Hungarian Cultural Centre - Programme Brochure Apr-Jun 2013

Events

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Portrait of Attila József by Róbert Berény, c. 1950. Petôfi Literary Museum

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10 Apr ≥ page 3 • lecture ‘In Search of The Eight’ – Talk by Professor Peter Vergo Magyar Mind – Open Lecture Series

11 Apr ≥ page 4 • literature National Poetry Day 18 Apr ≥ page 5 • literature Translating Poetry – Krisztina Tóth in conversation with Professor Daniel Abondolo 19–27 Apr ≥ page 6 • photo exhibition New Wave Photography 18 Apr – 2 May ≥

1 May ≥ page 13 • jazz János Ávéd, saxophone

3 Jun ≥ page 21 • monday music soirées Classic Meets Jazz – Péter Szûcs, clarinet, and Péter Kiss, piano

7 & 24 May ≥ page 11 • children + families Kodály-based music sessions for children and their families

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10 May ≥ page 14 • exhibition International Exhibition of Fine Artist Physicians 12 May ≥ page 14 • family Family Day with Kaláka concert & folk dance featuring The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble

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exhibition The Secret of Mezzotint – Imre Kéri’s works

13 May ≥ page 16 • talk + film In memoriam choreographer László Seregi

22 Apr ≥ page 9 • concert The Budapest Festival Orchestra and Imogen Cooper, piano

20 May ≥ page 17 • lecture Art Deco Fashions in Central Europe and Hungary in the 1920s

25 Apr ≥ page 10 • chamber music The Lanner Quartet

22 May ≥ page 18 • lecture Translation in the light (or shadow?) of language, culture and politics

Private view: 18 April, 7 pm •

26 Apr ≥ page 11 • children + families Kodály-based music sessions for children and their families 28 Apr ≥ page 11 • theatre The Mousetrap

by Agatha Christie

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30 May ≥ page 20 • concert Budapest Bár with Special Guests

13 & 28 June ≥ page 11 children + families Kodály-based music sessions for children and their families 14 June ≥ page 22 book launch Bad Machine and Good Music

by George Szirtes

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17 June ≥ page 23 conference Eunic London Annual Conference Europe – Why Bother?

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Wednesday | 10 April | 6.30 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

MAGYAR MIND

Open Lecture Series

The Hungarian Cultural Centre's open lecture series aims to introduce various aspects of Hungarian art and culture as seen, studied and taught by British experts.

The lectures are open to all and are a regular feature in our 2013 calendar. They cover Hungarian fine art, photography, cinema, architecture, music and fashion among many others.

This lecture in the series by Professor Peter Vergo explores the work of the group of Hungarian artists who called themselves ‘The Eight’, and who are sometimes described as the ‘Hungarian Fauves’. The members of 'The Eight' are Róbert Berény, Dezsô Czigány, Béla Czóbel, Károly Kernstok, Ödön Márffy, Dezsô Orbán, Bertalan Pór and Lajos Tihanyi. Profoundly influenced not only by Parisian art but also by contemporary trends in literature, poetry and music, they were in effect Hungary’s first modernists; yet their important contribution to the development of twentiethcentury European art has, until now, been largely ignored by audiences outside of Hungary. In this talk, Professor Vergo will ask the reason for this unjustified neglect, and try to situate their work within a wider cultural and historical context.

Peter Vergo is Professor of Art History at the University of Essex. His publications include Art in Vienna 1898–1918, Kandinsky: Complete Writings on Art and The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection: Twentieth-Century German Painting.

His exhibition Vienna 1900 was the centrepiece of the 1983 Edinburgh Festival and led to the award of the Golden Order of Merit by the Republic of Austria. His latest book The Music of Painting was published by Phaidon in 2010 and has recently appeared in paperback. He has just published a lengthy introductory essay in the catalogue of an exhibition of the work of ‘The Eight’ (Die Acht: Ungarns Highway in die Moderne), shown in Vienna at the Kunstforum Bank Austria in autumn 2012. Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further

information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

burial of a child by dezsô czigany, 1910

dawn rider by károly kernstok, 1911

‘In Search of The Eight’ Talk by Professor Peter Vergo

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e LECTURE

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Thursday | 11 April | 6.30 pm

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e LITERATURE

≥ Park Suite, Danubius Hotel Regents Park

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18 Lodge Road, St.John’s Wood, London NW8 7JT

National Poetry Day ‘Inspired by Hungarian poetry: British poets in conversation with Attila József’

chaired by george szirtes

A semmi ágán ül szivem, kis teste hangtalan vacog, köréje gyûlnek szeliden s nézik, nézik a csillagok.

introduction by george gömöri

My heart is perched on nothing’s branch, A small, dumb, shivering event: The gentle stars jostle and bunch And gaze on in astonishment.

from ‘Without hope’ by Attila József, translated by George Szirtes

In January 2013 the Hungarian Cultural Centre London launched its new project Inspired by Hungarian poetry: British poets in conversation with Attila József inviting British poets to respond to a selection of Attila József’s poems, which were beautifully translated into English by George Szirtes, Edwin Morgan, John Bátki and Peter Zollman.

The birthday of Attila József (11 April) is dedicated to the celebration of poetry in Hungary. On this special occasion the Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to host a special Gala Reading Night as the culmination of its Inspired by Hungarian poetry initiative, which was launched on 22 January 2013. Poets Derek Adams, Polly Clark, Antony Dunn, Jacqueline Gabbitas, George Gömöri, Wayne Holloway-Smith, Ágnes Lehóczky, Tim Liardet, John McAuliffe, John Mole, Clare Pollard, Sam Riviere, Carol Rumens, Fiona Sampson, George Szirtes and Tom Warner responded to our invitation and their poems will appear in the online anthology 'Inspired by Hungarian poetry – British poets in conversation with Attila József', which will also be launched on 11 April.

The evening will feature readings from the anthology by some of the contributing poets themselves. attila józsef

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information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Thursday | 18 April | 6.30 pm ≥ Europe House ✉ 32 Smith Square, London SW1P 3EU e LITERATURE Translating Poetry Krisztina Tóth in conversation with Professor Daniel Abondolo The School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS) has teamed up with the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Poet in the City, Europe House and Bloomsbury Hotel to provide an exciting programme of events in London starting in the spring and lasting until the autumn. Seven poets from Peru, Hungary, Holland, France, Germany, the Faroe Islands and Italy, will be coming to London to read their poetry, SELCS staff and Royal Academicians will be translating their poems into English, and the poetry along with the translations will be published in a special commemorative volume.

The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to announce that Krisztina Tóth, one of the most highly acclaimed Hungarian poets will represent Hungary in this special programme holding a unique reading evening at Europe House along with one of the translators of her work: Professor Daniel Abondolo.

Krisztina Tóth studied French and Hungarian Literature in Budapest. Since 1989 she published seven poetry books that have been translated into several languages. Her poetry deals in an emphatic, reflected and sometimes ironic way with everyday scenes and conflicts. In 2003, her first children’s book London Bears appeared. Her debut novel Barcode was published in German in 2010. The fifteen short stories bring up childhood, love and travelling during the Kádár-era from a very feminine perspective. Krisztina Tóth received numerous prizes such as the Attila József Prize (2000) and the Sándor Márai Prize (2007). Apart from writing she designs and produces stained glass windows. Δ Further information: www.hungary.org.uk, www.poetinthecity.co.uk

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Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further

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Attila József (1905–1937) is the greatest and best known of the modern Hungarian poets internationally. During his short life he published seven collections of poetry – the last three of which brought him wide critical acclaim and recognition: Külvárosi éj (‘Night in the Slums’), 1932, Medvetánc (‘Bear Dance’), 1934, Nagyon fáj (‘It Hurts a Lot’), 1936.

His poems have been translated into many languages, including English: Perched on Nothing's Branch, 1987 (translated by Peter Hargitai), Winter Night: selected poems of Attila József, 1997 (translated by John Batki), The Iron-Blue Vault: selected poems, translated by Zsuzsanna Ozsvath and Frederick Turner, Bloodaxe Books, 2000, Attila József: Sixty Poems, translated by Edwin Morgan, Edinburgh: Mariscat, 2001.

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19–27 April | Opening evening: Thursday | 18 April | 7 pm ≥ Crypt Gallery ✉ St Pancras Church, Euston Road, London NW1 2BA

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e PHOTO EXHIBITION United Creativity presents New Wave Photography 2013

United Creativity is exhibiting a new collection of fine art photography at The Crypt Gallery, London from 19–27 April. New Wave Photography 2013 presents 12 artists from Central and Eastern Europe. The exhibition recognises the rise of contemporary fine art photography from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

Four artists from Hungary are featured in this year’s exhibition.

Réka Kóti explores the creative boundaries of Lomography (an analogue technique, inspired by the effects of the Lomo Kompakt Automat camera). Her series ‘Driftwoods’ shows influences from fashion photography and figurative painting. Réka’s work has featured in American Iconology and at the Pecha Kucha exhibition in the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest.

Bence Bakonyi’s series ‘Dignity’ reflects personal feelings about identity through stark, minimalist landscapes. Bence is a graduate of the prestigious Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in

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Benedek Bognár’s photographs epitomise the experimental spirit of the exhibition.

His series ‘Interrogation’ were taken using a baggage inspection device. The X-ray images suggest an intriguing narrative through a number of incriminating objects.

The work draws inspiration from the painting ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ by Hieronymus Bosch. Δ Free entry. United Creativity promotes and sells fine art photography from Central and Eastern Europe. For more information, please visit the website: www.unitedcreativity.org

18 April – 2 May ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre

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10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

e EXHIBITION Private View: Thursday 18 April, 7 pm

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Opening hours: Mon–Fri 10 am–5 pm

The Secret of Mezzotint – Imre Kéri’s Etching and Mezzotint works Special guests: Imre Kéri, Munkácsi Mihály Award winning graphic artist, Professor Norman Ackroyd CBE, RA artist engraver and Mark McPadden graphic artist The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to present the exhibition of Imre Kéri, the Munkácsy Mihály Award winning graphic artist, who will be present at the private view and will be in conversation with his good friend Mark McPadden painter and etcher, discussing the artist’s work and the socalled English manner – a technique in engraving. After the discussion Norman Ackroyd, one of Britain’s most famous contemporary printmakers opens the exhibition with his introductory speech. Classically trained at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Imre Kéri quickly rose to prominence as one of Hungary’s leading graphic artists.

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Ildikó Neer began her photographic career in 2009. Her striking images of trees reflect her strong connection with nature. She uses digital techniques to elevate her images from simple nature photography to surrealist landscapes. She uses mirroring and light effects to create a unique atmosphere.

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Budapest. He has exhibited throughout Europe, notably the XY Mome Generation exhibition (2012) at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest.

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Kéri was born on 13 April 1945 in Balatonfüred, Hungary. His childhood home was a water mill. He frequently recalls his early impressions of old stone walls, dark candlelit rooms inside and white light outside – his first experience in the world of blacks and whites.

His lifelong commitment to the imre kéri, secret, 2011 fine arts was realized when he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest in 1966. He interrupted his studies when he spent some time in Amsterdam, where he was strongly influenced by the graphic works of Rembrandt. Upon his return Kéri continued to live and work in Budapest producing a series of oils and mezzotints, which led to his first solo exhibition in Venice, Italy in 1978 organized by Emilio Vedova, the famous Italian artist.

His works have been shown at most major European graphic art biennales in Rome, Tokyo, Spain and the Budapest Fine Art Fair. His major exhibitions include Magyar Magic in the Hungarian Cultural Centre (London, 2004), Stamperia del Tintoretto (Venice, 2005), Epreuve d’Artiste Galerie (Antwerpen, 2007), solo exhibition in the Kisfaludy Gallery (Balatonfüred, 2008), International mezzotint exhibition (Yekaterinburg, 2011). He is married to Ilona Decsi, an equally talented artist who specializes in oils and drawings.

Mark McPadden (b. 1972) is painter and etcher whose works have been exhibited in various group shows and are held in numerous private collections in Britain. One of his most famous pieces is Memorandium Mortis – the death mask of his father.

Norman Ackroyd CBE (b. 1938) is one of Britain’s most famous contemporary printmakers. He has had many solo exhibitions, both in Britain and internationally. He produced several works of art on commission including etched metal panels for the British Embassy in Moscow, Lloyds Bank, British Airways and Cambridge University. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1991, and awarded the prestigious CBE award for services to engraving in 2007.

imre kéri, flagellation

Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further

information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

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Monday | 22 April | 7.30 pm ≥ Southbank Centre ✉ Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

The Budapest Festival Orchestra and Imogen Cooper, piano Conductor: Iván Fischer

programme Ernô Dohnányi: • Symphonic Minutes Ludwig Van Beethoven: • Piano Concerto No.1

One of the last works that Bartók Béla Bartók: composed, his Concerto for • Concerto for Orchestra Orchestra is also one of his most accessible. Over five movements listeners are treated to Bartók's love of Eastern-European folk melodies, his famously eerie ‘night music’, complete with dazzling harps and chiming celestas, and exciting full-orchestra tutti.

Hungarian pianist-composer Ernô Dohnányi was a contemporary of Bartók’s and famed for his performances of Beethoven. His own music bears the musical imprint of Brahms.

The Symphonic Minutes, a forgotten gem, are full of un-ashamed Romantic lyricism and pastoral melodies.

In the first half, the celebrated Imogen Cooper performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.1, an early masterpiece by the composer completed in 1797. Adeptly assimilating the styles of his predecessors Mozart and Haydn, it brims with positive energy. Δ Tickets: £12, £17, £22.50, £29, £37, £45, £65. Information and booking at www.southbankcentre.co.uk

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e CONCERT

Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra come to the Royal Festival Hall to perform the piece for which they are perhaps most renowned, Bartók's colourful Concerto for Orchestra.

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Thursday | 25 April | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉

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e CHAMBER MUSIC

10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

The Lanner Quartet members of the Budapest Festival Orchestra The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to host a unique concert with the Lanner Quartet featuring Gábor Selmeczi, Péter Kostyál, Zoltán Fekete and Attila Martos, who are at the same time members of the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

If you have ever longed for enjoying classical ‘light music’ the way it must have been done by many in the early 19th century in Vienna, where the new music had just emerged from the rustic ‘Laendler’ and distilled into the most popular subtle Walzer mastered by such talented young musicians as Joseph Lanner and sen. Johann Strauss then the experience of listening to one of the Lanner Quartet’s concerts is just for you. In fact, the musicians rather think of their ‘concerts’ as parties with great and sophisticated music, where dancing is just as natural as enjoying a cup of tea and cakes.

The Lanner Quartet aims to resurrect the lovely atmosphere of the cradle of Walzers and Polkas, when audience was not supposed to ‘behave’ but to relax and enjoy the music. Carefully selecting the programme, the musicians truly hope that the audience will experience something different from today's usual concerts. In order to get even closer to the ”Old Vienna Tradition“, unlike modern quartets, the Lanner Quartet permanently features the double bass for the bass line instead of a cello – thus gaining the more solid bass sound needed for music that swings. Keeping up this living tradition, they have also discovered several impressive new (sound) colors and a lot of fun! Δ Free but booking is required as only limited seats are available. To register, please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further information please visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon. For more information about the Lanner Quartet please visit the www.lannerkvartett.hu

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Kodály-based music sessions for Hungarian children and their families Jointly presented by the Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford and the Hungarian Cultural Centre These music sessions are suitable for children as small as 6-monthold. During the session the parents learn and try out songs and games they can use at home with their children, which will help them develop not only their musical skills but create a strong bond between parents and children.

Maria Chambers and Polla Rashbrook, two highly experienced teachers from the Hungarian Cultural Association in Guildford lead the sessions. They play music, sing and enchant children and parents with their engaging and creative activities. Δ £6/child/session. To book your place please contact Mária Chambers on 01483 808 643, 07843 054 940

or info@hungarianculturalgroup.co.uk. Further information: www.hungarianculturalgroup.co.uk

Sunday | 28 April | 6 pm ≥ St. Martin’s Theatre ✉ West Street, Cambridge Circus, London WC2H 9NZ e THEATRE katona józsef theatre of kecskemét presents

The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie First ever Hungarian theatre to hit London’s West End The Katona József Theatre of Kecskemét is delighted and honoured to be the first ever Hungarian theatre to stage a guest performance in London’s West End. The company has presented many acclaimed performances over the years – this tradition has continued over the last 5 years under the management of actor Péter Cseke.

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e CHILDREN & FAMILIES

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26 April, 7 & 24 May, 13 & 28 June | 11 am ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre ✉ 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

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The theatre aims to offer the company constant challenges by providing them with demanding roles and great acting possibilities.

This production of The Mousetrap is very special for the Katona József Theatre in that all generations of the company are involved allowing the young actors to work with and learn from the techniques of the older ‘legends’ such as prize-winning company life members Erika Réti and Jenô Kiss, who bring together 100 years of stage experience to the production.

Alongside them are Zita Téby and János Szemenyei who are making their company debuts in this production, and the youngest member of the company, Balázs Csémy, who completed his internship in the theatre and is quickly becoming an audience favourite.

Husband and wife Zoltán Hegedûs and Judit Danyi have been members of the theatre cast for 15 years but in this performance Judit’s stage husband is played by Bálint Ferencz.

cast Mollie Ralston – Judit Danyi Giles Ralston – Bálint Ferencz Christopher Wren – Balázs Csémy Mrs. Boyle – Erika Réti Major Metcalf – Jenô Kiss Miss Casewell – Zita Téby Mr. Paravicini – Zoltán Hegedûs Sergeant Trotter – János Szemenyei Directed by Péter Cseke

 Please note this event will be in Hungarian. Δ Tickets: £20, £25, £30, £40. For further information and booking please call 08444 99 1515 or visit www.the-mousetrap.co.uk

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Wednesday | 1 May | 7.30 pm ≥ 606 Jazz Club ✉ 90 Lots Road, Chelsea, London SW10 0QD

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e JAZZ János Ávéd, saxophone The famous Chelsea-based 606 Jazz Club, in association with the Hungarian Cultural Centre, presents János Ávéd, one of the most imaginative Hungarian saxophone players.

János Ávéd is a born innovator and a tremendously versatile musician who can turn any material into riveting music. He is also a very original composer. Last year he was chosen for the European Saxophone Ensemble with which he toured extensively with great success.

At his concert in 606 Jazz Club he is accompanied

by Gareth Williams, who has unquestionably established himself as one of the leading modern British jazz pianists. As a fiery and enormously creative player his remarkable talent has been featured in the Jim Mullen band, as well as regular work with the band of the great Claire Martin.

The bass player will be one of the great masters and teachers of his instrument, Steve Watts. jános avéd – photo by rita fazekas

Martin France will handle the drums. He was a founding member of the extraordinary 1980s big band Loose Tubes, where he began long standing partnerships with many of its members, including Django Bates. Martin has performed and recorded with some of the world's best musicians including Kenny Wheeler, Ralph Towner, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland and Joe Lovano among others. Δ Tickets: £8–£12.

For further information and booking please call 020 7352 5953 or visit www.606club.co.uk

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hungarian cultural centre • london

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

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e EXHIBITION International Exhibition of Fine Artist Physicians Doctors are generally only known to perform the science and art of maintaining and restoring human health, but some of them also provide cultural services to society: many physicians – apart from treating patients – paint, make sculptures, play music, and some of their works are indeed breathtaking, albeit not yet recognized.

This special event is organised by Asklepios-Med, which is a global private medical practice and research centre based in Hungary. Apart from patient management and internationally renowned clinical research, Asklepios-Med regularly organizes exhibition series of fine artist physicians and concerts of doctor musicians from all over the globe to show the other face of the health care providers to the general public. There has never been such a cultural event of this kind to reveal the “hidden treasures of medicine”, and the first few stations of these exhibition/concert series were well received by both medical professionals and the public. In order to proceed with these traditions and as a continuation of these successful intellectual events, Asklepios-Med organises the next station of the exhibition series in London at the Hungarian Cultural Centre, where the exhibition can be viewed until 30 May. Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further

information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Sunday | 12 May | 2 pm – 9.30 pm ≥ Kennedy Hall, Cecil Sharp House ✉ 2 Regent's Park Road London, NW1 7AY e FAMILY Family Day with Kaláka concert & folk dance featuring The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble Following on the success of last year’s family days held in May and in December, the Balassi Institute London organizes another fun day packed with colourful activities for the whole family. This year we have invited the Kaláka Ensemble back, who gave a fantastic concert last year. We can expect a true music experience once again where children can sing along and join in.

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The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble (HSFE) was founded in 1951 with the purpose of collecting, preserving and presenting the treasures of Hungarian folklore. It presents all folk-related Hungarian genres on stage: historic music, authentic folk music and dance, dramatic folk plays, as well as traditionalbased world music, show-dancing and the elements of contemporary dance-house tradition. The HSFE has performed in 50 countries of four continents, entertaining more than 8 million people altogether.

The dancers are accompanied by a traditional folk music band, lead by István Pál (aka “Szalonna”), awarded Young Master of the Hungarian Folk Art. Hungary’s Táncház or ‘dance house’ method of teaching folk dance and music has gained international recognition as having been included on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list under a decision made by a UN intergovernmental committee in November 2011. Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further

information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

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After the concert we have an array of programmes devoted to folk dance. After children can have their go at learning the first steps of Hungarian folk dance, the internationally highly acclaimed artists of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble perform a selection of dances followed by a workshop that introduces all sorts of folk instruments to children. The event concludes with a dance house where everyone from beginners to advanced dancers is welcome. The ’folk dance house’ is a perfect way to bring together different generations and members of London’s diverse community in a joyful, active and interactive way to make everyone happy and to strengthen positive community sentiments.

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The Kaláka Ensemble, a quartet singing poems folk songs and children’s songs, was formed in Budapest in 1969 and has given concerts in nearly 40 countries in the world.

Gábor Bence, Dániel Gryllus, Vilmos Gryllus and Balázs Radványi are all practitioners of Kodály method. During their concerts they present an array of instruments, and have had great success with children who speak other languages as well.

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Monday | 13 May | 7 pm

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e TALK & FILM

≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre

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10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

In memoriam choreographer László Seregi László Seregi, the most significant Hungarian choreographer in the second half of the twentieth century, died a year ago in May 2012. He started dancing relatively late and came to classical ballet in an unusual way. At the age of 18 he joined the Army Ensemble (Honvéd Együttes) as a dancer and later choreographer. In 1956 after the Hungarian Uprising the State Ballet Company was short of male dancers and Seregi was engaged. He danced many character roles at the Budapest Opera; but it soon became obvious that it was his choreographic talent that could be a great asset for the company.

His breakthrough was a version of the full-length Spartacus (1968). Many ballets followed, notably Sylvia, then a work about the Hungarian painter Csontváry based on his famous painting ‘The Cedar’, ‘Variation on a Child’s Song’ for the music of Ernst Dohnányi’s song cycle among many others. He choreographed three ballets on Shakespeare themes: Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew. Between 1977–1984 he reached the highest position in Hungarian ballet: he was the Artistic Director of the State Opera’s Ballet Company.

Mia Myrtill Nádasi, ex-ballerina, actress/writer and daughter of Seregi’s ballet teacher, Marcelle Nádasi, will host the evening and remember the choreographer’s charismatic personality and his outstanding contribution to dance, aided by video clips of Seregi’s ballets and Shakespeare readings.

Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further

information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

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≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre

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10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

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e LECTURE Art Deco Fashions in Central Europe and Hungary in the 1920s

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Monday | 20 May | 7 pm

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MAGYAR MIND

Open Lecture Series

Talk by Dr Djurdja Bartlett and Dr Katalin Földi-Dózsa Focusing on the themes of nationalism versus cosmopolitanism and the elitist versus the popular, Dr Djurdja Bartlett’s presentation investigates the uses of ethnic and geometrical styles in the Eastern European interwar fashions within the social, cultural and artistic contexts in the five countries in the region: Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Croatia. Eastern European Art Deco dresses attempted to achieve a truce between the ethnic and the geometrical, but consequently produced a series of nationalized versions of modernism. In contrast to the West of Europe, where the Art Deco aesthetics in dress was informed by a wide range of geographical and historical references, each Eastern European country tended to rely exclusively on its own sartorial heritage.

In her talk Dr Katalin Földi-Dózsa concentrates on Budapest as a fashion capital between the world wars. World War I interrupted the blooming fashion and social life and the Hungarian fashion industry started again in 1920 importing modells from Paris. At the same time, there was a demand for independent designers creating their own modells. Starting in 1933, each year there was an open call for designs that would build on Hungarian folk and traditional costumes, mixing it with fashion trends of the time. Designer Klára Tüdős stood out and became a household name in Europe.

The reason for the success of Hungarian design was twofold: the international trends were also in favour of folklore and the Hungarian folklore embroidery matched the style of art deco.

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Dr. Djurdja Bartlett is Senior Research Fellow at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.

She has published widely on the theme of fashion during socialism and post-socialism. Bartlett is author of FashionEast: the Spectre That Haunted Socialism (MIT Press, 2010; New Literary Observer, Moscow, 2011), and editor of a volume on East Europe, Russia and the Caucasus in the Berg Encyclopaedia of World Dress and Fashion (2010). She is also coordinator of the Fashion Media and Imagery Research Hub at the London College of Fashion.

Dr. Katalin Földi-Dózsa is a well-known Hungarian art-historian, museologist and university professor at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME).

She is an acknowledged expert on history of textile and clothing. She established the Budapest Fashion School in 1985. She has curated 28 exhibitions, including ‘The Historic Hungarian Costume’ exhibition in Manchester and the ‘Golden Age’ Exhibition at the Barbican Centre in 1989. She has written over 50 articles, and edited many exhibition catalogues.

In recognition of her work she was awarded the Knight’s Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary in 2003. Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email

bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Wednesday | 22 May | 10 am – 5 pm ≥ UCL, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, Masary Common Room ✉ 16 Taviton Street, London WC1H 0BW

e LITERATURE Translation in the light (or shadow?) of language, culture and politics Sándor Weöres Centenary Conference and Workshop On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Hungarian poet, Sándor Weöres (1913–1989), the University College London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies with the Hungarian Cultural Centre jointly organises this special one-day conference which brings together academics, translators and publishers to explore Weöres’s legacy and to reflect on the translation of poetry and the translation of cultures.

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In which ways do concrete, practical differences and distances between languages and culture present both challenges and stimuli for translators?

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What are the asymmetries and inequalities in the perceived power, influence, and authority of the languages from and into which translations are made?

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What is the role of the publishing market in mitigating or enhancing such perceptions regarding the differences between languages and culture?

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While the key languages and texts examined and discussed will be Hungarian and English, other languages and cultures will also be addressed where relevant.

The one-day conference and workshop concludes with the launch of Chicago of the Balkans: Budapest in Hungarian Literature 1900–1939 written by Gwen Jones and published by Legenda in Oxford in 2013.

Dr Gwen Jones is Hon. Research Associate at the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University College London. She has taught Hungarian literature at BA and MA level at UCL-SSEES, where she completed her doctorate on images of Budapest in early twentieth-century Hungarian literature. Δ For further information please visit www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk or www.hungary.org.uk

2013

This unique conference seeks to provide a forum for practitioners, scholars and other interested parties active in both practical and theoretical aspects of the problematicity of translation, to explore mainly, but not exclusively, the following questions:

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Following paper presentations in two panels in the morning, a two-hour workshop will take place during the afternoon, in which speakers and audience members can put theory into practice, and practise theory, by sharing texts whose translation they find challenging or problematic. Invited talks will address translation-critical factors from language typology, the politics of language, the economics of publishing and the status of ‘poetry’. All people are welcome who are interested in enhancing their understanding and appreciation of the complexity of the problem of translation.

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hungarian cultural centre • london

Thursday | 30 May | 8 pm ≥ Kings Place ✉ 90 York Way, London N1 9AG

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e CONCERT Budapest Bár with Special Guests Inspired by the evocative and eccentric Budapest café culture of the 1920s and 30s, world-class gypsy band Budapest Bár are critically acclaimed for their brilliant and imaginative re-invention of chanson, jazz, Brazilian music, film themes and the gypsy tradition. Massively popular in Hungary, they return to London following a terrific performance as part of BT River of Music last July.

Led by virtuoso violinist Róbert Farkas, the band includes cimbalom player Mihály Farkas, accordionist and pianist Károly Ökrös and some very special international guests.

The concert is organized as part of The Time and the Place: Culture and Identity in Today’s Europe where music promoters present a fascinating series exploring distinctive musical identities across Europe. What is the connection between Bronze Age artifacts, European jazz, medieval manuscripts and photography which captures Europe’s complex colonial past? And how do artists as diverse as gipsy band Budapest Bár, or saxophonist/MC/rapper Soweto Kinch, or the hauntingly beautiful Sami voice of Mari Boine fit into the picture? These seemingly disparate subjects form part of The Time and the Place: Culture and Identity in Today’s Europe, a series of concerts and creative interventions from a Europe-wide choice of artists whose music acts as a counterpoint to the themes of a wide-ranging and fascinating group of research projects that reach their conclusion this year. Δ Tickets: £16.50, £19.50, £24.50 / Online Savers: £9.50 For more information please call 020 7520 1490 or visit www.kingsplace.co.uk

hungarian cultural centre • london

≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre

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10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

Classic Meets Jazz – Péter Szûcs, clarinet, and Péter Kiss, piano The Hungarian Cultural Centre is delighted to introduce two excellent musicians Péter Szûcs and Péter Kiss, who will engage the audience in an exquisite jazz-infused classical evening.

Péter Szûcs graduated from the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with the highest qualification. He won several international competitions such as the Dénes Legány Woodwind Competiton, and has been awarded several scholarships such as the Scholarship of Hungarian Republic (2006), and the Fischer Annie Scholarship (2011). He participated in prestigious international festivals and music courses and has worked with famous maestros and artists such as Pierre Boulez, Péter Eötvös, Ádám Fischer, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Klaus Thunemann, Hansjörg Schellenberger, Csaba Klenyán, Zoltán Rácz and Gergely Vajda among others. His repertoire comprise mainly contemporary compositions and he collaborates with many Hungarian leading composers and with the UMZE Ensemble (New Hungarian Music Association). Member of the Con Spirito Music Association and the Ludium Ensemble, which focuses on the works of György Kurtág.

Péter Kiss pianist studied at the Béla Batrók Conservatory of Music in Budapest and the Liszt Academy of Music where he is now a PhD student.

He participated in master classes of Lívia Rév, Malcolm Bilson, György Kurtág and Kirill Gerstein among others. He has toured in several European countries and in the USA. As a chamber musician, he participated in numerous music festivals and summer courses. He made his first CD in 2007 with the clarinetist Csaba Klenyán at Hungaroton Records.

2013

e MONDAY MUSIC SOIRÉES

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Monday | 3 June | 7 pm

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hungarian cultural centre • london

He is commited to contemporary music and made several world and national premieres and radio recordings. He is a member of the Trio Inception, and Ludium Ensemble, which is led by Gábor Csalog. In 2011 he was awarded the Fischer Annie performer scholarship, and the Artisjus Prize for outstanding activity in contemporary music. Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email bookings@hungary.org.uk.

For further information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

programme Frigyes Hidas – Fantasy György Vukán – 13 bagatelle (extracts) J. S. Bach–Kálmán Oláh – Minuet in G Béla Kovács – Homage to Gershwin György Orbán – Piano suite (extracts) George Gershwin – Three preludes Meyer Kupferman – Moonflowers baby Joseph Horovitz – Sonatina Dezsô Oláh – Orison

Friday | 14 June | 7 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Centre

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10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA

e BOOK LAUNCH Bad Machine and Good Music Bad Machine by George Szirtes  a poetry book society choice for spring 2013 with the author in attendance, accompanied by live music The body is the ‘bad machine’ of George Szirtes’ latest book of poems. The sudden death of his elderly father and of his younger friend, the poet Michael Murphy, remind him how machines – sources of energy and delight in their prime – go so easily wrong; and that change in the body is a signal for moving on. But language too is a body.

Here, politics, assimilation, desire, creatureliness and the pleasure and loss of the body, mingle in various attenuated forms such as lexicon, canzone, acrostics, mirror poems, postcards, and a series of ‘minimenta’ after Anselm Kiefer, whose love of history as rubble and monument haunts this collection.

George Szirtes is one of the most inventive – and constantly reinventing – poets living in Britain, and Bad Machine shows him developing new themes and new ways of writing in poems which stretch the possibilities of form and question language and its mastery.

hungarian cultural centre • london

or email bookings@hungary.org.uk. For further information visit our website www.hungary.org.uk and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCLondon

Monday | 17 June ≥ Europe House ✉ 32 Smith Square, London SW1P 3EU e CONFERENCE eunic london annual conference

Europe – Why Bother?

Artists and Intellectuals Respond to Europe This annual conference, organised by EUNIC London, a network of 28 European national cultural institutes and embassies working in the British capital, with the support of European Commission Representation, is a one-day, international panel conference that will take place at London’s Europe House on 17 June.

The event will propose, through the competent voice of some of the most recognizable European names in arts and academia, an original contribution to the essential debate about the future of Europe. The pool of distinguished speakers, coming from all corners of Europe, will voice the expectations, concerns and resolutions of the most creative sector of European society. Offering an alternative, complementary vision to the dominant discourse of political leaders and economists, these artists and intellectuals will help shape up a vision of post-crisis Europe.

The London-based national cultural institutions participating at the conference are: Austrian Cultural Forum, British Council, Czech Centre, Goethe Institute, Hungarian Cultural Centre, Instituto Cervantes, Lithuanian Embassy, Polish Cultural Institute and Romanian Cultural Institute. Δ Further information: www.hungary.org.uk, www.eunic-london.org

2013

Δ Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448

june

He was born in Budapest in 1948 and came to England as a refugee in 1956. He has published several books and won various other prizes including the T. S. Eliot Prize for Reel in 2005.

Having returned to his birthplace, Budapest, for the first time in 1984, he has also worked extensively as a translator of poems, novels, plays and essays and has won various prizes and awards in this field. His own work has been translated into numerous languages.

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hcc recommends

hungarian cultural association’s programme Sunday, 7 April, 11 am – 4 pm ≥ Hatchlands Park, Surrey Spring Family Trip To Hatchlands Park, Surrey A moving evening devoted to an anthology on the Holocaust that comprises a selection of work by eighteen Hungarian poets from three generations including such great poets as Radnóti and Pilinszky. o free for HCA members, Guests £5.00/person. Advanced booking only. Please call 00 44 1483 808 643 or 00 44 7843 054 940 or email maria.chambers@hcaguildford.org.uk For further information please visit www.hcaguildford.co.uk

Saturdays ≥ 20 April, 4 May, 18 May, 8 June and 29 June, 10 am – 1 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford, Surrey Hungarian language, music, folkdance, craft, play groups for children o Tickets: please contact Maria Chambers for fee information.

Advanced booking only.

Please call 00 44 1483 808 643 or 00 44 7843 054 940 or email maria.chambers@hcaguildford.org.uk For further information please visit www.hcaguildford.co.uk

Saturday, 20 April, 10 am – 1 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford, Surrey

Saturdays ≥ 20 April, 4 May, 18 May, 8 June and 29 June, 10 am – 1 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford, Surrey

8th Open Day for new families and members

Hungarian as a foreign language groups for adults

o Tickets: free but advanced booking

o Tickets: please contact Maria Chambers for fee information.

Advanced booking only.

Please call 00 44 1483 808 643 or 00 44 7843 054 940 or email maria.chambers@hcaguildford.org.uk For further information please visit www.hcaguildford.co.uk

only. Please call 00 44 1483 808 643 or 00 44 7843 054 940 or email maria.chambers@hcaguildford.org.uk For further information please visit www.hcaguildford.co.uk

Sunday, 21 April, 10 am ≥ Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford, Surrey Szatmári and Zemléni Folk Dance Workshop for adults with Böske Tímár o Tickets: £25.00/person HCA members, Guests £35.00/person Advanced booking only.

Please call 00 44 1483 808 643 or 00 44 7843 054 940 or email maria.chambers@hcaguildford.org.uk For further information please visit www.hcaguildford.co.uk

Mondays ≥ 29 April, 7 May, 13 May, 20 May, 28 May, 3 June and 10 June, 8 pm ≥ Hungarian Cultural Association Guildford, Surrey Hungarian folkdance and folk singing group for adults o Tickets: please contact Maria Chambers for fee information.

Advanced booking only.

Please call 00 44 1483 808 643 or 00 44 7843 054 940 or email maria.chambers@hcaguildford.org.uk For further information please visit www.hcaguildford.co.uk

Tuesday 23 April, 7.30 pm ≥ Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London, N1 9NL Quimby concert presented by Bolygo Music o Tickets: £19.50 (advance), £25.00 (on the door) Booking: www.ticketmaster.co.uk For further information visit www.scala-london.co.uk, www.quimby.hu Sunday, 12 May, 7 pm ≥ Arts Theatre, 6–7 Great Newport St., London WC2H 7JB the embassy of hungary presents: And Romeo and Juliet A story of undying love in one act Starring: Péter Rudolf as Romeo and Eszter Nagy-Kálózy as Juliet.

o Free entry, but booking is required at mission.lon@mfa.gov.hu Tuesday, 28 May ≥ University College London Danube Project UCL Danube Summer School in London: University College London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies is planning a two-week summer school on the theme of the Danube in May 2013.

Sunday, 2 June, 8 pm ≥ Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho 10 Dean Street, London, W1D 3RW bolygo music productions with murat diril cymbals present: The Thump Festival 2013 Moses Boyd Band & Tamás Berdisz o Doors: 6.30 pm, showtime: 8 pm.

Tickets: £17.50, call 0845 6027 017 www.pizzaexpresslive.co.uk

Hungarians in the North of England (Észak-angliai magyarok) offer regular community and cultural events. o Further information: www.facebook.com/groups/ eszakangliaimagyarprogramok

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 Dóra Havasi | Programme Coordinator Andrea Kós | Office Manager Balázs Szaszák | IT Consultant

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

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