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| István HILLER |
The cultural season is too important and too long in the planning to allow it to fall victim to political differences, Hiller said at the Hungarian Consulate. The important thing should be that Hungarian Cultural is our common treasure, he added.
Planning for the cultural season started already in 2006. The choice to focus on New York and Washington was made to better target opinion-shapers, the cultural media and the political sphere.
In the course of preparations many difficult negotiations took place with the American institutions hosting events for the programme, but "we did not depart in any way from our own concept, there was no question of compromise," Hiller said. This could not have taken place without the support of influential American-Hungarians and American Hungarophiles, he added.
Contemporary music is one of the main focuses of the cultural season, Hiller said. The aim is to establish as many connections as possible - to make bigger names for those artists who are already well known and to establish a cultural presence for those who are still little known. Hungary's past experience with cultural seasons in the UK, the Netherlands and France show that these connections bear fruit six to nine months after the season finishes, when artists are invited back, Hiller said. The number of cultural tourists to Hungary also rises, he added.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
