László Jakab Orsós, the director of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in New York, presents the preliminary programme for the Hungarian Cultural Season in New York slated to take place in 2009. Photo: Péter Kollányi (MTI)

The eight members of the Advisory Body, presented by László Jakab Orsós, the director of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in New York, are the sociologist Ágnes Heller, the economist János Kornai, former Minister of Culture Zoltán Rockenbauer, the film dramaturg Yvette Bíró, the economist Ferenc Karvalits, National Bank of Hungary Vice President András Szántó and New York-based cultural expert Orsolya Kőrösi. Éva Lauter, the director of the Balassi Institute, has been invited to assist the Advisory Body.

 

"New York functions as a prism for the whole world, what happens there, happens in the whole world," said Orsós.

 

Ágnes Heller said Hungarian film and fine arts would be of special interest to New Yorkers. "They consider Ligeti to be one of the greatest contemporary composers, they are starting to like Kurtág, and the students love the films of Béla Tarr. The painters László Fehér and Ilona Keserű are among Hungary's best painters, but they must still be introduced to New Yorkers, she added.

 

Some HUF 700 million, all of fit from the 2009 budget, has been promised for the Hungarian Cultural Year in New York, said Orsós, citing Minister of Culture István Hiller. But the event's organisers are also counting on assistance from sponsors, he added.

 

In addition to big events planned for the Hungarian Cultural Year, a number of smaller events will also take place. Budapest's Museum of Applied Arts will show its Bauhaus collection in New York's Museum of Arts and Design; the Museum of Fine Arts will show its collection of Majovszky drawings at the Morgan Library; and an exhibition of Zsolnay porcelain will be organized with the assistance of an art collector based in Pittsburgh.

 

New York's Carnegie Hall will serve as the venue for a series of concerts showcasing Hungarian music. The Budapest Festival Orchestra will perform, as will György Kurtág and Márta Kurtág. A concert of folk music will feature the trio of Bea Palya, Ági Szalóky and Ágnes Herczku. Talks on other performances are ongoing.

 

Negotiations on performances of four Hungarian plays are underway with Lincoln Center, and the Krétakör Színház, one of Hungary's most famous theatre troupes, plans a performance of a piece about America at a venue yet to be determined.

 

The programme for the Hungarian Cultural Season in New York must be negotiated by the end of 2007.

 

Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)