Felix Lajko
Sat 13 Dec 2008
Straight from the soul, raw and untamed fire music from the Balkans.
Félix Lajkó is a Hungarian-Yugoslavian virtuoso of the violin and zither who is renowned for his beautifully intense, soaring and wild live performances. He skips effortlessly between European folk traditions, conservatoire-trained classicism and feral string symphonies, intoxicating all kinds of audiences with his dazzling music and the force of his personality. Whether performing at world music events, rock shows or festivals, his performances in the UK are a very rare occurrence and are to be savoured.
He has performed all over the world and has collaborated with the Romanian violinist Alexander Balanescu, Boban Markovic's gypsy brass band, the Dresch Quartet and the Japanese bhuto dancer Min Tanaka. The renowned Hungarian film director Miklós Jancsó (whose other subjects include Fellini) was fascinated by his passion and integrity and made a film about him in 1999 called 'Play, Félix!'
Warren Ellis (Dirty Three/Nice Cave) can't stop waxing lyrical about his uplifting, free spirited music and invited him to play at Dirty Three's All Tomorrows Parties in 2007, where he stole the show. "He is a fiddle player from Hungary and is one of my all time favourite players. His first album, 'Lajko Felix Es Zenekara', was given to me years ago after a concert in Berlin and is long unavailable. I listened to it non-stop through the making of 'Ocean Songs' and it is one of those albums you just find yourself coming back to...He is a reminder that the fire is still there."
"I had heard that Lajkó is regarded with awe in the Balkans, but was still unprepared for the impact of hearing and seeing him at such close quarters.... he attacks his violin with such ferocity that broken threads cascade from his bow during each number. There is a tendency for Balkan musicians to fit into one of several generic categories gypsy, folk, Klezmer, etc but Lajko seems to have invented a style of his own, and any reference to existing genres would be misleading. Each of his instrumental songs had a clear structure, and yet each seemed open to the spirit of the moment."
Charlie Gillett, BBC LDN (on Lajko's 2003 Barbican performance
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE OF VENUE FOR THIS EVENT.
NAC will now present Felix Lajko, Sophie Williams and Joel Harries in central Northampton’s oldest church; St Peters on Black Lion Hill.
WE ADVISE THAT ALL REMAINING TICKETS ARE NOW FOR SEATING WITH A RESTRICTED VIEW. THESE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE FISHMARKET OFFICE OR ON THE DOOR. A LIMITED NUMBER REMAIN AND SEATING WILL BE OFFERED ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS ON THE NIGHT.
PERFORMANCE TIMES
7:30PM - JOEL HARRIES
8:30PM - SOPHIE WILLIAMS
9:15PM - FELIX LAJKO
VENUE DETAILS:
VENUE OPENING DETAILS:
add your listing
FIND EVENTS
CALENDAR
Click one date to view listings on that day. Click two dates to view listings occuring within a date range.
