvkiadó in 2011.

19

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

Saturday | 20 October | 5 pm

october

20

e COMMEMORATION

≥ Szent István Ház (St. Stephen’s House)

✉

62 Little Ealing Lane, London W5 4EA

magyarok angliai országos szövetsége (maosz):

Remembering ‘56 The National Federation of Hungarians in England (MAOSZ) kindly invites everyone to remember the 1956 revolution at Szent István Ház in West London. Active participants of the events that took place 56 years ago tell and share their personal stories.

Artists will also contribute to this evening of remembrance and living history. The event is supported by the Hungarian Cultural Centre.

 Please note this event will be in Hungarian. Δ Further information: www.maosz.org.uk, www.magyarkatolikusok.co.uk

Thursday | 25 October | 10.30 am ≥ London Stratford Picture House

Wednesday | 7 November | 10.30 am ≥ Nottingham Showcase

e FILM national schools film week

Film Education presents Lúdas Matyi (1949) Lúdas Matyi (Mattie the Goose Boy) is an iconic Hungarian tale written by Mihály Fazekas in 1804. This is the story of the poor goose boy Matyi taking revenge on the rich landowner Döbrögi, who exploits and terrorizes the poor peasants living on his lands. Matyi – like his English counterpart Robin Hood – uses his wits and humour to achieve his goals.

The story was first made into film in 1949 with a now classic cast including Imre Soós, György Solthy, Erzsi Pártos, Teri Horváth,

hungarian cultural centre • london

The Festival’s goal is to support classroom teaching by providing schools with a powerful experience for their students that links directly to the elements of the curriculum, supported by an online library of resources related to individual films and more generic topics, essentially an extension of the classroom. The Festival supports classroom teaching as well as provides students with an exciting morning out at the cinema.

The Hungarian Cultural Centre has long been working with Film Education to help screen Hungarian films to school children across the UK. Δ The booking lines are open for schools from the end of August. For more information please visit www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org, www.filmeducation.org

Friday | 26 October | 10 am –10.45 am & 11 am –11.45 am ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA e CHILDREN Kodály-based music sessions for children and their families Presented by the Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford Singing and Music session I. for the age group 0–3 years led by Polla Rashbrook Singing and Music session II. for the age group 3–5 years led by Mária Chambers

Δ Free but reservation is essential. To book your free place please contact Mária Chambers on 01483 808 643 or info@hungarianculturalgroup.co.uk.

For further information please visit www.hungarianculturalgroup.co.uk

2012

National Schools Film Week Festival is the largest festival for schools and cinemas in the world. The Festival takes place during October (15–26) in England and Scotland and some other areas in November (1–9) providing teachers and their students the opportunity to see a wide range of films at local cinemas, entirely free-of-charge.

october

István Bozóky, Éva Ruttkai, Arthúr Somlay, Manyi Kiss and János Görbe. The film was directed by László Ranódy and Kálmán Nádasdy.

21

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

Tuesday | 6 November | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

november

22

e TALK Count István Széchenyi – His Diary and the Chain Bridge of Budapest Lecture by Sándor Váci ‘England has less light but more willpower’ so wrote Count István Széchenyi in his Diary on 15 April 1822. This was an apt reflection of Széchenyi’s Anglophilia reinforced over five visits to this country between 1815 and 1834. Initially he came to buy horses to improve the breeds in Hungary but then became an avid enquirer into the industrial and economic advances he found in England.

istván széchenyi at the iron gate on the danube by józsef schoefft (copy of ágoston schoefft’s original), 1936

Robert Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford will introduce an illustrated talk by Sándor Váci, a Hungarian-born British architect, who has carried out a close reading of the Széchenyi Diary following his interest in the Chain Bridge over the Danube.

Váci has compiled entries from the Diary of everything to do with the five visits, contacts with English people, matters to do with the building of the bridge and other items that were just too interesting to leave out. At the end of the talk he will raise an intriguing question. sándor váci Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Thursday | 8 November | 7.30 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA e JAZZ Róbert Farkas (violin) and Brian Kellock (piano) Special concert before their London Jazz Festival appearance Scottish pianist Brian Kellock and Hungarian violinist Róbert Farkas have forged a telepathic partnership that transcends cultures, where the inspirations of the classical tradition and a rich heritage of gipsy culture – realised through Farkas' eloquent and passionate sound – are matched by Kellock's musicality, reaching far beyond his acknowledged command of the jazz tradition.

hungarian cultural centre • london

Brian Kellock is a world class pianist, who is recognised as a stellar talent across the world by the greatest musicians.

Brian is a life-time influence on Róbert, who was lucky enough to play with him in the past. Brian has received many accolades including a BBC Jazz Award, and remains one of the top piano players on the international jazz scene. He is equally at home with mainstream and contemporary jazz styles and despite the fact that he is in such demand on the major jazz stages worldwide, he still finds time for his local Edinburgh pub where he is surrounded by loyal fans and friends. Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Friday | 9 November ≥ Purcell Room, Southbank Centre

✉

Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

e JAZZ Róbert Farkas and Brian Kellock at the London Jazz Festival After their special concert at the Hungarian Cultural Centre on 8 November, Róbert Farkas and Brian Kellock opens for Mara Carlyle in Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room at the opening night of the London Jazz Festival, which takes place between 9–18 November at various high-profile London venues such as the Barbican, The Forge, Kings Place, Southbank Centre and Wigmore Hall among others.

Please see the event listing above for information on Róbert Farkas and Brian Kellock. Δ Further information and booking: www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk

2012

In 2002 Róbert began to explore more experimental territories: he played in Balkan, gypsy and rock bands.

In 2003 Nigel Kennedy asked Róbert to be his consultant on a gypsy project he was preparing. In March 2010 he received the Honorary Gold Cross medal of Hungary for his artistic achievements with his hugely popular Hungarian band, Budapest Bár. He is not only an excellent musician but a gifted leader of the colourful group of Budapest Bár.

november

Róbert Farkas received his diploma as a violinist and teacher at the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy, Budapest. In addition to the violin, he plays the accordion, the guitar and the piano.

At the age of 16, Róbert joined the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra – a 100 piece large ensemble touring the world’s most prestigious stages in Europe, the US and Japan. He soon became the youngest lead violinist and soloist of the orchestra.

23

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

Friday | 9 November | 7pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉

november

24

e LITERATURE / THEATRE

10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

stage in london presents

Miklós Radnóti Evening – A Shadow in the Shade Performance of Poems by Miklós Turek The outstanding Hungarian poet Miklós Radnóti died on 10 November 68 years ago.

Stage in London brings us the unique opportunity to have a closer look at the poet’s tragic life and poetry through Miklós Turek’s Poem Theatre monodrama.

Miklós Radnóti was born in 1909 in Budapest. In the early forties Radnóti was conscripted by the Hungarian Army, but being a Jew he was assigned to an unarmed labour battalion. In August 1944 Radnóti’s group of 3,200 Hungarian Jews was force-marched to central Hungary. On the march most of them died, Miklós Radnóti was shot dead at the village Abda and buried in a mass grave.

The monodrama concentrates on the short life of the poet and reduces it into one brief, final moment. Turek’s monodrama presents the world through Radnóti’s guardian angel’s eyes who could not protect him.

Miklós Turek’s aim is to break the barriers between poems and people, and point out that literature and history can be closer to us than we might first think.

 Please note this event is in Hungarian and takes 60 minutes. Δ More information: www.turekmiklos.hu, www.stageinlondon.co.uk, www.facebook.com/stageinlondon Tickets: £15 – for booking and further information please contact Edit Juhász on 075 4029 5651, contact@stageinlondon.co.uk.

hungarian cultural centre • london

e CONCERT monday music soirées

Julia Hamos was born to a Hungarian family in New York City, where she attended the Juilliard School's pre-college with Herbert Stessin and Julian Martin and studied privately with Hungarian pianist Krisztina Kiss. She currently pursues a Bachelor's Degree from the Royal Academy of Music with Christopher Elton, where she is the recipient of the first Jacob Barnes Scholarship award.

Julia has performed in New York in the Lincoln Centre, Steinway Hall, Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall, in Washington D.C. at the Hungarian Embassy and the Millenium Stage of the Kennedy Center.

She has also given concerts in London, Hungary, Canada, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Julia Hamos has performed at festivals including the Banff Festival in Canada, the International Music Seminar at Prussia Cove, Aspen Music Festival, Orford Music Festival and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival. In November 2008 she was a featured musician on the Hungarian DunaTV, broadcast throughout Central Europe, and in August 2011 was broadcast live from Yamaha Studios in New York City.

She was one of ten pianists chosen from across the United Kingdom as a finalist in the Yamaha Scholarship Competition in 2011.

An avid chamber musician, Julia has performed piano quartets, quintets, trios and violin/cello duos with students both from Juilliard and the Academy. In June 2012 she performed Poulenc’s Aubade with orchestra and the New English National Ballet in London’s Peacock Theatre in the ballet company’s five-day debut. Upcoming performances include a cello-piano recital at St. James’ Piccadilly, music of Béla Bartók and György Kurtág at the Academy, Beethoven’s second piano concerto in Regent Hall in London, and a solo recital in the Great Hall in Budapest’s Liszt Academy. Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

2012

Introducing Julia Hamos, piano

november

Monday | 12 November | 7pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

25

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

14 November – 7 December ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉

november

26

e EXHIBITION

10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

introducing two unique hungaricums:

Halas Lace and Herend Porcelain • opening hours: Mon–Fri 10 am – 5 pm • private view: Wednesday 14 November, 7 pm

The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to host a very special exhibition which feature two of the most well-known and exquisite Hungarian hand-crafted Hungaricums – the Halas Lace and the Herend Porcelain.

Halas Lace, which celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, is one of the most exclusive hand-sewn products in the world. It is a unique, entirely handmade needlepoint lace that uses the finest linen thread, and a superfine needle, barely visible to the naked eye. The rare and prized Hungarian Halas Lace, which has gained widespread recognition and international appreciation, is considered a worthy rival to the highly esteemed Brussels lace.

Halas Lace was born in 1902, in the small town of Kiskunhalas, 145km south of Budapest. The needlework of Halas Lace is top secret; only a few women and girls in Kiskunhalas, hardly a dozen, know it at one time. The creation process requires immense skill and patience. At present, nine lace workers continue this extremely time-consuming lace tradition. A small, palm sized butterfly can take over two days to create, while a large piece may take hundreds of hours to complete. It is incredibly precious, and per gram, it competes in price with gold.

hungarian cultural centre • london

Perhaps the most well-known Herend pattern with Chinese-style butterflies and flowery branches painted in joyful, lively colours was presented at the London World Exhibition in 1851. Queen Victoria ordered a dinner set with its gold medal-winning pattern for Windsor Castle. Hence the pattern’s name ‘Viktória’.

Ever since the foundation of the Manufactory, Herend porcelain has enjoyed the trust and support of the aristocracy. Having recognised the magic and beauty of handcrafted pieces, the art connoisseur public became a loyal customer of Herend Porcelain Manufactory. The successes achieved at the London World Exhibition and the elegance of ‘the White Gold of Herend’ also garnered the favour of imperial and royal courts, which started to order Herend pieces on a regular basis. Herend counts among its prominent customers the most famous rulers of the 19th and 20th centuries, but even celebrities of the new millennia are known to enjoy browsing through a Herend store or receiving Herend porcelain as recognition.

The Herend Porcelain Manufactory is the largest of its kind in the world. Today a thousand employees safeguard the tradition – of whom nearly half are handpainters: twenty of them are master painters. It is a difficult task but if it succeeds, a dream realised can live on: perfection distilled in porcelain.

This project was made possible with the generous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary. Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

2012

The Herend Porcelain Manufactory which specializes in luxury hand-painted and gilded porcelain was founded in 1826, and it is based in the town of Herend, in Western Hungary. From vases, wall plates and dishes to ornaments, figurines and tableware, the charming porcelain creatures of Herend stand for tradition and unique quality.

Each brought to life by the skilled hands of artisans, Herend pieces are widely acknowledged all over the world: they are sold around 50 countries.

november

Since the inception of this Hungaricum, over 2000 patterns have been developed, drawing from the elements of renaissance, baroque, and Hungarian folk embroidery.

The living tradition of Halas lace making has been the part of the Hungarian Cultural Heritage since 2010.

27

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

Friday | 23 November | 10 am–10.45 am & 11 am–11.45 am ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

november

28

e CHILDREN Kodály-based music sessions for children and their families Presented by the Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford Singing and Music session III. for the age group 0–3 years led by Polla Rashbrook Singing and Music session IV. for the age group 3–5 years led by Mária Chambers

Δ Free but reservation is essential. To book your free place please contact Mária Chambers on 01483 808 643 or info@hungarianculturalgroup.co.uk.

For further information please visit www.hungarianculturalgroup.co.uk

Friday | 23 November | 6 pm ≥ Coronet Cinema ✉ 103 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3LB e FILM uk premier screening of

The Door (Az ajtó, 2011) dir. István Szabó special guests: Director István Szabó and Cinematographer Elemér Ragályi star guest: Dame Helen Mirren (tbc) The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to host the UK premier of Oscar-winning Hungarian director István Szabó’s latest masterpiece The Door at the historic Coronet Cinema in Notting Hill. Director István Szabó and cinematographer Elemér Ragályi will attend the screening, after which the audience will have the unique opportunity to ask questions from these outstanding artists and filmmakers. At the time of this publication going to print we have high hopes to welcome as the star guest of the night Dame Helen Mirren, lead actress of The Door.

Oscar-winning film director István Szabó, best-known for his much acclaimed films Mephisto (1981), Colonel Redl (1985), Sunshine (1999) and Being Julia (2004), based his most recent film The Door on Magda Szabó’s outstanding novel of the same title translated beautifully into English by Len Rix.

hungarian cultural centre • london

Set in 1960s Hungary, this drama depicts the unusual relationship between two women: a well-to-do novelist (Martina Gedeck) and her poor, elderly maid (Helen Mirren). Director of photography Elemér Ragályi’s trademark ‘quiet and meticulously composed images’ further enhance the artistic achievement of the film.

This project was made possible with the generous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary. Δ Free but booking is essential. Further information and booking: www.hungary.org.uk, www.coronet.org

Thursday | 29 November | 7 pm ≥ St. Paul’s Church ✉ 29 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9ED e ADVENT CONCERT Irén Lovász, Sacred Voice Irén Lovász – voice Zoltán Mizsei – voice, medieval harp Béla Ágoston – bagpipe, flutes, saxophone This special concert is based on the CD Égi Hang (Sacred Voice, 2006) which is the first piece of the new series of the singer Irén Lovász’s Healing Voices. The CD became a Golden Disc in Hungary within six months.

2012

Magda Szabó’s famous novel The Door, which has been translated into many languages, is a semiautobiographical novel originally published in Hungary in 1987 and translated into English in 1995 by Stefan Draughon for American publication, and again in 2005

by Len Rix for British publication. Rix’s translation won the 2006 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize, and was short-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. Magda Szabó (1917–2007) received several prizes in Hungary and her works have been published in 42 countries. In 2003 she was the winner of the French literary prize Prix Femina Étranger for the best foreign novel.

november

This film is starring the wonderful Helen Mirren, who has recently graced in the much acclaimed film The Queen, giving one of her best performances which has won her the 2007 Academy Award for Best Actress alongside the Golden Globe Award in the same category, and Martina Gedeck, the very talented German actress who is best known for her role in The Lives of Others (2006).

29

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

Irén Lovász’s idea is that the human voice may very well have a healing power, for this is one of the most important ancient and universal function of singing by human beings.

november

30

Irén Lovász is both a singer and a cultural anthropologist researching folk beliefs to explore to what an extent the human voice is able to serve as a helper in lifeand-death situations and major events that shape and turn one’s fate. In different traditional cultures, thus in Hungarian folk poetry too one finds texts, melodies and songs, whose recitation – mostly by women – has helped the restoration of physical and mental health throughout many centuries. In human cultures the sacred serves as supporting pillars of order and oneness in the world and inner harmony. One way of achieving this was the role of programme sacred songs as they followed the • Bagpipe of the Shepherds natural rhythm of each passing year.

• Announces himself (Introductory song about the Christian sacred year, Hungarian folk) • Announciation (solo) • Of gold and Silver (Christmas epic song, Hungarian folk) • A beuteous rose tree (solo from Kalotaszeg) • King of Earth and Heaven (Christmas carol, Hungarian folk) • Lullaby of Mary (solo from Moldva) • Lullaby of Mary to the Child (Hungarian folk) • Oh, Jesus in the new year …(solo from Moldva) • Gaude (Antiphonaium Ambrosianum 12c.)

• Dove vai (Italian lauda, 14c) • Speech of tongues of fire (Pentcost song, Hungarian folk) • Laudemus Virginem (Catalonian Hymn, Llibre Vermell de Monserat, 14c) • Mariam Matrem Virginem (Catalonian Hymn, Llibre Vermell de Monsetat, 14c) • Flower of all virgins (Hymn for Holy Virgin, as Patrona Hungariae, 15c) • Psalmus CXLVIII (Kájoni: Cantionale Catholicum 1676, Hungary)

Sacred Voice, contains mostly Hungarian folk songs mirroring the traditional world-view of the Hungarian people. These songs have survived as living oral tradition and are still being sung in the most traditional regions.

The order of the songs represents the festive circle of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. In the songs invoking the Virgin Mary one can recognize the archetypical figure of the protecting, helping and healing Mother Goddess.

The mediaeval Ambrosian songs in Latin and the 14th century lauda in Italian underscore and illustrate the vivid and dynamic European parallels that existed between popular, secular and official Church religiosity during the Middle Ages.

The accompaniments are free interpretations of the so-called ‘burdon technique’, ranging from ‘overtone singing’ to the repetitive ostinato. This is known in numerous cultures all over the world; its role is to help the listeners submerge themselves deeper in the musical conjuring of the eternal. Additionally, instrumental and vocal improvisation is also inspired by the ambiance of the enchanting acoustics of the sacred architecture where the concert takes place. Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

hungarian cultural centre • london

Friday | 30 November | 7.30 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

Lajos Sárközi, violin In concert with Tim Lapthorn, Arnie Somogyi and Winston Clifford The Hungarian Cultural Centre has regularly been bringing the best Hungarian jazz talents to London as part of its long-term cooperation with the well-known 606 Jazz Club in Chelsea. Lajos Sárközi will enchant jazz-lovers at both venues, giving jazz connoisseurs the opportunity to hear him in two venues with different ambiance.

21-year-old violin and guitar virtuoso, Lajos Sárközi comes from a long-standing Roma musical dynasty in Hungary. His father, a maestro of traditional Hungarian Gipsy music started to teach him the violin at the age of 5.

Young Lajos went on to study classical music and at the age of 12 he came first at a national violin competition. Two years later, in 2005 he came first at the International Georg Philipp Telemann Violin Competition in Poland. Without ever turning his back on classical music, he soon discovered jazz and in 2006, still only 15, astonishingly, he also managed to bag the first prize at the national jazz violin competition organized by the Hungarian Radio. Since then there has been no stopping him. He is a fierce jazz player fusing his fiery Gipsy temperament with his classical technique and displaying a distinct bent for bebop. He is equally formidable as a guitar player as those who went to hear the East Gipsy Band at the 606 Club in May can testify. This time he will be backed by top-line British musicians. Tim Lapthorn, one of the most emotionally charged and riveting pianists on the UK scene, with Arnie Somogyi, the fantastic bass player as well as a noted bandleader (Cold Cherry Soup, Improvokation, Ambulance) in his own right. The drums will be looked after by that incredible rhythm king, Winston Clifford. Δ Entry to the concert at 606 Jazz Club: £10. For more information and booking please contact 606 at jazz@606club.co.uk, on 0207 352 5953 or visit www.606club.co.uk The concert at the Hungarian Cultural Centre is free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

2012

e JAZZ

november

Thursday | 29 November | 7.30 pm ≥ 606 Jazz Club ✉ 90 Lots Road, Chelsea, London SW10 0QD

31

2012

hungarian cultural centre • london

Saturday | 8 December | 3 pm–9 pm ≥ Dragon Hall Community Centre ✉ 17 Stukeley Street

december

32

e FAMILY

London WC2B 5LT

Advent Family Day with a Folk Dance House Featuring Béla Ónodi, Eszter Ónodi-Éliás and the Poros Band • Arts and crafts activities and Hungarian folk dance for children: 3 pm – 5.30 pm • Hungarian folk dance house for adults: 6 pm –9 pm

Following on the success of the Hungarian Family Day at Victoria Embankment Gardens in May 2012, the Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to organise an Advent Family Day with fabulous folk dancing for children and adults and to create an opportunity for the Hungarian community and everyone interested to mark the Advent season and to prepare for the Christmas festivities.

The afternoon is dedicated to children’s activities when the little ones can give free reign to their creativity and make the most wonderful Christmas decorations, presents and cards. With the assistance of experienced and highly-skilled teachers from the Hungarian community, children can even decorate gingerbread and Christmas cookies. From 4pm children can take part in a Hungarian folk dance session led by two experienced dance instructors, Béla Ónodi and Eszter Ónodi-Éliás.

In the evening there is a traditional Hungarian folk dance house for adults when anyone can try their dance skills – from complete beginners to highly advanced dancers. Béla Ónodi and Eszter Ónodi-Éliás will make sure everyone can learn and enjoy the intricate Hungarian folk dance steps and routines in a friendly and joyous atmosphere until 9 pm.

Béla Ónodi (b. 1973) started Hungarian folk dancing as a child in Tiszaújváros, then after finishing his secondary education he became a dancer in the internationally renowned Hungarian State Folk Ensemble. In addition to his professional career as a dancer, he became art director and choreographer of a number of amateur folk dance formations.

Béla Ónodi is an award-winning folk dance instructor, and since 2002 he has been teaching at the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest. Béla Ónodi has won many awards, including the prestigious Hungarian Népművészet Ifjú Mestere (Young Master

hungarian cultural centre • london

Δ Free but reservation is essential. Please call 020 7240 6162 or 020 7240 8448, email bookings@hungary.org.uk or visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

2012

Live Hungarian folk music and a fiery atmosphere will be provided by the wonderful Poros Band. The Poros Band was formed in 2009 as a family ensemble by László Porteleki, member of the world-famous Muzsikás. The band mixes the traditional folk sounds with more experimental sounds while their music remains strongly rooted in ancient traditions. They toured Hungary extensively (Hangfoglalás – Kölcsey Központ, Kaláka Fesztivál, Sziget Fesztivál) and also took their music on a tour to North America. ‘Poros Live’, their first CD came out last Christmas making this a wonderful milestone in the band’s life. All the musicians of the Poros Band are highly accomplished artists in other bands and musical genres but it is the family tie that makes their music and playing together very unique and special. On this occasion at the Advent Family Day the Poros Band features László Porteleki (violin, vocal), Zoltán Porteleki (viola, second violin, cimbalom, zither, vocal), Áron Porteleki (viola, drums, vocal) and Péter Molnár (double bass).

december

of Hungarian Folk Art ) title and the Viktor Fülöp Scholarship. This evening is a unique opportunity to meet Béla Ónodi and learn the techniques of Hungarian folk dancing from him and his highly experienced folk dance instructor wife Eszter Ónodi-Éliás.

33

hcc recommends maosz Friday 21 September, 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Reformed Church, 17 St. Dunstan’s Road, London W6 8RD

oxford hungarian society michaelmas term 2012 Friday 12 October, 8 pm ≥ MacGregor Room, Oriel College, Oxford OX1 4EW

General meeting of MAOSZ about the organisation’s present and future.

Social evening to start the term with some drink and food

o www.maosz.org.uk

Friday 19 October, 8 pm ≥ MacGregor Room, Oriel College, Oxford OX1 4EW

oxford hungarian society Mon 8 October – Sun 4 November ≥ The Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RH Cambridge Szeged Society and Érem Verde Mint Szeged present: Coins & Meldals Exhibition: Celebrating 25 Years of Twinning of the two cities o jmseiberboyd@virginmedia.com, j.oram@jamesoram.com, www.cambridge-szeged-society.org.uk Fri 12 October – Sun 14 October Friday › 9 am to 5.30 pm, Saturday › 9 am to 6 pm, Sunday › 11 am to 5 pm

The Great Court, 46 Grafton Centre, Cambridge CB1 1PS

≥

Mátyás Sárközi A Great Essayist Rediscovered: Zoltán Szabó (1912–1984) with a showing of the film about Zoltán Szabó by his daughter Ágnes Friday 2 November, 8 pm ≥ MacGregor Room, Oriel College, Oxford OX1 4EW Ádám Nádasdy What Does Translation Do to Poetry?

The talk will compare different English translations of some Hungarian poems, and try to see what each version conveys of the original. Ádám Nádasdy is associate professor at the Department of English Linguistics of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest

Cambridge Szeged Society presents Hungarian cuisine, wine, expertise & views in the centre of Cambridge

Friday 9 November, 8 pm ≥ NB: The Harris Theatre, Oriel College, Oxford OX1 4EW

o jmseiberboyd@virginmedia.com, j.oram@jamesoram.com, www.cambridge-szeged-society.org.uk

Imre Kálmán’s Gypsy Princess (Csárdáskirálynô) Film version of a recent Hungarian recording of the operetta with English subtitles.

Sat 17 November, 7 pm ≥ Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge CB3 0DG Cambridge Szeged Society in association with the Mátyás Seiber Trust present: Three English Composers and their Hungarian teacher Mátyás Seiber Featuring Lesley-Jane Rogers, John Turner, Nicholas Trygstad, Janet Simpson o Tickets: £13/£8 jmseiberboyd@virginmedia.com, j.oram@jamesoram.com, www.cambridge-szeged-society.org.uk

Friday 16 November, 8 pm ≥ MacGregor Room, Oriel College, Oxford OX1 4EW András Becker British-Hungarian Relations and Hungarian Revisionism 1936–41 Rethinking British Foreign Policy towards East-Central Europe and Hungary András Becker is a PhD candidate at the University of Southampton. o www.hungsoc.com

hungarian children and parents group/londoni magyar iskola plusz Sotheby Mews Centre, Sotheby Road, Islington, London N5 2UT

≥

Hungarian Saturday nursery and school, running 16 different classes for children and adults, including drama, Kodály music and Hungarian folk dance sessions for several age groups, courses for Hungarian as a Foreign Language exams.

Time: 20 Saturdays of teaching sessions 2 pm –7 pm, plus around 10 other events per year, term time only. o lmiplusz@gmail.com www.magyariskola.org.uk

8 If you wish to receive more information about our upcoming events and sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website www.hungary.org.uk.

Alternatively, find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/hcclondon and Twitter @HCCLondon. Thank you for your interest.

The HCC team: Dr Beata Pászthy PhD | Cultural and Scientific Counsellor – Director Csilla Szentesi | Head of Programming and Communications Fruzsina Kováts | Finance Manager Gyöngyi Végh | Programming and Communications Manager Andrea Kós | Office Manager Balázs Szaszák | IT Consultant

We are grateful to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its invaluable financial support.

The information in this brochure is believed to be correct at the time of going to press, but as this may be three months or more before the events take place, we strongly advise you to confirm dates, times and availability on our website and Facebook page before setting out for any particular event.

The HCC reserves the right to alter artists or programme details as necessary.

Balassi Institute Hungarian Cultural Centre London 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA Tel: 020 7240 8448 • Fax: 020 7240 4847 • Message: 020 7240 6162 E-mail: andrea.kos@hungary.org.uk and bookings@hungary.org.uk

www.hungary.org.uk

@

10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden London WC2E 7NA Tel: 020 7240 8448 Fax: 020 7240 4847 Message: 020 7240 6162 www.hungary.org.uk