Musicians: Félix Lajkó - violin Zsolt Kelemen - viola Michael Babinchak - cello Ferenc Kurina - double bass Tibor Takács - drums
Label - Fono, Hungary
There can be little doubt that Felix Lajko is an incredible violinist
with an exceptional talent.
'I had heard that Lajko 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
"My music is based on the delicacy and colourfulness of my
instrument. I do not play any new types of musical genre, I only follow my
own path and improvise and write music. I cannot see differences between
musical styles and ways, so I play folk-, classical-, rock-, blues-, and
improvisational music. I have written music to several theatre plays and
films for Yugoslavian and Hungarian directors. I wrote a musical piece for
the festival commemorating the Sarajevo Cultural Olympics." Felix Lajko