A Muzsikás 35 éve működő nemzetközi hírű magyar népzenei együttes, a legrangosabb nemzetközi világzenei díj, a WOMEX-díj 2008-as kitüntetettje.
Egyaránt fellépnek folk, népzenei és világzenei eseményeken, de nem idegen tőlük az alternatív zene, a jazz, a kelta zene vagy a zsidó zene sem.
Zenéjük a hagyományos népzenét és a 20. századi magyar komolyzenét ötvözi.
Tagjai:
Sipos Mihály (hegedű, citera, ének),
Porteleki László (hegedű, koboz, tambura, ének),
Éri Péter (brácsa, kontra, mandolin, furulyák, ének) és
Hamar Dániel (bőgő, gardon, dob, ének).
Rendszeresen fellép velük a moldvai születésű Petrás Mária (ének), a táncelemekben, koreográfiában Farkas Zoltán és Tóth Ildikó dolgozik az együttessel. Korábban koncertjeiken rendszeres vendég volt Sebestyén Márta énekesnő is, akivel több közös albumot is kiadtak.
Felléptek a világ legnevesebb koncerttermeiben, olyanokban, mint a Royal Festival Hall, a Royal Albert Hall, a Théatre de la Ville, a Santa Cecilia Akadémia vagy a Carnegie Hall.
A World Music Expo (Világzenei Vásár) WOMEX-díját november 2-án, ünnepi hangverseny keretében vették át Sevillában.
Mihály Sipos - violin, citera
László Porteleki - violin, koboz, tambura, vocal
Péter Éri - kontra, viola, mandolin, flute, long flute
Dániel Hamar - contrabass, gardon, drum, cymbal
Guests:
Mária Petrás - traditional singer from Transylvania
Zoltán Farkas and Ildikó Tóth- choreographs, dance, percussion
MUZSIKÁS is the most popular and most renowned ensemble in Hungary and worldwide playing the traditional Hungarian folk music. Their performance is an exciting musical experience, the audience are transferred back to the remote Hungarian village atmosphere where the traditions survived the centuries. MUZSIKÁS is the name given to musicians playing traditional folk music in Hungary in villages. The formation of the MUZSIKÁS Ensemble coincided with the European revivalist movement of the seventies whereby interest lied not only in the traditions, but also the roots of culture.
The members of the group play and improvise in the style of old traditional Hungarian folk bands in which the solo violin and the song typically were accompanied with the three-stringed viola and contrabass. The musicians also play other instruments which enables them to produce an extensive range of exciting and unusual colour tones. The music of MUZSIKÁS can be characterized as the traditional arrangements of authentic Hungarian folk music featuring a playing style typical of the best village musicians. It has nothing in common stylistically with the Gypsy-Hungarian style, but is rather the true folk music of Hungary, the most beautiful melodies of which were considered by Béla Bartók to be equal with the greatest works of music.
As an indicator of MUZSIKÁS' success they have toured all over the world including nearly every European country, in addition to Northern America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, appearing in the greatest festivals and biggest concert halls as the Barbican Center or the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Cité de la Music or the Théater de la Ville in Paris, the Town Hall or the Carnegie Hall in New York.
Muzsikás is the first Hungarian Folk ensemble accepted by the classical music world. With their special music program they combined the traditional music with the classical compositions of Bartók, Kodály, Kurtág, Ligeti. Renowed classical solists (Alexander Balanescu, Roel Dieltiens, Jenô Jandó) string quartets (Takács Quartet, Keller Quartet, Bartók Quartet) choirs (Pro Musica Girls' Choir, Tomkins Vocal Ensemble), and symphonic orchestras (Danubia Orchestra, BBC-SSO, Orchestra of Radio France) are partners in these collaborations. Their music appears in the film of the Oscar winner director Costa Gavras', "Music Box," having received the first prize in the Berlin film festival in 1989. They have provided the music for a contemporary dance piece entitled "Dancing Room," which was performed in several theaters in England and filmed by BBC.
They are awarded the most respected Hungarian State award for artists, the Kossuth Prize.
