In anticipation of Roby Lakatos’ appearance at the Modlin Center on January 31, I decide to track down his videos on YouTube. I’m delighted to discover that the site offers plenty clips of the violin virtuoso who has earned the respect (and inspired the awe) of critics and audiences throughout the world.
I pick a clip at random and click. A young Japanese man, sporting a blond pixie reminiscent of Annie Lennox, provides the introductory commentary to a television broadcast of Lakatos and his group. The fact that I can’t understand what the commentator is saying and am unable to read the words (also in Japanese) that appear on screen isn’t important. The commentator’s enthusiasm—infectious, convincing—transcends the language barrier. I feel confident that the performance I’m about to witness is going to be well worth the cyber-visit.
The curtains are drawn to reveal a darkened stage. The first impassioned strains of Two Guitars (Dve Gitari) leap like flames from Lakatos’ violin. Frenzied yet precise. Ecstatic yet exquisite. But wait. This is the music of Gypsies, whose nomadic lives are filled with both joy and pathos. Almost immediately, the pathos reveals itself. Lakatos makes a seamless segue into a lyrical, plaintive melody and begins to pluck the strings of his violin as if it were a mandolin. The yearning is almost palpable. Another melodic mood change and the listener is swept up in a vigorous csardas. And so it goes. At performance’s end, Lakatos and his violin—together with the expert instrumentalists who accompany them—have masterfully evoked such a wide-ranging gamut of emotions that the mind boggles at an accomplishment achieved within a mere six minutes.
I move on to another clip from the same broadcast—Lakatos playing the Hungarian Dance No. 5.
Once again, I’m mesmerized. Although the Brahms has become standard concert fare, Lakatos reinvigorates the work with his characteristic intelligence and intensity. His interpretation is marked by such a keen sensibility that I’m startled out of my familiarity with the piece and begin to feel as if I’m hearing it for the first time. The man exemplifies pure genius.
With his Dali-esque waxed moustache, ingenuous smile and boxer’s physique, Lakatos cuts an endearing figure as he strolls across the stage. The rapport he shares with his fellow musicians is glowingly evident. Critics have remarked on his charisma. I regard charisma as a quality that its possessor deliberately cultivates with an eye to eliciting the approbative description “charismatic.” Roby Lakatos, on the other hand, radiates pure joy. He is one virtuoso who obviously has fun making music.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Happy New Year!
As the holiday season winds down, the Modlin Center is preparing for a very busy and exciting second half of the season. I will look forward to seeing you at one of our many upcoming events.
I thought you would be interested in seeing this photo from the world premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki's String Quartet No. 3 in Warzaw last month. Pictured are the Shanghai Quartet, for whom the piece was written, and Maestro Penderecki. The Maestro will join the quartet for the Virginia premiere of this piece on Sunday, February 22, 2009. I hope to see you there.
Here's wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
kp
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