Hungarian Rhapsody, National Dance Theatre Budapest, 13 September

contemporary

Hungarian Rhapsody, National Dance Theatre Budapest, 13 September
Rhapsody as a genre is characterized by caprice and the passionate undulation of emotion, thoughts, and the freedom of expression. Hungarian Rhapsody incorporates all of the peculiarities of thegenre, relying on tradition, and drawing inspiration from it, to create a special and unique dance rhapsody.

The colorful diversity of the Hungarian peasant traditions appear in dynamically alternating images – the acrobatics of the male dances, the poetry of the female dances, and the virtuosity of the couples’ dances. The most beautiful melodies of folk culture surface at times as dance accompaniments, or as whimsical solos, and at other times as tempestuous orchestral play.

Froma musical point of view, in addition to the older layers of Hungarian folk music, Hungarian Rhapsody also devotesspace to csárdás and verbunkos music rooted in the 19thcentury. This very distinctive and unmistakable new genre, whose origins and aftertimes played back and forth between folk music and classical music, influenced both Hungarian and non-Hungarian culture as well: creators such as Brahms, Berlioz and Franz Liszt.

What makes the performance unique, among other things, is that it balances between "spectacle" and "intellect" with good sensibilities. Its movements of dynamic, monumental, lyrical, and gloomy tones are melded into an organic unit with the music and the visuals, coupled with consistently changing space drawings. Following the best examples of the genre, the choreographies are arrayed before us with great mood changes.

The themes of the dance scenes are provided by the folklore of the Carpathian Basin, which the creators have selected and condensed, and to the specific scenes of which they have rendered added thought and emotional content, in accordance with the ruthless rules of the theatre.
Place: National Dance Theatre Budapest
Address: 1024 Budapest, Kis Rókus u. 16-20
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