A Jewish festival for all

The 10th anniversary of the Jewish Festival this year will present a mixed bag of entertainment that includes theater, film, fine art, photography, literary evenings and, of course, a lot of music. Moreover it should appeal to a wide range of tastes - from the more popular to the more refined.

The event kicks off on Saturday (Aug 25) on a light note at the Uránia Movie Theater, with singers performing fragments from the operettas of the widely acclaimed 19th century composer Imre Kálmán.

And, at the Karinthy Theater that same evening, the comedy Kidnaping the Pope in New York will be performed.

While the entire, somewhat varied program can be found in both English and Hungarian on www.zsidonyarifesztival.hu, here are some of the better highlights .

One of the interesting and intriguing appearances will be the Fellegini KlezmerGypsy band, which will introduce The Desert Rose Project at the Madách Theater on Wednesday, August 29.

This should be a joyful and innovative musical experience, in which oriental music fuses with the traditional Klezmer and Gypsy sounds.

Balázs Fellegi, the band leader, and an ex-opera singer, explained the symbolic meaning of the performance.

`Our message is concerning xenophobia, which is rising not only in Hungary, but all around the world.

`We are a good example of how we could make music together, and overcome prejudices and stereotypes.`

The Fellegini KlezmerGypsy band features, as guest artists, the Moroccan singer Said and the newly discovered Hungarian hip-hop and rap performer Flora Polnauer, and their set will be performed in seven different languages.

The desert in the title is a metaphor for a world without boundaries, where the melting pot of cultures can, and often do, create something unique. Just like a rare rose in the desert, the unique voice of the 25-year-old Polnauer is considered the crown of this show.

Special Guest

Another special guest of the band that evening will be the jazz trumpet player Kornél Fekete-Kovats, the founder of the Budapest Jazz Orchestra, who is well known in Europe as a solo performer, but also as a composer in his own right.

The band also includes Hungary`s most acclaimed cimbalom player, Kálmán Balogh, who will also perform with the Budapest Klezmer Band at the magnificent Synagogue on Dohány utca on Sep 2.

At the same venue on Aug 26, the organ will be brought to life by László Fassang, who has won, among other titles, the Gold Medal in Improvisation at the International Organ Competition in Calgary (2002), and winner of the Interpretation Prize in Chartres (2004).

He will play pieces from Liszt, Bach, Schuman and Alain`s works and will also perform with Bea Palya. She will bring her special voice and the sound of folk music to Fassang`s improvisations.

But the jewel of this festival, arguably, will be the concert of Pinchas Zucherman and the Zucherman Chamber Players (pictured). This most celebrated violin and viola player, a two-time Grammy winner, will give a concert at the Dohány utca synagogue on Sep 5.

One of Israel`s most popular performers, Shlomo Artzi, mixes rock music with Hebrew melodies.

His performance will take place on Sunday, Aug 26 at the Syma sports and events center.

Andreea Anca
www.budapestsun.com - Wednesday, August 22, 2007