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Spirit Enlivens Gypsy Music
Johnson County Community College
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Spirit Enlivens Gypsy Music
The exotic stereotype of a nomadic Gypsy comes to life with Roby Lakatos, mustachioed and dressed in a flamboyant long dress coat, playing a purported 100 notes per second.
Roby Lakatos, King of the Gypsy Violin, performs at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College, just four days before his Carnegie Hall appearance.
Referred to as the “devil’s fiddler,” Lakatos is as much at home in classical music and jazz as he is at home in Hungarian folk music. In this concert, Lakatos is supported by his legendary band: Laszlo Boni, second violinist, Robert Feher, double bass, Frantisek Janoska, piano, Jeno Lisztes, cimbalom (the national instrument of Hungary) and Laszlo Balogh, guitar.
“Professional classical violinists will travel hundreds of miles to see Roby play, as even they are not sure how he masters such speed and accuracy,” said Charles Rogers, artistic director, Carlsen Center. “It’s one thing to play fast and smear. It’s another to play fast and clear like he does.”
The band’s playing is an explosive mix of authentic Gypsy music with great themes from all around the world. Traditional Gypsy pieces like Ciflico, Divertimento or Hejre Kati are performed with energy, dedication and virtuosity. Lakatos also adds his style to impressionistic French music, Indian tabla, mariachi guitars and even some bossa nova. Themes are coming from the French repertoire (Que reste-t-il de nos amours?), American Jazz (Got a Match), Hollywood classics (Papa Can You Hear Me) or even from Japan (Sakura).
Born in 1965 into the legendary family of Gypsy violinists descended from Janos Bihari, considered the king of Gypsy violinists, Lakatos was introduced to music as a child, and at age 9 he made his public debut as first violin in a Gypsy band. His musicianship evolved not only within his noble family but also at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest, where he won the first prize for classical violin in 1984. Between 1986 and 1996, he and his ensemble delighted audiences at Les Atéliers de la grande Ille, Brussels, their musical home throughout this period. He has collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli, and his playing was greatly admired by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who always made a point of visiting the club in Brussels to hear Lakatos.
When Lakatos mixes classical and jazz music with the magic of the Hungarian-Gypsy vitality,it offers new sounds to listeners and enlivens anyone who possesses a wandering spirit. Lakatos tickets are $20 and $30, available by calling the Carlsen Center box office at 913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.
