Culture

2024

The Hungarian State Opera premiered the first opera in Hungarian, composed by Péter Eötvös, on 2, December, 2023, honoring the world-renowned artist, who will celebrate his 80th birthday in January 2024. The work, Valuska, is a stage adaptation of László Krasznahorkai's novel, The Melancholy of Resistance. The story may already be familiar from Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies, although the composer approaches it from a completely different perspective.

Due to Eötvös' working methods, worldview, and international reputation, we found it important to capture certain phases of the creative process and the thoughts of the creators in moving image form. The goal of our film was not only to present the most important events leading up to the premiere through the rehearsals but also to help the audience understand, and perhaps even fall in love with, the world of contemporary music, especially contemporary opera.

As a documentary, the script was written by fate itself. By the time the rehearsals began, the composer fell seriously ill, having suffered a stroke, followed by a diagnosis of a brain tumor, after which chemotherapy treatment began. The creative team of the performance faced immense pressure, but tried to exceed their limits, experiencing the task as a moral challenge. The focus of the film also started to follow this direction, particularly since Eötvös did not wish to, nor could he, speak in detail about the creative process. He devoted little of his strength to participating in rehearsals, and we aimed to capture him and the superhuman work he did, while fully respecting his physical condition.

The performance was met with great success, and nearly a year later, in October, 2024, it won the "Best Premiere" award at the International Opera Awards. Unfortunately, Eötvös Péter did not live to see this, as the illness claimed his life in March, 2024. As a result, the film was ultimately titled The Last Opera.

The original goal of our film was not to create a musical documentary but to present the evolution of the concept imagined by a creative intellectual workshop, from the rehearsal room to the stage of Eiffel House. While the composer's illness did not alter this aim, the tragic events added a new perspective to the film's story and message.

The film's first private screening will take place on 30, October at the BMC, and we have also been invited to the Eötvös: Clavigo opera performance at the Collegium Hungaricum in Berlin on 9, December, where the film will be shown before the performance, followed by a conversation with the director. The public premiere will take place in January 2025 as part of the Átlátszó Hang New Music Festival. In October, the film will also be shown to students of the Quintessence Master School. Additionally, we are organizing participation in international festivals and are in discussions with international TV channels about broadcasting.

The documentary film was made possible by a 5,200,000 HUF non-refundable grant from the MOL – New Europe Foundation.

2022

Searching for the depths 

Within the COLLEGE OF ARTS programme the FOLK MUSIC CONCERT SERIES “MONADNOCKS with Gergely Agócs and the Fonó Folk Band” came to a close. (NKA call identifier: 787113/00059). The Szalakóta Association contributed as the organiser of the programme.

The Fonó Folk Band performed their Monadnocks musical production in different towns in Transylvania through five evenings from the 14th of June. Gergely Agócs, fellow research assistant at the Heritage House, founder of the Fonó Folk Band tells us about the concert series. “In the past 36 years I have been doing field work as a folk music researcher in different regions of the Carpathian Basin. During my work, I have had the chance to visit more than 200 different Hungarian settlements outside the borders. In numbers: I worked at more than 70 different locations in 1992 and I have made recordings at more than 350 locations since 2008. According to my philosophy I only “dare” to perform folk music that I know, and only if I have visited the region it originates from in person. It is important for me to meet the representatives of traditional Hungarian music and the neighbouring peoples’ music cultures. I do not just learn about the music but also about the human being, the person I get the information from. The recordings gathered by other researchers are also important sources that I learn from. These journeys are deeply imprinted into my way of thinking and have influenced my emotions as well. They have especially affected my inner self, my attitude in relation to the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon.  It is mostly people that I got acquainted with during my journey, who take part in the “Monadnocks” production: traditional singers, musicians, villagers and shepherds who perform together with the Fonó Folk Band, the group that I founded together with my friends 25 years ago. It is not a secret that we perform the material of my research and material that we have recorded together. We are trying to interpret Hungarian folk music and the folk music of the neighbouring peoples in traditional adaptation for the audience. We believe that there is a deep esthetic content in this kind of interpretation. I would like to emphasise the word “deep” because if “high culture” has any counterpart and we are looking for it in traditional culture and folk traditions then what we find can absolutely not be called “low”, only “deep”. Together with our master teachers we are trying to explore the hidden dimensions of this depth in front of the audience who come to the Monadnock concerts. We have invited musicians from ten different regions which in itself meant a huge task in logistics.  The concert series started on the 14th of June in Székelyudvarhely, then it continued in Csíkszereda on the 15th, then Marosvásárhely, then Méra, and we finished the tour on the 18th in Nagyvárad.” All in all 24 performers took part in the concert series, with 5 performers being present at all locations and at least 50 people contributing as the technical staff and organisers who helped our team. This tour would not have been possible without their work. Thanks to everyone!

  • Organized by the Búzaszem Foundation, the folk singing workshops provided participants with the opportunity to learn traditional songs from the Carpathian Basin. The Dúdoló Folk Choir workshops were held biweekly, each lasting 120 minutes. These sessions were led by Andrea Navratil, a member of the Szalakóta Association, from September to December, and took place on 6 occasions.
  • On the recommendation of the Hungarian Patriots, a family-friendly traditional festival was held at the nationally recognized Királydomb Memorial Site on 10-11, September, 2022. The event featured performances by the Hollóének Hungarica and Tabulatúra early music ensembles, as well as the Számadó Band. The Szalakóta Association contributed to the technical requirements and organization of the festival.
  • At the request of the House of Traditions (Hagyományok Háza), we organized a Christmas concert tour for the Fonó Band in Transylvania, on 12-14, December, 2022. The concerts were sold out, and we received an incredible reception. The venues included Temesvár, Nagyenyed and Zilah.

2021

  • Monadnocks - Hundred years of the unforgotten Hungarian folk song. Now, when we have to look back at the hundred years that have passed since the Treaty of Trianon, we believe it has to be done with dignity.  Not by lamenting nor by threatening. Without grief and false self pity. Those millions of Hungarians who were cut off from the country remind us of the struggles of the past hundred years not only with their existence but also with the pearls of culture they have treasured and kept. 

The Fonó Folk Band prepared a special production for the 100th anniversary. The performance by our band and our guest stars is built on the realisation that in the regions of the neighbouring countries where there is a Hungarian minority, Hungarian folk song and music is still a living heritage even 100 hundred years after Trianon. We believe it is important to emphasise this, not only because of the partition but also because many people think of folk music as something only existing in archives and in the repertoire of different interpreters and traditionalists. In the “Monadnocks” production such masters of traditional folk music are taking part who are still representing their region's old Hungarian tradition hundred years later. Through their knowledge the heritage that seemed to fade is sparkling in its old glory.  

Following Bartók’s concept of the Carpathian Basin the performance is not only showing the values of Hungarian folk music but also the authentic elements of Slovakian, Transylvanian Romanian and Rusyn traditional musical culture. Besides the members of the Fonó Folk Band, performers include traditional singers and musicians from Gömör and Zoboralj, Upper Hungary, Vojvodina, Kalotaszeg and Mezőség, Székelys from Nyárád and Csángós from Gyimes. We can recognise pieces from the work of Kodály and Bartók, even musical themes from the music lessons from our school years, usually in the same form that pioneering researches of Hungarian folk music recorded them. Among the lyrics we can sometimes even notice the special emphasis on minority life …

The organiser of the programme was once again the Szalakóta Association, which has already proven itself during the highly successful “Paternal branch” concert tour.

  •   26 September 2021 MüPa

  •   27 September 2021 Balassagyarmat

  •   28 September 2021 Nagyida

  •   29 September 2021 Tornalja

  •   30 September 2021 Fülek

Guest artists:

Ilona Lacza, Lauró Béláné – song (Alsóbodok, Zoboralja, Upper Hungary), István Bastyúr – song (Szilice, Gömör, Upper Hungary), Erzsébet Kádár Dezsőné – song (Magyarszovát, Mezőség, Transylvania), Dezső Tankó – song, flute (Gyimesközéplok, Gyimes, Transylvania), Katalin Kaló – song (Inaktelke, Kalotaszeg, Transylvania), Tibor Burján – song, flute (Nyárádszentbenedek, Marosszék, Transylvania), Judit Varga – song (Nevetlenfalu, Ugocsa, Transcarpathia), Rozália Nagy – song (Doroszló, Bácskai Duna mente, Vojvodina)

2020

  • The Fonó Band is preparing a special production for its centennial anniversary, and once again, they have asked us to manage the application process. "Our ensemble’s and our traditional guest performers' joint concert is based on the realization that Hungarian folk songs and instrumental Hungarian folk music in Hungarian-populated regions of neighboring countries are still very much part of the living tradition, even one hundred years after Trianon. We believe it is important to emphasize this not only because of the separation but also because of the widespread view that folk music is regarded as part of archives or, at best, the work of various revivers and reinterpreters. The performance titled 'Tanúhegyek' (Witness Mountains) showcases those master tradition bearers who still represent the old Hungarian tradition in their communities, even after one hundred years. Through their knowledge, the largely crumbling and decaying heritage around them is revealed to us in its former glory. In line with Bartók's concept of the Carpathian Basin, the performance not only highlights the values of Hungarian folk music but also presents authentic performances of Slovak, Transylvanian Romanian, and Rusyn traditional music at certain points. Besides the members of the Fonó Band, the performers of the production are folk singers and musicians of Hungarian traditions in the Gömör and Zoboralja regions, Transcarpathia, Vojvodina, Kalotaszeg, Mezőség, Székely regions of Nyárád, and Csángó from Gyimes. The concert also features familiar musical themes from certain works by Kodály or Bartók, or even from school music textbooks, most of which appear in the versions encountered by the great pioneers of Hungarian music folklore in the field. The lyrics of the folk songs occasionally carry the specific emphasis of minority existence..."

  • The Szalakóta Association was commissioned to manage the "Tanúhegyek - Agócs Gergely and the Fonó Band - Folk Music Concert Series" (NKA application ID: 787113/00059) with the support of a 25,000,000 HUF grant. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to implement the concert series, but we hope that this year all our plans will come to fruition. 

 

 

2019

Since its formation in 1997, the Fonó Band has taken on unusual artistic "approaches" within the Hungarian folk music movement. The initiative titled "Atyai ág" (Paternal Line) follows similar goals, as it aims to showcase the eastern connections of Hungarian folk music to the audience.

Gergely Agócs and the Fonó Band have long been in contact with the Szalakóta Association, as they were also involved in the creation of the album "Vadbarokk" (Wild Baroque). This led to the idea of jointly applying for a program titled "Atyai ág". The Szalakóta Association was asked to manage the implementation of the program, which was supported with a grant of 6,680,000 HUF under the ÖSSZMŰVÉSZETI PROGRAMOK KOLLÉGIUMA initiative, with the application ID number 787113/00018. The Atyai ág - Agócs Gergely and the Fonó Band - Hungarian-Turkish Folk Music Concert Series was organized with this support.

During the tour, 21 participants took the stage, marking the concert's uniqueness in its genre. Over 4,500 people attended the six-concert tour, and the group traveled more than 2,500 kilometers. A dozen organizers assisted in making this project possible, and without their contributions, this event could not have been realized. It was incredible that all the performances were sold out. A concert recording was also made, and the post-production lasted until January, 2020.

2018

The Fonó Folk Band has been using artistic methods that might seem unusual among Hungarian folk musicians, ever since their forming in 1997.  Their „Paternal branch” (Atyai ág) production is also following this approach as it tries to show the Eastern relations of Hungarian folk music to the audience. Gergely Agócs and the Fonó Folk Band have since long been in contact with the Szalakóta Association as we have also taken part in the production of their "Wild baroque" record. This is why we applied for a grant together with a programme titled “Paternal branch”. They asked the Szalakóta Association to carry out the programme. It is registered within the COLLEGE OF ARTS programme (NKA call identifier: 787113/00018) -  ATYAI ÁG - GERGELY AGÓCS AND THE FONÓ FOLK BAND - HUNGARIAN-TURKIC FOLK MUSIC CONCERT SERIES  - financial support of 6.680.000 HUF.  21 performers took part in the tour which in itself is a proof of how unique the concert series was. More than 4500 people saw the concerts at 6 different concert locations and we travelled more than 2500 kilometres. A dozen organisers helped us through the tour without whom this project would not have been possible. It was amazing that all our concerts were sold out. The recording of the concerts was completed in January 2020. 

  • 21 September 2019 Kecskemét – Hírös Agóra (XXVII. Kecskemét Folk Music Festival)

  • 22 September 2019 Budapest - Gül Baba Türbe

  • 24 September 2019 Budapest – MüPa Bartók Béla Concert Hall

  • 26 September 2019 Székelyudvarhely – Cultural Center

  • 27 September 2019 Marosvásárhely –  Culture Palace

  • 28 September 2019 Debrecen - Csokonai Theatre 

    As part of a research, on behalf of the Planet Studio Kft., we interviewed people who had been kept in mental institutions unjustly in the 1950’s. This research served as a basis for the documentary which will be shown in 2019. The title of the film is “Letters from the madhouse”. The film was originally the dream of Gábor Mező, who got the idea while he was reading a couple of letters in the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security. In the paper with the same title as the film he wrote that he seldom gets emotional during work, but this story really touched him, and he immediately knew he had to write about it. 

2017

Our Association was requested  by the HM Zrínyi Nonprofit Kft. Military Film Studio to take part in the production, the organisation and assistant directing of the recording of their documentary film “ Twelve hells”. We had the following tasks:

  • Participating in the technical script
  • Keeping contact with the representatives of cooperating organisations  (HM, HIM, military experts, military historians, military tradition preservation associations)
  • Supply and acquisition of sets, costumes and other equipments
  • Organising accommodation and catering at the locations
  • Preparation and supply of pyrotechnics and imitations
  • Renting of vehicles, coordination of own vehicles
  • Coordination of the commute and activity of actors, extras and staff
  • Assistance in preparation of shot lists and scenes according to the script
  • Reviewing the recorded scenes together with the directors, preparation of raw material for editing and scripting
  • Our association carried out the tasks in Hungary, Slovenia and Italy also in English language
 
 

 

2016

  • At the request of the Garamond Kiadványszerkesztő Stúdió Kft. we completed a smaller illustrated study. The publication was edited by the BNPD and was made into a manual from an environmental view point, mainly for forestry personnel, dealing with tree markings in Natura 2000 areas.

2015
  • The Szalakóta Association visited Székelyudvarhely on the behalf of the Bese Association to exchange knowledge and experience about traditional fruit gardening with local producers. We made a short summary about this visit:  
  • The Bese Association organised the First Fruit Festival of Mezőség on 7 November,  2015. They asked us to organise and carry out the cultural programmes. The following video is a summary of the day: 
 
 
 
 
 

 

  • 14 March 2015. Phono again and again! We can't stop... 

 

2014 

  • We organised the Phono dance gathering! More than 70 people from the village were taking part in the dance, and the Pipás group were playing, while Dr. Tibor Szász and Dániel Siptár gave lectures during the event. Dr. Tibor Szász, honorary university professor, started the programme by sharing his views about sustainability. After his lecture some members of the audience asked what could be done to find solutions to some of the problems he mentioned. What can ordinary people do?  Sustainability: "„Sustainable development is a progress that satisfies current needs without endangering the chance for satisfying the needs of further generations.” This is the simplest way to put it. All of our activities have consequences, but they may only be experienced by our children. Will they be happy about it? What can a resident of Cserépfalu do about it? They can pay attention to their consumption without purchasing needlessly, or avoid purchasing food from other countries rather than food grown in the region.  Collect waste selectively, pay attention to water consumption, since water is our vital element and our body is 70% water. Let us quote the words of a Native American thinker here:​ “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realise that one cannot eat money.”

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  • In the Summer of 2014, in cooperation with the For the Future of Cserépfalu Organisation and the local municipality, we organised the second Colony of Artists in Cserépfalu in which five painters took part from different parts of the country. As a closing event we held an exhibition and an auction of the paintings made during the programme. Eight of the paintings were purchased by visitors of the event.

2013

  • In the Summer of 2013, in cooperation with the local government, we organised the first Colony of Artists in Cserépfalu in which 10 painters participated arriving from different parts of the country. As a closing event, we held an exhibition of the paintings made during the programme and 10 paintings were donated to the village of Cserépfalu. They can be seen on Cserépfalu Blog
  • We formed the Csurdóka folk dance group, which holds rehearsals weekly and hosts Phono dance houses monthly in the Community House of Cserépfalu. The latter is a modern version of the traditional “fonó” gathering, including lectures, performances, folk music, folk dance and more informal conversations. Our aim with the dance house is to form a powerful local community.