Al Di Meola & Friends: 'A Night in Budapest', National Concert Hall, 14 & 16 March
- 27 Feb 2024 2:48 PM
This remarkable evening promises an encounter between the dreams of the world-famous guitar virtuoso Al Di Meola and those of Müpa Budapest.
Hungarian music fans can enjoy a taster of boundary-pushing acoustic guitar play with a concert experience from the Friday Night in San Francisco, featuring the effervescent musical dialogues of five musicians - four guitarists and a percussionist - from five distinctive cultures.
Thanks to Müpa Budapest, there will also be a Hungarian guest appearance in the form of the brilliantly talented Mike Gotthard.
Al Di Meola was just 26 years old when he created Friday Night in San Francisco alongside Paco De Lucía and John McLaughlin in 1981. Yet he had already enjoyed a seven-year success story with the Chick Corea-led band Return to Forever, released five solo albums, and grown into an essential figure on the international music scene.
This was the heyday of fusion swing, and Di Meola usually favoured an electric guitar, yet he never fully discarded his acoustic instrument either. In fact, at the start of the 1990s, as Di Meola began to immerse himself in the diverse traditions of world music, he became even more dedicated to acoustic play.
For this concert on the eve of Müpa Budapest's 19th birthday, Al Di Meola is preparing for much more than a summit of strumming; he is inviting his old friends from various cultures for a spontaneous and carefree joint jamming session.
In addition to the French flamenco guitarist Juan Carmona (who played at Müpa Budapest in 2006), the Greek guitar and buzuki virtuoso Michael Paouris, and the Italian magician Peo Alfonsi, the charming Spanish percussionist Sergio Martínez will also be joining Di Meola, not to mention the incredibly versatile Mike Gotthard, who will show us that his knowledge and musicality are utterly spellbinding even beyond the confines of the electric guitar.
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