HEARTFELT GYPSY MUSIC AT ITS BEST.

"Szalai is everything a Gypsy violinist should be, playing with swooning ardour and gorgeous tone. But the joy is in the total experience. This is a must-see event, whatever your musical tastes. There is nothing like it in Australia!" - Sydney Morning Herald, 24th July 2007

Antal Szalai is considered the best gypsy violin soloist in the world and the recipient of the coveted "Ferenc Liszt Award" in 2005.

Antal Szalai comes from a family of gypsy musicians. He studied the violin at the Bela Bartok Conservatory of Music in Hungary, and then in 1967 joined the Honved Ensemble, a musical organisation which comprises a symphonic orchestra, a folk dance troupe, a choir and a gypsy orchestra. The ensemble was supported by the Hungarian Government and the Hungarian National Army. He became leader of the Hungarian Gypsy Orchestra in 1969.

Antal Szalai explains the origins of the gypsy band: "Gypsy songs began with primitive rhythms, created by the knocking of spoons on water cans and accompaniment. About 300 years ago, the tradition of the gypsy band started and the band then comprised a violin, a viola, a cello and a cimbalom". They will be playing the type of music created in the 19th century by amateur composers drawn to sweeten their native folk-music with Western harmonies in order to suit contemporary taste.

The Gypsy way of making music is best explained by Antal Szalai: "The gypsies are very temperamental people......and gypsy music comes from the heart. There is a lot of feeling and it is romantic. Also, they play with a different sort of rhythm that is more interesting".

Come and hear the evergreen traditional Hungarian and International Gypsy melodies as well as some of the most popular highlights from the world of operetta.