Balázs Szokolay Dongó 60 Presented by Liszt Academy

Balázs Szokolay Dongó is a master of improvisation on traditional wind instruments, as well as a composer. His distinctive playing, unique melodic shaping, and inventive solos have been a point of connection for many artists. He has been involved in virtually every genre, from leading folk music productions to classical music fusions. In his birthday concert, he presents key encounters from his life’s journey. These are rich and significant, mutually enriching experiments, a dialogue between the eternal creator with both people and genres. The concert will prominently feature the duo genre, with partners who are long-time musical collaborators: organist László Fassang, pianist Ádám Szokolay, as well as Géza Fábri and Mátyás Bolya, masters of the strings. This will be complemented by a series of sensitive chamber music pieces, where musicians from various genres will dress Dongó’s compositions in new arrangements. In his compositions, he attempts to describe the harmonies and lines that “speak” from within, alongside the inspirational folk songs. The result is both contemporary and archaic.