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The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra - "100 Gypsy Violins" |
The orchestra played in seven French cities over three weeks, said the ensemble's chief secretary Nándor Farkas Beke. All of the shows were sold out, he added.
The orchestra, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, has played concerts in France for 16 years, thanks to the French company that organises all of its foreign tours.
French producer Xavier Duboc told French public television that the orchestra was radiant as several generations played side by. "They are indeed a large family."
The daily Le Parisien said there was "something miraculous" in the way the orchestra appears on stage. "These permanently cheerful virtuoso players can perfectly perform the classical repertoire."
The idea for 100 Gypsy Violins was born in 1985, when several hundred musicians marched in the funeral procession of the famous violinist Sándor Járóka. The musicians decided they should play together regularly, not only at funerals.
The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra played works by Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Brahms, Liszt, Bartók, Kodály, Hubay and Sarasate on their tour. They also played Balkan folk music, Jewish music and Gypsy jazz.
Beke said the Radetzky March was the audience favourite in Paris.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / Photo: MTI/APE
