On the Day of Hungarian Culture, Müpa Budapest presents a special programme to salute the richly varied work of pianist and composer Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, its chosen Artist of the Season for 2017/18. The international career of this defining figure in contemporary jazz was launched in 1970 with the second prize he won at the Montreux Jazz Festival as part of the Aladár Pege Quartet. As a member of Rákfogó, and then of Saturnus, he played an important role in spreading jazz fusion in Hungary, but his interest also extended to the blending of classical music with jazz. His 2004 album Na dara! (Don't Be Afraid!) is regarded as a pioneering work in the Gypsy jazz genre. In recognition of his life's work, he was awarded the Kossuth Prize in 2005, receiving the Prima Prize in 2006 and the title of Artist of the Nation in 2014. In recent times, Szakcsi has engaged intensively with the works of György Kurtág and György Ligeti, remaining a dedicated experimenter in the creation of a common musical language from separate music genres.
Lately, Szakcsi's concerts have been characterised by a blend of jazz and contemporary improvisation. In this way, he transcends familiar frameworks, creating a progressive style in reaction to classical and contemporary music, folk music and jazz alike. It is this boundary-pushing, autonomous openness and unquenchable urge to experiment that inspired the creators of this programme to invite companions to join Szakcsi from the cream of contemporary Hungarian literature. The joint appearance of the pianist with Géza Bereményi, László Darvasi and Pál Závada promises an exciting dialogue of music and literature.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest