8thDelhi International Art Festival

8thDelhi International Art Festival

Audience at IHC’s Stein Auditorium had a spell bounding experience when they witnessed the Hungarian artists performing in front of them. Hungarian Information Cultural Centre in cooperation with Delhi International Arts Festival and Dance Music Society organized a concert to showcase the very young and talented Peter Horvath (clarinet/ saxophone) and Beata Gincsai (piano). It is their first trip to India and they managed to woo the audience with their expert performance at the 8thDelhi International Arts Festival.

Peter Horvath (clarinet/ saxophone) and Beata Gincsai (piano).

Graduated as a master of music in 2008 from the world famous Ferec Liszt Academy in Budapest (Hungary), Peter Horvath is a professional saxophonist and clarinetist who has performed world-wide for twenty years now. Presently, he is a member of the Zugló Philharmonic Orchestra and was a former member of top symphony orchestras in Hungary such as, The Hungarian Radio Orchestra and The Budapest Festival Orchestra. He was a winner of the IX Hungarian National Clarinet Competition in 2003 and has been performing at various concert halls in Hungary and abroad, like The Palace of Arts in Budapest and The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

Peter Horvath (clarinet/ saxophone) and Beata Gincsai (piano)

The duo has been performing together for two years now and each of their musical pieces takes the audience to another level of thought. “I am the only one in my family who has taken up music as a career. However, my family has been very supportive of my choice. This is our first visit to India and we are very excited about being here because Hungarian culture and Indian culture differs a lot when it comes to the kind of music we hear or play. We have performed in Sri Lanka and have performed in IIT Delhi’s fest too. The response of the audience has been quite amazing and they seemed quite interested to know the Hungarian culture and its music,” says Beáta Gincsai.

The first part of the concert witnessed the performance of Beáta Gincsai who played soothing music on the piano and the later half had the performance by Péter Horváth who play ed majestic music on the Saxophone. The audience had the opportunity to experience the magic of the clarinet and the saxophone together on stage.

“We both have heard Indian music and are very fond of it. Hungarian music finds its root in the folk songs and many composers have used the folk compositions for their movie. It is very exciting to see that people here are open to western music and we hope that we are able to make a place in the musical society of India. Hungarian music according to me is similar to the food of India, tasty and spicy,” says Péter Horváth.

Dance Ambassadors of Hungary performs in Delhi

The event ended with a standing ovation and a storm of applause coming from every corner of the auditorium. The audience was left wanting for more and was motivated to know more about the culture of Hungary.

Dance Ambassadors of Hungary performs in Delhi

Visiting India for the second time, the Csillagszeműek (Starry-Eyed) Dance Ensemble engaged in educating the young generation or children familiar with their native folk dances.

The Dance ensemble performing at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi

The ensemble includes about 450 children among which some are even as young as 3 years of age. The new generation has a need for the real experience of dance and this wonderful education, serving this purpose, has a community building effect, as well.

The ancient-order found in folk dances and its familiarity with the native language of dance, gives a real experience to both dancers and viewers during the performances that has resulted in the revival of folk dance traditions in Hungary.

Dancers showcasing the traditional dance form of Hungary

The ensemble has been greatly acclaimed and have met tremendous success wherever they performed in all major cities of Europe, New Zealand, Japan and India.

Musical Ensemble of Hungarian Csillagszeműek (Starry-Eyed) Dance Ensemble

The ensemble began their tour with the first performance at the 1st International Folk Dance and Music Festival, organized by ICCR at Kamani Auditorium on 13th October and was the first performing group after the opening of the festival.

Performance at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi

The artists are hoping to be back again to make their culture familiar to Indians.