Classical Violinist Lendvay to Play Gypsy Music
By Bae Keun-min
Staff Reporter
A renowned classical violinist will perform songs of gypsy souls in a series of concerts here.
Hungarian violinist Jozsef Lendvay and his quintet members will return to South Korea for a concert tour from June 10 to 22. The quintet visited the nation for the first time last year and wowed the local audience.
The Lendvay & Friends ensemble, comprising violinist Alexandre Afanassiev, violist Peter Menyhart, cellist Alexander Bagrintsev and double bassist Corneliu-Cosmin, will present a program of classical numbers, Russian traditional songs and Korean pop songs.
The program includes Sarasate's ``Zigeunerweisen,'' Brahms' ``Hungarian Dance No. 5'' and Piazzolla's ``Libertango,'' along with such Korean songs as ``Mabeobui Seong'' (Magic Castle) by Classic and ``Na Gageodeun'' (If I Go) from the original sound track of the 2001 hit TV drama ``Myeongseonghwanghu.''
Lendvay first put his name on the map of classical world with the first prize at the 1997 Paris Tibor Varga International Violin Competition. However, he turned his sights to his native vibes, building his unique styles merging gypsy music into his classical education background.
The 33-year-old violinist was born in Budapest and studied at the Bela Bartok Conservatory and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music.
The ensemble will kick off its eight-concert tour on June 10 at Seoul Arts Center. The itinerary will include Yangsan in South Gyeonsang Province, Mokpo in South Jeolla Province, Seosan and Dangjin County in South Chungcheong Province, Yongin in Gyeonggi Province, and Chuncheon in Gangwon Province. They will also appear on the stage at the Naru Arts Center in eastern Seoul.
Tickets for the concert at Seoul Arts Center cost from 44,000 won to 88,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3463-1730.
