Hirsute is a microcosm, an inner musical journey, which shows the adventures of a troubled daily life while keeping its feet in the stars. It’s a world with new musical paths, acoustic and surprising. Each composition is a little story where you can take refuge to do what you want. No need to worry about what it means, it's just a little cry for freedom. With cinematic melodies and a work on the textures, Hirsute plays and confuses us in the same time. Here the solo is not a pretext, it’s always a real part of the story. Hirsute’s music is luminous, fierce and personal.

A Kohlmarkttól a Seitenstettengasséig; kis túra a Császárváros szívében némi zenei kísérettel, húros, billentyűs és fúvós hangszerre. Mozart Bécsben két lakás albérlője, és tizenhárom lakás főbérlője volt rövid élete során, egészen véletlenül sosem lakott tíz perc sétánál messzebb a mai Stadttempel zsinagógától. Fura módon az F-dúr zongoraszonáta komponálásakor valószínűleg a Kohlmarkt 7-es szám alatt lakott, ahol néhány évvel később, erről mit sem sejtve szemtanúk beszámolója szerint Beethoven és Schubert hanyagul sétált el egymás mellett, észre sem véve a másikat. Schubert tovább andalgott a Tuchlauben felé (ma nagyszerű fagyizó), és áhítattal tért be a Stadttempel zsinagógába (Seitenstettengasse) mert ott énekelt a csodálatos kántor Salomon Sulzer. Jött Sulzerhez Schumann is, Paganini is, Liszt még kísérte is őt zongorán. Milyen kicsi ez a Világ, mondanánk, a koncert programja ezt a pár száz méteres sétát teszi meg a hallgatókkal. Picit talán többet is…

A koncert egy szeletet mutat be Kedves Csanád Isten-kérdés, valamint a civilizációs fejlődés oltárán feláldozott szellemi, lelki és morális értékek, illetve azok válságának témaköreiből, melyek a szerző műveiben gyakorta hangsúlyosan jelennek meg. E témákban több író, költő tolla mentén saját gondolataival találkozik, jelen koncerten Orbán Ottó, Petri György, Ady Endre és Szimonidész versei épülnek be az egyes zeneművekbe. A szövegek és felvetett kérdések tragikus mélységét, súlyosságát játékosabb, líraibb hangszeres kompozíciók igyekeznek majd oldani.

After András Dés moved to Vienna in 2018, it was a pleasant realization for him how many connections there are between the two countries. Due to the historical and cultural mergers, there are many common sections in gastronomy as well. Strudel, is a typical example of a common past, as it is an important ingredient in the culinary self-awareness of both countries and a source of happiness. On the one hand, this is why András Dés's new Viennese quartet has been named Strudel, as they are looking for a common ground in jazz from which new stories can be born. On the other hand, because strudel is a miracle where it only depends on the chef’s imagination as it fills the dough. András Dés has been experimenting with his various bands for a long time, in which musicians combine pre-written, strictly composed parts with free improvisations. In Vienna, he found great companions for joint improvisation in the person of the fine, sensitive trumpet player Martin Eberle, the particularly creative pianist Philipp Nykrin, and the double bassist Andreas Waelti, who understands and cultivates both freedom and rules.

Sára Tímár, the unique, experimental singer of her generation won the Junior Prize Award in the category of Hungarian folk art in 2011. Although she graduated as a teacher at the Department of Folk Music of the Ferenc Liszt University of Music, her interests also extend to the frontiers of folk music. As a member of the Sebő ensemble, she came into contact with the world of sung poems, and seeks the creative possibilities of folk singing as the founding member of the Dalinda a cappella choir. In their new program, entitled Ének a határtalanról (Song of the Infinite), we can hear Sára Tímár's adaptations of poems and folk music, in which the cimbalom player Dániel Szabó is the co-author. They have collected poems by Sándor Weöres with a central theme of eternity, the search for harmony, life after death, awareness, and eternal love. These themes reflect the spiritual world of the singer and her need to experience the most essential life essences. The musical accompaniment of the poems and folk songs faithfully reflects what it has to say, yet provides excellent entertainment for the audience. Where it lifts, it flies high, and where it stretches the deeper layers of the human soul.

MAO gives highlighted attention to the artist and their connections to the Art of Virus project in the 2021/22 season. The concert series features the pieces of the 10 branches from the project in ten concerts. The host of the concert in May will be Gábor Subicz and the guest composer will be Emiliano Sampaio. Gábor Subicz, the young master musician, composes and arranges music for the Modern Art Orchestra on a regular basis, he wrote pieces for the Bartók-, and Kodály-albums also. His own album, played by MAO is the Mind’s Ear was released in 2017. The Brazilian Emiliano Sampaio joined the challenge after Subicz’s invitation. Sampaio contributed to projects as composer, arranger and conductor, such as the Metropole Orkest (Holland), HR Frankfurt Radio Big Band, to name a few. Sampaio’s studio work includes 11 albumes. Gábor Subicz is a Hungarian trumpeter, composer and arranger who has been contributing to our homeland’s cultural life with musical productions that are always created and conducted with the highest level of artistic taste and proficiency. He does not only create art of a quality that is unquestionable, but also proves that this curious, creative and jazz-infused music has an audience, which is significantly broader than one would expect. A great example for this is the 2020 album of Subicz’s band, Subtones: Octopus. The young master musician composes and arranges music for the Modern Art Orchestra on a regular basis, he wrote pieces for the Bartók-, and Kodály-albums also. His own album, played by MAO is the Mind’s Ear was released in 2017. Gábor Subicz on Art Of Virus: "Kornél Fekete-Kovács launched the most interesting online cultural project of the past years with the Art Of Virus Challenge. It is a remarkably fresh idea, a very simple, but endlessly transformable task and a structure never seen before. It can very well serve as a prototype of future life tree-structured musical projects. However, it might as well remain a once-a-lifetime phenomenon. Both ways are satisfying, as AOV is extremely unique in itself." Gábor is the starter of AOV #10, the Brazilian Emiliano Sampaio joined the challenge after Subicz’s invitation. The two musicians met in 2014  in Copenhagen, within the context of a competition for music composers. "Emiliano is currently living in Graz, but he is a true cosmopolitan. His music demonstrates this very well: he is transfusing jazz with the South-American musical heritage with ease, creating airy but meaningful compositions. I am looking forward to hearing his arrangements made for the Modern Art Orchestra and to our collaboration!" Sampaio contributed to projects as composer, arranger and conductor, such as the Metropole Orkest (Holland), HR Frankfurt Radio Big Band, JazzKombinat  (Hamburg), Uptown Big Band (Bern), Big Band & the Vocals (Copenhagen), or the Graz Composers Orchestra. Sampaio’s fruitful studio work includes 11 albumes published under his name as leader. Modern Art Orchestra AOV 10# seems to be a very exciting event in the concert calendar. About the Art of Virus: Kornél Fekete-Kovács, the art director of MAO launched nine notes and passed these to ten well-known composers worldwide during the 2020-quarantine of the pandemic. He asked to compose short pieces from these notes and pass on the composing opportunity to two other musicians. The international project got very successful in the course of a few months and 486 composers joined AOV from 42 countries worldwide.

Created in 2019 by violinist Clément Janinet with Elodie Pasquier on clarinets and Bruno Ducret on cello, La Litanie des Cimes plays with long movements, seemingly slow tempos, and harmonic contemplations. Within this trio, improvisation is free and introspective without being recluse. The exchanged harmonies are constantly re-beaten by the repetition of the themes. One could almost hear agitated dialogues. It’s a blast of energy. Intimate jumble against common clarity, line vivacity against melodic delicacy. This very open music could sound like the soundtrack of a disaster movie about the end of the world, heard from the top of tall trees. The band will also be recording a new album in the BMC studio in the days before the concert, so the audience will be the first to hear Clément Janinet’s latest compositions as a kind of BMC Records preliminary premiere.

A Concerto Budapest Promenád sorozatának harmadik, egyben már hagyománnyá vált évfordulós koncertjére, Ligeti György születésnapjának előestéjén kerül sor. Szimfonikus költeményben a játékosok egyszerre, de más sebességre állítva indítják el a metronómokat. A káoszból periodikus ritmusok válnak kihallhatóvá, mígnem a metronómok fokozatosan leállnak. A szólista és zenekar szembeállítását mellőző Csellóverseny két, szünet nélkül előadandó tétele nyolcszoros pianóból nő ki, majd abba is tűnik el. Mind a 13 hangszeres egyenrangú szólistaként szerepel a Kammerkonzertben; az egyes szólamok párhuzamosan, de eltérő ritmikai alakzatokon keresztül és tempóban bontakoznak ki, a hangzás hol kikristályosodik, hol elmosódik. A három Ligeti-művet nem hagyományos értelemben vett zenedarabok egészítik ki ezen a hangversenyen. Cage leghíresebb alkotása a zeneszerző azon meggyőződését fejezi ki, miszerint bármilyen hallásélményből születhet zene, teljes csend pedig nem létezik. Az Autokoncertben a színfalak mögé rejtett játékosok irányítják különböző hangszerek lezuhanását, ami mind a megszólaló zörejeket, mind a csend beálltát kiszámíthatatlanná teszi. A Concerto Budapest égisze alatt működő, a kortárs magyar zene előadására specializálódott Ligeti Ensemble-t napjaink egyik legjelentősebb magyar zeneszerzője, Eötvös Péter vezényli.

Itt a vissza nem térő alkalom: lerántjuk a leplet a karmester szakma minden csínjáról-bínjáról! Miért kell egyáltalán karmester, mire jó a pálca, mit figyel a brácsás és mit a triangulumos, ki a jó karmester, merre kell lengetni, mik a titkos jelek, miért nem szeretik a zenészek a karmestert, és miért szeretik? Ezekre és még ezernyi kérdésre adunk szórakoztató választ, miközben a közönség tagjai is kipróbálhatják magukat a pulpituson. Pálcákat előkészíteni, indul a karmesteriskola! Vezényel: Hámori Máté

A zene – álom, az álom pedig ideális terep a mese és a fantázia szárnyalására. Ezen a koncerten Bartók és Ravel rövid zenekari művei köré építünk egy fantasztikus álmot, ahol minden megtörténhet – és meg is történik. A klasszikus Grimm és Andersen mesék világa találkozik az okostelefonokkal, Harry Potter és Chuck Norris pedig vállvetve győzik le a tűzokádó sárkányt.

Mi az, hogy a zene mindenkié? Tényleg mindenkié? Fáé, virágé, emberé egyformán? Az a szép ebben, hogy nem egyformán, de mégis mindenkit magával tud ragadni, fel tud emelni, gyógyítani tud a zene. A Parafónia Zenekar is ezt a kodályi igazságot bizonyítja, hiszen az együttesben különböző mértékben értelmi sérült emberek foglalnak helyet, és játsszák speciális hangszereiken a legszebb klasszikusokat. A Danubia zenészeivel közös produkciójuk sok kacagással, szépséggel, és garantáltan lélekmelengető percekkel mutatja meg, milyen erős kötelék lehet a zene két ember között.

A ZeneMűvek mesés zenés foglalkozása, ahol a gyerekek zeneileg is aktív résztvevői a történetnek. Seidl Dénes és Dénes-Worowski Marcell a Danubia Zenekar egy-egy művészével várja a 4-10 éves gyermekeket és szüleiket, hogy együtt fedezzék fül a zene és a mese által átélhető kalandokat.

Az egy dolog, hogy a spanyol X. Alfonz király annyira eszes volt, hogy a mai napig „Bölcs Alfonzként” hivatkoznak rá, de ráadásul remek zenész hírében is állt, aki igazán király(i) dalokat írt. Hasonlóan jó füllel rendelkezett Angliában VIII. Henrik is, akinek például a világszerte ismert Greensleeves melódiát köszönhetjük – bár az is lehet, hogy csak az ő nevével tették ismertté, és igazából nem is ő írta. Az interaktív zenés foglalkozáson utánajárunk ezeknek a kérdéseknek, és közösen fedezünk fel uralkodói zenéket a Férfikar Kings&Queens (Királyok és királynők) című műsorának alapján, ahol az említett darabokon kívül feltűnik az Oroszlánkirály főcíme, a Trónok harca zenéje, de bizánci Mária-énekek is előfordulhatnak. A közönséggel együtt énekelve, tapsolva, dobogva adjuk elő ezeket a király(i) zenéket.

The Hungarian guitarist Csaba Palotaï and the English drummer Steve Argüelles collaborated on the album Antiquity (released in 2019 with Rémi Sciuto on saxophone) and recently recorded the album Cabane Perchée (released in 2021) as a duo, which freely uses the material of Bartok's Mikrokosmos to reinvent a very groovy, entirely acoustic music. Both appeared on the BMC Records label. This time they have called on Simon Drappier as their playing partner. He is a multi-faceted musician, also a guitarist and double bass player, who has collaborated with the prestigious IRCAM in France, with the techno group Cabaret Contemporain and features in Parisian ensembles that play traditional or baroque music. With desert sounding electric guitars, drums, various samplers and electronic modules, the trio endeavour to surprise each other, and merge with a trance-like pulse. The name Sunako comes from Japanese, it’s a feminine name that literally means: Child of sand

Hogyan kell szakszerűen kifütyülni egy előadást? Honnan tudom, hogy melyik zenészt kell megdobálnom paradicsommal? Vagy inkább: honnan tudom, hogy jó koncertre jöttem? Hogyan illik ráadást kérni? Az előadáson kiderül, hogy a különböző korok közönségei milyen válaszokat adtak ezekre a kérdésekre.

Kétségtelen tény, hogy a szimfonikus zenekar legizgalmasabb, legsokoldalúbb alegysége az ütőskar. Milliónyi hangszer, csúnyán és szépen szóló vasak és fadarabok, műanyag vödrök és bezacskózott kések: szinte bármiből lehet ütőhangszer. És lesz is: egy órában mutatjuk be az ütősök izgalmas világát a törzsi dobolástól a rock and rollig és tovább. Becsatlakozni ér, sőt, szinte kötelező lesz, hiszen ütőzni végső soron mindenki tud, vagy legalább szokott.

A beszéd elválaszt, a zene összeköt – ezt bizonyítja a Közös hang projekt is, amelynek célja az ország legelmaradottabb régióiban élő, zenét tanuló gyerekek integrációjának elősegítése. A Máltai Szimfóniával közös program során együtt zenélünk az ifjú zenészekkel, előkészítve a közös zeneakadémiai fellépéseinket. A mostani, kifejezetten erre az alkalomra összeállított produkció az elmúlt másfél év közös munkáját foglalja össze.

A ZeneMűvek mesés zenés foglalkozása, ahol a gyerekek zeneileg is aktív résztvevői a történetnek. Seidl Dénes és Dénes-Worowski Marcell a Danubia Zenekar egy-egy művészével várja a 4-10 éves gyermekeket és szüleiket, hogy együtt fedezzék fül a zene és a mese által átélhető kalandokat.

(Dino Buzzati Medvevilág Szicíliában c. könyve nyomán) Jegesmedvék Szicíliában? Repülő disznók és party a kísértetházban? Várostrom medvékkel és majdnem gonosz varázslóval? Ezt mind és még sokkal több izgalmat zsúfoltunk ebbe az új ifjúsági kalandzenébe, melyet Dino Buzzati gyönyörű és vicces meséje nyomán zenekarunk megrendelésére komponált Antonio Casagrande, a Danubia bőgőse. Egy igaz történet becsületről, szeretetről, klímaváltozásról és a természet gyógyító erejéről. Zeneszerző: Antonio Casagrande Koreográfia: Góbi Rita Látványtervező: Vermes Nóra Animáció: Illés Haibo Rendezőasszisztens: Szabó Flóra Rendező: Fodor Orsi

A Dohnányi Quartet ötödik koncert-triptichonjának műsorai két szálon futnak. Mindhárom koncerten elhangzik egy-egy vonósnégyes, amit szerzője Franz Joseph Maximilian von Lobkowitz hercegnek, a 18-19. század fordulójának egyik legnagyobb mecénásának ajánlott. A három mű viszont három különböző zenei világot jelenít meg; Haydn egyik utolsó kvartettjéről és Beethoven két különböző alkotói korszakának terméseiről lévén szó.A koncertsorozaton végigfutó másik téma a francia zene. Mivel a vonósnégyes műfaja nagyon erősen az osztrák-német zenei hagyományban gyökerezik, az arányaiban kevés francia mű mind különleges színt jelent a műfaj történetében. Még az olyan remekműveket jegyző szerzők, mint Debussy és Ravel is csupán egy-egy kvartettet hagytak az utókorra. A koncertek harmadik összetevőjeként pedig olyan francia zenék is megszólalnak, melyek a vonósnégyes „feltalálása” előtti időkből valók: a francia barokk csemegéket Tornyai Péter dolgozta át négy vonós hangszerre.

The János Nagy Trio, formed twenty-eight years ago, has changed constantly over the years, and it gained its current form in 2014, when the traditional jazz trio line-up (piano, bass, drums) became keyboards, violins and drums. The bandleader, János Nagy has revealed that this line-up without a bass instrument gives him more freedom than ever before in terms of harmonies, rhythm and orchestral sound. "There are no closed compositions, the songs are constantly changing during the concert, so I break the rules we set up more casually and more boldly," said János Nagy. The band released Debussy 100 in 2018, featuring French saxophonist Vincent Mascart, and in last November they released 50 albums featuring renowned guest artists (Dominique Di Piazza - bass guitar, Mike Stern - solo guitar, Zita Gereben - vocals)."Frankie Lato and I turned 50 this year, hence the title of the record. In our music, we strive for constant play, teasing, surprise, and deviation from the usual. I don’t remember when I decided I was going to be a musician, but when I was asked in my childhood what I would be when I grew up, my answer was a music clown. Music has always been a game, a mischief for me" - said János Nagy about the background of the record material that can be heard at the Opus Jazz Club, which he also revealed is so self-identical that he sees it as a kind of self-definition. At this concert, the trio will be joined by the son of the keyboardist, Milán Nagy who plays the bass guitar.

The Abstract formation has been heard by audiences in Hungarian clubs and stages for more than four years. Their experimental spirit and cross-genre music can already be seen on two records and a live concert release. Despite its classic drum, bass and guitar line-up, it's not a mainstream formation. In their music, from progressive rock to avant-garde twists, the audience can come across a lot of colors, but the attitude and main principles of jazz can almost always be heard from it. This time, the trio, who are on the fringes of jazz, will choose from the themes of Paul Motian, a common favorite of the members, in addition to their own compositions. The iconic drummer has left quite a fantastic musical legacy in his compositions, the openness and melodicity of which invite musicians and audiences alike to unparalleled musical adventures. In this universe, the moment and the presence are more important than anything else.

The trio that brings together Beatriz Nunes (vocals), Paula Sousa (piano) and André Rosinha (double bass), presents the album À Espera do Futuro ('Longing for the Future') (Nischo) realeased in April 2021. The trio meets vocalist Beatriz Nunes who started her career as Madredeus lead singer in 2012 and was distinguished in 2018 by Europe Jazz Media Chart with her debut album, along with jazz pianist Paula Sousa trained in Berklee College of Music and highligted in 2020 by Time Out magazine as one of the most relevant jazz pinianists in the Portuguese scene, together with double bassist André Rosinha, who has been part of Salvador Sobral's projects since 2015, and also played with Mário Laginha and Perico Sameat. À Espera do Futuro was composed during the pandemic lockdown, observing the emergence of several social and political phenomena that inspired the nine original songs with and without words. The result is an exquisite combination of Jazz and the Portuguese musical tradition. 

"How is it in this wide world to discover unknown feelings and sounds in the familiar, the familiar in the unknown. To spin with the earth, to travel on the flow, to meet unexpected homeliness in places not yet visited. We have embarked on an adventurous journey together in this wide world, and we are still at the beginning, we are looking forward to continuing!" (Bori Magyar ) Bori Magyar has been an active singer in Hungarian ethno and world music since 2007. As an imprint of her musical inspirations over the past ten years, she produced her first solo album, whichs she will present at Opus too. She invited the instrumental contributors to the album, who are also the dominant representatives of Hungarian world music, from her current and former fellow musicians. Based on her own ideas, the singer commissioned Zoltán Mizsei and Dániel Kardos to arrange the music of the album, which draws mainly from the traditional music sources of Hungarian and other nationalities.

The trio’s music can be defined at the exciting intersection of boogie, swing, hip-hop, folk and free jazz. The repertoire consists of songs composed from their own compositions as well as very diverse styles and played in a very unique style and honest manner. It’s characterized by a fresh, free-thinking playing, and the fact that we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next moment. In terms of instrumentation, this music is especially light in some places, sometimes quite abstract, with a deep, special tone, sometimes experimenting with contemporary elements, and occasionally lacks the grotesque humour either. The personality, wide-ranging musical taste and interest of the soloist Jenő Lisztes cimbalom player, who is joining the trio for the first time, fits perfectly into this musical environment.

One of the most famous jazz guitarists in Hungary, Bálint Gyémánt, renewed his trio with young musicians. The main guiding principles of the team’s work together are freedom, experimentation and the search for new opportunities that have always been part of the basic concept of jazz. “The trio is my personal creative workshop, where I can work with my exceptional, inspiring artist friends. Although we play my own compositions, my partners always play a major role in creating the sound. I feel like each formation is my own, but the trio reflects my own musical language the most. Pushing the boundaries and looking for new musical directions has always been important to me, which is why I wanted to create this fresh concept together with a new rhythm section", says Bálint Gyémánt, who works with Vince Bartók and Dániel Ferenc Szabó in his renewed trio. These young musicians are prominent members of their generation who not only speak the traditional language of jazz fluently, but even the most modern trends have a serious impact on their instrumental playing. The special feature of the trio's sound is that in addition to the acoustic drum, electric tones are also heard. Thus, although the orchestral line-up remained the classical jazz trio, the world of sound has become much more modern thanks to the technical equipment and effects, which also leaves more room for the creativity of the musicians. On his album entitled True Listener, Bálint Gyémánt hosted the Israeli pianist Shai Maestro. The album was published by the Budapest Music Center and has received excellent reviews from all over the world. This evening, listeners will get an insight into rethinking the compositions from the previous album and the latest songs.

Supported by National Cultural Fundwww.nka.hu

In all likelihood Debussy would have welcomed the idea of his works being brought up to the minute one hundred and fifty years later by artists who knew no boundaries. After all, as the harbinger of musical Impressionism, this is what he too strove to do. Harpist Anasztázia Razvalyaeva, singer Veronika Harcsa, and guitarist and sound designer Márton Fenyvesi made contemporary transcriptions from Debussy's finest chansons in which everything becomes possible. These works, which the composer wrote to poems by Paul Verlaine and other poets, are seen in another light, thanks to the airiness of the harp, and to a more declamatory vocal technique than in classical singing, while with the live electronic effects they go through a veritable paradigm shift.

Yotam Ben-Or was born and raised in Nataf, a small village in the Jerusalem area. He started playing the harmonica at the age of 11, taught by his uncle. After graduating high school, Ben-Or moved to Tel-Aviv to attend the collaborative program of the Tel-Aviv Conservatory and The New School for Jazz Studies (New York). During his studies, Ben-Or performed throughout Israel and shared the stage with Israel’s finest musicians, won the America-Israel Grant between 2014-2016, took the first prize in the Rostov International Jazz competition (Russia 2013) and recorded with his group Jupiter for the album All Original – Best Young Israeli Jazz, presented by Avishai Cohen (2013). In August 2014, Ben-Or moved to NYC after winning a full scholarship to study at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he graduated in May 2016. In March 2015 he attended Betty Carter Jazz Ahead at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, directed by pianist Jason Moran. Since moving to NYC, Ben-Or has been performing with his group at the most prestigious venues and festivals in town such as: Jazz at Lincoln Center (Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola), Carnegie Hall, Bric JazzFest, Cornelia Street Cafe, and toured Europe, the Americas and Israel. Ben-Or had the privilege to be mentored by artists such as harmonicist Gregoire Maret and bassist Ben Street. He also collaborated with bands and artists such as Sonex, Iogi, Franco Pinna and more. In June 2018 Ben-Or released his debut album Sitting on a Cloud. In early 2022 he released two EP's, Endless and Deliberations, on which he worked simultaneously.

„H-dúr – Vad szenvedélyt kifejező erős színek, a legragyogóbb színekből komponálva. Harag, düh, féltékenység, őrjöngés és a szív minden terhe benne lehet.H-moll – Mintha a türelem hangneme volna ez, az ember sorsába és isteni elrendelésbe való belenyugvás nyugalmáé.”F. D. Schubart: Ideen zu einer Aesthetik der Tonkunst (1806) A Classicus Quartet koncertciklusa – klasszikus alkotások és kortárs szerzők műveiből válogatva – a kromatikus skála lépcsőfokairól vet egy-egy pillantást a vonósnégyes-irodalomra a BMC Koncerttermében.Ezúttal Haydn, Csajkovszkij és Barber képviselik a klasszikusokat, míg Futó Balázs most bemutatásra kerülő kvartettje Haydn Op. 64 No. 2. h-moll vonósnégyes II. tételének (Adagio ma non troppo) egyfajta sajátos reprodukciója. A zenei folyamatot Haydn H-dúr Adagio-jának formailag és harmóniailag látszólag kiszámíthatatlan, mégis tökéletesen rendezett struktúrája irányítja, befolyásolja. A Lo stesso ma non troppo Haydn (a cselló fáradhatatlan átvezetőinek köszönhetően) végtelennek tűnő zenei folyamatát képezi le, de nem nagyon: mentes a klasszikus stílus kötöttségeitől, inkább Haydn e tételének a mai füllel és érzékekkel történő befogadása által bekövetkezett zenei élményeket fogalmazza újra.

A három hangversenyből álló sorozaton Beethoven és Brahms összes csellóra és zongorára írt szonátája hangzik el kortárs magyar zeneszerzők egy-egy művének társaságában. Az A-dúr szonáta többféle szempontból teremt egyensúlyt Beethoven gordonkára és zongorára írt szonátái között. Az öt szonátából időrendben harmadikként, a zeneszerző középső alkotókorszakának tekintett időszakban keletkezett. Önállóan képvisel egy opusz számot (op. 69), míg a két-két korábbi (op. 5) és későbbi (op. 102) szonáta párban áll. Formailag is kiegyensúlyozott: a szerző mintha kevésbé kívánná deklarálni a formák úttörő elemeit, és a háromtételességet is mindössze a zárótétel elmélázva éneklő lassú bevezetője töri meg. A két hangszer szerepe között is kiegyenlítettség, partneri viszony figyelhető meg immár, nincsen alárendelt szólam. A darab minden másik csellószonátánál derűsebb karaktereket jelenít meg, szinte alig akadnak drámai pillanatok a műben. Hamary András (1950-) Würtzburgban élő magyar zeneszerző, zongoraművész Tenebrae című kompozícióját Paul Celan (1920-1970) azonos című verse ihlette. A vers a "tenebrae", azaz a Krisztus halálakor bekövetkező teljes sötétség alatt menetelő és könyörgő emberek képét vetíti elénk. A vers formája - a 10 különböző hosszúságú versszak - Hamary 11 rövid tételben tükröződik vissza. Brahms második csellóra és zongorára írt szonátáját a szerző késői művei közé sorolhatjuk. Az F-dúr szonáta - különösen a húsz évvel korábban írt e-mollhoz viszonyítva - feltűnően összetett és súlyos alkotás. A nagyszabású nyitó tételt egy rendkívül személyes, érzelgősségtől mentes, őszinte adagio követi, majd a könnyednek cseppet sem nevezhető scherzo-t (Allegro passionato) egy táncosabb negyedik tétel oldja fel, mely olykor a B-dúr zongoraverseny zárótételére emlékeztethet. Noha a művészházaspár rendszeres közreműködője kamarazenei koncerteknek, kortárs bemutatóknak, e három hangverseny lesz első közös önálló sorozatuk. Ujházi Gyöngyi 2014 és 2018 között az Operaház zenekarának szólamvezetője, jelenleg az Nemzeti Filharmonikus Zenekar művésze. Monostori Gábor a Zeneakadémia Kamara Tanszékének adjunktusa. Mindketten a Szent István Király Zeneművészeti Szakgimnázium tanárai.

2 February 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses by James Joyce. In light of the importance to Dublin and Ireland of this milestone in world literature, as well as its significance to Paris where it was first published, the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland (CMC) and Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI) are presenting an international celebration across Ireland and Europe from February to June 2022.   Ulysses Journey 2022 started in Dublin and Paris on 2 February 2022, and journeyed to Belfast and back to Dublin in early February 2022 and throughout April 2022. It is now travelling to Budapest and Szombathely for 15, 16 and 17 June 2022 and will end in Paris on 18 June 2022. A series of concerts of new and existing works by both Irish and Hungarian composers is being presented for Ulysses Journey 2022 in Belfast, Dublin, Budapest, Szombathely and Paris, performed by Hungarian guitarist Katalin Koltai and Irish soprano Elizabeth Hilliard and featuring works selected by Katalin following an open call for works. The composers from Ireland featured are Daragh Black Hynes, Greg Caffrey, Seán Clancy, Benjamin Dwyer, Áine Mallon, Gráinne Mulvey and Ian Wilson and the Hungarian composers featured are Máté Balogh, Alessio Elia, Samu Gryllus, Petra Szászi, Márton Szőcs and Péter Tornyai.

The Jazzpince is a band of four students at the end of their bartending years, launched in the fall of 2020. The members, who come from different corners of jazz, all participate in the musical process as composers, and as a result, the material of the quartet is formed among many influences. The most defining style trends of their musical world are hard bop, modern jazz, free and Hungarian folk music. The backbone of their concert program is their own compositions, which take their final form during joint workshop sessions. In their concerts, thematic and free improvisations, mainstream jazz forms and innovative, experimental solutions alternate. The orchestra won the 5th National Jazz Music Competition at the Béni Egressy Conservatory, and was invited to the Hungarian Jazz Festival and the 2023 Valley of the Arts Festival. Their permanent mentor is János Ávéd, who has been helping the team a lot since the beginning.

"Pukl combines the skill, soul, and appetite for adventure that has fuelled jazz evolution from the beginning, and he’s a rising star of a creative new generation that is energetically driving the music on into its second century." The Guardian ANoRoK is the latest project of saxophonist Jure Pukl. It combines musicians from different fields of music and art of improvisation. Original music is inspired from current chaotic political and social situation in the world and maintaining its core in jazz, improvisation and contemporary classical music. Project is expanded with electronic sounds that are illustraiting and reflecting sounds of the planet we are living on and it is a tribute to Planet Earth and us, the inhabitants. The ensemble (Joel Ross was replacing Peter Evans) was touring in US (Winter Jazz Festival, NYC) and Europe (Slovenia, Russia, Spain, Kosova) just before the pandemic hit in February and March of 2020. Right after the tour was done the world shut down. This is also their first tour after the pandemic so it has deeper meaning. They will record Jure's new album for London label Whirlwind Recordings. This is an All Star Band around the Slovenian saxophonist Jure Pukl, who was trained in Vienna, Boston and Graz and went to NYC after graduating to make a name for himself in the creative improvisation scene. When you return to your home country, the "old" contacts naturally remain and new ones develop. Peter Evans is now also living in Europe, Joe Sanders has been around for a long time anyway and Nasheet Waits is always passing through. Photos: Aljosa Videtic

David Yengibarian (born 1976 in Yerevan) began to play the accordion at the age of ten. From 1995 he continued his musical studies in Hungary where he soon became one of the most sought-after jazz and world music performers and composers. He released five CDs, two of them on BMC Records, played on many festivals and composed music for numerous theatre-pieces and films. The main source of inspiration for his individual musical world is Armenian musical tradition, European and American jazz and improvised music, Argentinian tango, and the ‘tango nuevo’ of Astor Piazzolla. He founded his trio in 1999, and despite undergoing several incarnations in the last two decades, it sustains its special sound consequently.

Futurstan is a progressive jazz fusion quartet that seeks musical freedom under the boundaries of jazz nomadism, crossing genre boundaries. One of the engines of melodic storytelling is the energetic and immersive saxophone playing of Fatime Songoro, who has worked with musicians such as Msafiri Zawose and Tefo Mahola, among others. Daniel Biljarszki’s keyboard playing shows futuristic and lyrical notes, while the bass lines (Alexey Zelensky) further reinforces the fusion with his dance-calling grooves and ecstatic ostinato. The drum (Marci Bognár) are liberating and unique mixes of jazz-rock, afrobeat and dub. The band, formed in Budapest, has its roots in Hungary, Congo, Russia and Bulgaria. Live above Budapest by Futurstan

Magnus Lindberg is one of Finland’s internationally most celebrated contemporary composers, whose works are regularly performed by the world’s leading musical institutions. He has progressed from his early Modernism towards a more human idiom, defining a new classical Modernism. Harmony, tonal colour, texture and rhythm are important elements in his music; recently, melody has grown in importance. Lindberg is above all a master of the orchestra, and he has also written a considerable body of chamber music. His persona combines a rational technology buff (who experimented with computers at a very early stage) with a practical musician. He himself plays the piano, and he sometimes also conducts his own works. “Lindberg’s prolific and versatile output and his attitude to composing are simply very well described by the same qualities which I also believe characterise his personality: enthusiasm, curiosity, determination, quickness, a dread of being bored or boring, fearlessness, a non-moralising attitude and a sense of style,” writes his colleague Juhani Nuorvala.Program of the mini-concert: Magnus Lindberg: Duello (for cello solo)Magnus Lindberg: Steamboat Bill Jr. (for cello and clarinet duo) Host: Gergely Fazekas, music historian Language of the talks: English.www.eotvosmusicfoundation.org www.facebook.com/petereotvosfoundation

Rafael Mário, Junior Prima Award-winning pianist and bandleader, graduated from the Liszt Ferenc University of Music and then became acquainted with the world of jazz in Toronto. He worked as a successful studio musician in Canada, then returned home years later and founded the Rafael Mário Trio in 2014, releasing several of his own records.The music of his trio is difficult to classify into style categories. The band places a strong emphasis on collective improvisation and the creation of original sound, which they draw from a variety of sources: their compositions and their interpretations include elements of mainstream as well as contemporary, modern jazz, elements of various Latin musical trends and hip hop grooves. The musicians of the trio graduated from the Department of Jazz at the Liszt Ferenc University of Music, but in addition to the mainstream of jazz, they see contemporary music trendsas a constant source of inspiration, which can be achieved through the bold and widespread use of electronic effects. Jazz with the boost of hip hop - their new record, Blessing, is also offering the audience that experience. The audience of Opus will be one of the first to hear compositions of this album featuring the singer Eszter Munkácsy and percussionist Gergely Tar.

MAO gives highlighted attention to the AOV-artists and their connections in the 2021/22-season. The last concerts of the season will introduce the compositions of the AOV #8 branch of the project launched by the genius saxophonist and composer of the Orchestra, János Ávéd.  The invited guest soloist of the night will be Máté Pozsár, composer and pianist. He will share the stage with MAO for the first time and his original compositions will be featured in the setlist.  János Ávéd, one of Hungary’s most special voices on the saxophone, soloist, composer and arranger of Modern Art Orchestra, is a top-tier musical mind and instrumentalist. His creativity and curiosity fuels artistic processes that result in surprising, earthy, impulsive, but still extremely sensitive music. Besides being a vital factor in MAO, János is active in his groups János Ávéd Quartet, Balance and Transform Quintet, and is a regular guest artist in a wide range of projects. His compositorial album, The Fruit of the Spirit, played by Modern Art Orchestra, was published in 2019. János joined Art Of Virus after the nomination of Kornél Fekete-Kovács, creating branch #8. Máté Pozsár is a unique and prominent figure in the Hungarian free jazz scene. Due to his original perspective towards music and art in general, and his immense emotional intelligence in music, he is already inspiring many up-and-coming young musicians, while creating a dynamically evolving musical world around himself. His intellectual establishments with colleagues Péter Ajtai, Gergő Kováts and others have become vital parts in Hungarian contemporary culture. Máté was invited to join AOV by János Ávéd. About the Art of Virus: Kornél Fekete-Kovács, the art director of MAO launched nine notes and passed these to ten well-known composers worldwide during the 2020-quarantine of the pandemic. He asked to compose short pieces from these notes and pass on the composing opportunity to two other musicians. The international project got very successful in the course of a few months and 486 composers joined AOV from 42 countries worldwide.

Breath. Diaphragm. Throat, Trachea. Lungs. Muscle work, motor skills. One organism rooted in two beings – Emil Miszk and Slawek Koryzno. BLED. Two existences – one time. They don’t know when they closed their eyes while creating their first sounds. Trumpet, drums – from the living ones; oscillators, filters, envelope generators – from the recorded in volts. Sounds of arriving, coming, wandering. The sound of bouncing off the wall or going through the tissues? Otherwise you walk as you approach. More densely you walk while walking away. Do you make decisions by listening? Wroclaw-based jazz quartet Sneaky Jesus deeply rooted in the indigenous tradition of the genre, which when combined with elements of breakbeat, western jazz and punk rock creates a cool yet expressive blend. The quintet's sound is characterized by open forms, unpredictable dynamic shifts and a penchant for long improvisations. In sneaky jesus's music, the standard division between rhythm section and soloists seems to have faded away a bit. Instead the group acts as one organism supporting each other inside. It is these qualities that the musicians have captured on their debut album For Joseph Riddle. which was released on May 28, 2021 under the banner of the London-based label Shapes Of Rhythm.

Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos will come to the Opus Jazz Club with brand new energies and a new formation. He formed a new trio with two particularly talented members of the youngest generation of Hungarian jazz, drummer Máté Éles and bassist Géza Jónás, to whom the young saxophonist Kálmán Oláh Jr. will join on this concert. Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos has recently returned to his beginnings, as the classical music again gained a more prominent role in his life as a performer. This is echoed in his own compositions: Debussy, Ravel shows up as a source of inspiration in Szakcsi's latest compositions written specifically for this formation, which will be worthy pairs of the '60s jazz standards that give the basis of the concert repertoire.

The Peter Eötvös Foundation is hosting the French ensemble Ars Nova for the first time. Magnus Lindberg is coming to Budapest also for the first time to teach young conductors and composers together with Péter Eötvös and Gregory Vajda. Magnus Lindberg is one of the most internationally known Finnish composers today. He is primarily an instrumental composer, and above all, orchestral works make up a significant part of his oeuvre. With these great masters and young composers in the mentoring program, the young conductors of the master class will show what they have learned and experienced during the one-week course, and the young composers will also make their pieces specifically for this course concert and show to the audience in Budapest.

Gábor Horváth Tojás, a jazz pianist, composer and teacher, is the founder of the Transform Quintet and a member of the quartet of Zita Gereben. He has written several soundtracks, and also co-recorded with world-renowned jazz pianist Joey Calderazzo. With his own trio, he recently released his fourth album, Tricks. While their previous album, Soundtrack - which was nominated for a Gramophone Award and won the Composer of the Year category in the Jazzma.hu readers' poll - was inspired by soundtracks, their new album was inspired by the magic tricks and card tricks.The compositions on the album - which will be performed at the Opus Jazz Club too - are characterized by playfulness, musical humor and emotional-mood diversity. In addition to fast-paced, hilarious, rhythm-changing compositions, the album also features large-arched solos and hymn ballads. Gábor's works are characterized by the painting of images, the effective expression of moods and emotions. The members of his trio also play an essential role in interpreting this: in addition to the high-quality technical workmanship, the extraordinary attunement to each other makes their liberated music unforgettable.

Irene Palencia (1999) started studying piano with Prof. Javier Cembellín in Jacinto Guerrero Conservatory in Toledo (Spain), in which she finished with honors in Piano. In 2017 she started Bachelor in Piano at Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid with Dr. Elena Orobio, which she finished in 2021. At the same time, she is studying Bachelor in Hispanic Philology at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, which she is finishing now with excellent marks. Nowadays, she is studying Master at the Liszt Academy in Budapest with Dr. Péter Nagy. She has been given piano advice by great pianists such as Boris Berman, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Yejin Gil, András Kemenes, Kennedy Moretti, Adam Kent, Efrem Briskin, Andrejz Pikul and Giovanni Bellucci. In 2015 she gave a Spanish music piano recital in Piano Mora Klavierhaus in Passau (Germany). In 2017 she received Erasmus+ scholarship in Warsaw, where she took piano and chamber music lessons at Karol Szymanowski Academy in Katowice. Also, she has performed in National Auditorium of Music (Madrid) with orchestra, and solo piano and chamber music in Müpa Budapest, Nádor Terem (Budapest), International Music Festival (Burgos), Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid), Matadero Madrid Cultural Hall, Music and Patrimony Days (Toledo), Teatro de Rojas and “El Greco” Auditory (Toledo). She has also taken an active part in Momentum Toledo Association since 2016 until now, which allows her to participate as a musician in cultural activites involving music and other arts. Javier de Diego was born in Madrid, Spain in 1999. He completed his pre- Bachelor studies with Honors in Piano and Chamber music, studying with Xabier Sukía. Simultaneously, he got his pre-Bachelor degree in Viola in 2018.He has recently finished with Honors his Bachelor in Piano Performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid, having studied with professors Ana Guijarro and Patrín García-Barredo and chamber music with Graham Jackson. In the 2019-20 academic year, he was given an Erasmus+ Scholarship with which he studied at HMDK Stuttgart with Professor Moritz Winkelmann. From the 2021/2022 academic year, he is completing a Master of Arts at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with András Kemenes and Péter Nagy. Throughout these years he has been prizewinner of some competitions (Jesús de Monasterio, Linares) and he has performed solo and chamber music recitals in prestigious venues in Spain, including Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid or Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, and also in Germany and Hungary. He has received classes from great teachers, such as Eldar Nebolsin, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Kennedy Moretti or Josep Colom. In May 2021, he was awarded a Scholarship by the Internationale Musikakademie in Liechtenstein to participate in masterclasses by Professor Milana Chernyavska. Andrea Vilar López (1997) is a Galician pianist. After finishing her studies in the Lugo Conservatory, she studied a degree in Piano Performance at Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona with the teacher Jordi Camell, ending with honors. During that time she was awarded with the Extraordinary Prize given by the Government of her region. After that, she improved her piano skills in Madrid with the teacher Kennedy Moretti for one year. At the same time, she completed a Master in Musical Research at the Valencia International University (VIU). Currently, she is studying in the Liszt Ferenc Academy in Budapest, with the maestro András Kemenes.During her studies, she has taken chamber music lessons from renowned musicians such as members of quartet Casals, quartet Quiroga or the clarinetist Pascal Moragués, among others. In 2018 she formed a Lied Duo called “Liliak” with the basque soprano Maite Arciniega. Both have played in different venues around Spain and were awarded in the Piano Meeting Festival 2019. Moreover, she has collaborated on stage with a lot of performers, standing out the great musicians Erica Wise and Elena Rey. Her skills are strongly based on the knowledge of different maestros she had masterclasses with. Especially Pierre Laurent Aimard, Rita Wagner, Eldar Nebolsin and Cibrán Sierra. Nowadays she's very interested in new concert forms in which she can create a conection between the public and what happens on stage.

During the time of the pandemic in 2021 three old friends formed a new band with the idea of exploring new sonic possibilities and illuminating rhythm and harmony in a different way. Although David Dorůžka, Piotr Wyleżol and Jeff Ballard have known each other for years, they met in this particular setting for the first time in the spring of 2021 to record new music written by all three of them. The sound of the band relies heavily on analog electronic instruments, simple melodies and intricate grooves and the focus of the musicians is on fusing old and new sounds and approaches into a unique synthesis that characterizes the world of today. Together they set forth to explore uncharted territories, eagerly searching for the key to Andromeda's Mystery. Their new album Andromeda’s Mystery is coming out in June, 2022 (Bivak Records).

Patrik Sebestyén began his career as a classical musician as a member of various symphony orchestras and turned to jazz only at the age of twenty. His jazz music career, which is becoming more and more significant, is proved by the fact that in 2019 he won the Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award, and in 2022 the Dezső Lakatos Ablakos Performing Arts Scholarship. In addition to leading his own orchestra, he teaches at several institutions, including disadvantaged students. With his six-member formation, he released his debut album, Colors of Fortune, in 2021, featuring original compositions inspired by the classical period of American jazz in the ’50s and’ 60s, as well as two standards. The members of his sextet are the youngest excellences of the Hungarian jazz scene. The sextet will soon be releasing a new album that will feature Patrik's latest musical experiments, in which electronics will appear, in addition to the mainstream-inspired compositions mixed with classical music.

The Rezervátum's (The Reserve's) literary meaning is ‘a protected area home to rare natural values’, according to other dictionaries ‘a forced abode of indigenous tribes where they may have lived according to their traditions’. The members of the Rezervátum Orchestra live their music world according to their own traditions, which carries a heavy musical heritage. The young brigade, made up of the dominant representatives of the Hungarian improvisational, free music scene, shapes the pieces of Béla Bartók, John Coltrane and others according to their own world, and also plays the themes of Szilveszter Miklós, which are developed live with as much freedom as possible. Contemporary tribal percussion jazz.

Dániel Varga's international quartet will bring his new and debut album to the Opus stage. "I would categorize the album's material into a modern mainstream category, spiced up with some free jazz influences. Of course, the feeling of freedom is extremely strong with the virtuosity, professionalism and sensitivity of the artists. Going between songs, I increasingly felt that I listen to complex music, yet it relaxes, and as much as it drops my blood pressure, it puts in a meditative state. It speaks with the utmost sincerity and moves into higher realms. The new album of Dániel Varga represents and creates value, which I recommend to all listeners with great enthusiasm!" - Károly Gáspár wrote about the album on jazzma.hu. The album was supported by the Waclaw Felczak Foundation.

The energetic music of the band of five young musicians called Ég Alatti 5 has been heard by the audience since 2015. Since then, they have performed in many venues in Budapest and the countryside. The backbone of their show is provided by their own compositions, which in their style and momentum mostly evoke the hard-bop and modal jazz music of the ’60s, yet are unique in nature. Sometimes inspired by natural impressions and various folk music, they strive to create their own, organic world of sound. The friendship between the members and the compositions of Udvardi and Baló open up free space for the flow of live music.

Vígopera gyerekeknek magyar nyelven Némelyek nem akarják elkapkodni életük nagy döntését: a házasságot. Így van ezzel Sempronio is, a bolondos patikus, aki már jócskán a nagypapakor küszöbén túllépve határozza el, hogy megállapodik végre, és nyugdíjas éveit a patika fiatal házi angyalának, Grillettának tett házassági ajánlattal kívánja megkoronázni. A zsémbes öregúr persze nem is sejti, hogy az ínycsiklandó hölgy kegyeit rajta kívül még legalább két és fél (!) udvarló iparkodik elnyerni. Ármány és szerelem, álruhák és tévedések, sok humor és persze Haydn csodálatos zenéje teszi feledhetetlenné a negyvenöt perces előadást.

Az őszi háromrészes Szól a Pálca koncertsorozat témája A szépség forradalma lesz. A sorozat házigazdája, Hámori Máté, zenekarunk karmestere és művészeti vezetője segítségével emelkedünk filozofikus magasságokba. „[...] Egyetlen ismeret van, a többi csak toldás: Alattad a föld, fölötted az ég, benned a létra. Az igazság nem mondatokban rejlik, hanem a torzítatlan létezésben. Az öröklét nem az időben rejlik, hanem az összhang állapotában.” (Weöres Sándor: Szembe fordított tükrök) Észrevenni a szépséget, igen. Felismerni a szépséget, igen. Elmerülni a szépségben, hogyne. De eljutunk a következő lépcsőfokra is? Önmagunk szépségét felismerni, az ember szépségére rácsodálkozni, erre van erőnk? Van időnk? Hiszen ez lenne a lényeg, a legfőbb felismerés. Erről szól ez a sorozat is.

Modern Art Orchestra’s Legendary Albums series presents the most important and unique albums of jazz literature, performed by MAO. By learning and playing these compositions and arrangements, the musicians are paying tribute to the jazz legends and are undergoing an intense process of musical improvement. The band absorbs the material of the original recordings, sticking to the arrangements, forms and compositional features. As improvisation is the blood of jazz, solos are invented by the players at the moment. Due to the respect shown towards the original conceptions of the legendary composers and the level of craftsmanship known from Modern Art Orchestra, the Legendary Albums series both brings you the essence of jazz tradition and guarantees a fresh musical experience. Legendary Albums - Chick Corea: Return to Forever 50  Modern Art Orchestra comes forth with a unique concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Chick Corea recording, Return to Forever. The 1972 album was published on ECM Records, and turned out to be a prototype snapshot of jazz fusion. In the years prior to the studio sessions, Corea was touring with Miles Davis’ group which definitely had an effect on his approach. His experience in post bop and avant-garde styles, and working with Miles secured his navigation skills throughout the palette of jazz, only to broaden this horizon with the sensual pulsation of latin music. The result of this artistic universe is nothing less than discovery of musical expression that had been tried before but was never formulated so eloquently and explicitly in a single structure of an album. Besides the revolutionary concept, we must mention the genius design of the compositions found on Return to Forever, as they don’t only allow, but rather invite melodic solos and steamy bass grooves as well as traditional percussive elements and aerial vocal lines. It is not too brave to say that this legendary jazz recording is a brilliant chemistry between tradition and revolutionary spirit, and so it belongs to the hall of fame of jazz literature. Modern Art Orchestra brings Return to Forever to life with the big band formation, which makes this performance even more unique. The guest soloist will be Emma Nagy, who is one of the brightest upcoming stars of the young Hungarian jazz vocalists.

The musical world of the Syrian trumpet-producer-composer Milad Khawam, who lives in Berlin, was created as a fusion of Middle Eastern traditions and modern electronic music. In his works, the exoticism of the non-tempered scales, which is also characteristic of Arabic music, and the ecstasy encoded in Sufi music meet the pulsation of Berlin, one of the most colorful European metropolises, also considered the capital of electronic music. Milad Khawam hails from Damascus, where he studied classical and Arabic music. His debut album, To The West, was released in 2020 at XJAZZ Music Berlin. Speaking of the mental thoughts and psychological states that struck him during the road between East and West and was a source of inspiration and basis in the birth of the musical idea of the album. He wanted to document these cases as a musical form in a positive & ironic way, as it means to him personally and could mean to many people who crossed that path at that time and to the present day. Khawam also produces electronic music and can often be found performing solo, combining classical and electronic music for an unconventional approach to the trumpet. At a very young age Khawam became principal trumpet player in many Orchestras (Syrian Children Orchestra, Orchestra Solhi Al-Wadi Institute, then at the National Orchestra of Arabic Music, Syrian National Symphony Orchestra), and participated in a number of concerts and festivals between Europe & Middle-Eeast, and shared the stage with drummer Billy Cobham and commissioned to compose and perform a music piece related to an object from the Abbasid Era called Aquamanile located at the Museum of Islamic Art in collaboration with Piranha records. Photos: Spyros Droussiotis

Inspired by digital and analog, jazz and hip hop, composition and improvisation Bobby Rausch is the sound of young Berlin. Their concerts lead audiences through deep bass valleys, through pulsing groovescapes and the urban night. Drawing influences from electronic beats and rockvinyls alike, Bobby Rausch  plays the soundtrack for those tired of compromise. Handmade in Berlin! With bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, drums and a box full of effects, Lutz Streun, Oleg Hollmann and Jürgen Meyer generate the sizzling club atmosphere of the capital. And on that subject, the 'Rausch' (intoxication/rapture) in the band name wasn’t chosen at random – the bass-dominated, mystically dark Afro-jazz-rock grooves are designed to put the audience into a trance. Technoid bass valleys, free-jazz brass peaks, stony prog-rock paths – concertgoers become mountaineers who can at times make their way along the addictive sounds, but are pushed at other times to conquer them. That’s how interaction is done these days! Photo: Lena Giovanazzi

A Bélamese voltaképpen egy újraértelmezett, a Cantata profana szövegéből kiinduló posztapokaliptikus, szerelmi csodaszarvas-történet, ennek szöveges részeit olvassa majd fel az előadáson Hámori Máté karmester. A történet keretei közé ágyazva pedig megelevenednek Bartók művei a Concertótól kezdve A csodálatos mandarinon át a Táncszvitig.

Az őszi háromrészes Szól a Pálca koncertsorozat témája A szépség forradalma lesz. A sorozat házigazdája, Hámori Máté, zenekarunk karmestere és művészeti vezetője segítségével emelkedünk filozofikus magasságokba. „[...] Egyetlen ismeret van, a többi csak toldás: Alattad a föld, fölötted az ég, benned a létra. Az igazság nem mondatokban rejlik, hanem a torzítatlan létezésben. Az öröklét nem az időben rejlik, hanem az összhang állapotában.” (Weöres Sándor: Szembe fordított tükrök) Majd azt mondta Isten: „Hajtson a föld füvet, amely zöldül és magot hoz, és gyümölcstermő fát, amely a földön faja szerint meghozza gyümölcsét, a belsejében maggal!” Úgy is lett. A föld füvet hajtott, amely zöldül, és faja szerint magot hoz és fát, amely faja szerint gyümölcsöt hoz, a belsejében maggal. És látta Isten, hogy jó. A szépség első forrása: a Föld, ahol élünk. Ennek a dicséretét zengi Beethoven, Beethoven dicséretét zengi Balogh Máté – s lesz mulatozás, lesz vihar, majd kisüt a nap, és feljön a szivárvány.

Modern Art Orchestra’s Legendary Albums series presents the most important and unique albums of jazz literature, performed by MAO. By learning and playing these compositions and arrangements, the musicians are paying tribute to the jazz legends and are undergoing an intense process of musical improvement. The band absorbs the material of the original recordings, sticking to the arrangements, forms and compositional features. As improvisation is the blood of jazz, solos are invented by the players at the moment. Due to the respect shown towards the original conceptions of the legendary composers and the level of craftsmanship known from Modern Art Orchestra, the Legendary Albums series both brings you the essence of jazz tradition and guarantees a fresh musical experience. Legendary Albums - Art Farmer/Benny Golson Sextet: Here and Now The Jazztet was founded in 1959 by Art Farmer trumpetist and Benny Golson saxophonist, also the only two members of the sextet who remained from the beginning to the end. Despite the changes in the rhythm section and trombonist positions, the band was able to launch the careers of jazz musicians like McCoy Tyner and Grachan Moncur III, of whom the latter is present on Here and Now as well, bringing an original composition with him. The 1962 album has but absolutely attractive numbers to show, which makes its lineup quite homogenous - in the best possible sense. Although there is only one truly famous song on the record, which goes by the name of Whisper Not - part of the soundtrack of United States history, without a doubt, all numbers feel familiar as they are written with tremendous taste and intellect. The fact that 4 out of 6 band members noted compositions on the record, makes it even more interesting. It is also the sensual and instinctive energy that tends to mediate through the best swinging songs of jazz history. The musical language of Here and Now suggests wisdom and elegance, but curiosity and playfulness, too. It doesn’t try to hide the meaning of the human experience, which makes it utterly comforting to listen to. Here and Now is one of the last publications of the first generation Farmer/Golson Sextet. It is a complete result of a genuinely earthy concept of jazz history.

Két örök kedvenc: a kukásautó és a Mikulás összegyúrva. Újragomboljuk a jó öreg szakállast, mert kaphatunk-e nagyobb ajándékot, mint egy szeméttelenítő, jólevegősítő, természetrekreáló Télapót? Ugyehogy ugye.

Az őszi háromrészes Szól a Pálca koncertsorozat témája A szépség forradalma lesz. A sorozat házigazdája, Hámori Máté, zenekarunk karmestere és művészeti vezetője segítségével emelkedünk filozofikus magasságokba. „[...] Egyetlen ismeret van, a többi csak toldás: Alattad a föld, fölötted az ég, benned a létra. Az igazság nem mondatokban rejlik, hanem a torzítatlan létezésben. Az öröklét nem az időben rejlik, hanem az összhang állapotában.” (Weöres Sándor: Szembe fordított tükrök) Végül az ember a szépséggel, ha betelt (lehetetlen amúgy), felnéz az égre és csendben hálát ad. Vagy hangosan ad hálát, síppal, dobbal, trombitával, angyal-énekkel. A Földért, a reggelért, a reményért, az emberért (igen, még az emberért is; igen, a hülyébbekért is), és hogy Isten biztosan megértse, ezért kell zene-nyelven előadni a hálálkodást. Suursum corda!

Modern Art Orchestra’s Legendary Albums series presents the most important and unique albums of jazz literature, performed by MAO. By learning and playing these compositions and arrangements, the musicians are paying tribute to the jazz legends and are undergoing an intense process of musical improvement. The band absorbs the material of the original recordings, sticking to the arrangements, forms and compositional features. As improvisation is the blood of jazz, solos are invented by the players at the moment. Due to the respect shown towards the original conceptions of the legendary composers and the level of craftsmanship known from Modern Art Orchestra, the Legendary Albums series both brings you the essence of jazz tradition and guarantees a fresh musical experience. Legendary Albums - Miles Davis: Bitches Brew "August of 1969 marked Miles Davis’ boldest venture yet into undiscovered country. This time there was no more holding back, no more tentative experimentation, no more walking on eggshells. The album that emerged, Bitches Brew, was groundbreaking…" - Paul Tingen Bitches Brew came out in 1970 on the Columbia Records label. Being a historical jazz album in the truest sense, it hit the music scene like an asteroid. Group leader and legendary trumpetist Miles Davis, a genius of inventing revolutionary concepts, did not only divide his audience into two distinctive groups, but also invited a new group of interest, while proving and finalizing the position of instrumental jazz-rock fusion in the music history with Bitches Brew. Ferocity, curiosity, love, playfulness, pain and beauty fuel the mesmerizing grooves of Bitches Brew. It was awarded a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1971. It is a remarkable challenge to learn and perform this album’s material. Modern Art Orchestra’s creative workshop is preparing this wonderful album for the upcoming concert of the Legendary Albums series. Don’t miss it!