The sound of a hundred gypsy violins

If you are among those who most enjoy music around Christmas time, the concert by the largest gypsy symphony orchestra, the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra, is a reason to be in Zagreb on Friday, December 13th.

The orchestra of “a hundred gypsy violins”, as the Budapest Gypsy Orchestra is known in Hungary, will perform a Christmas gala concert at the Dražen Petrović Basketball Centre on December 13th. They will play traditional gypsy music as well as some of the greatest works of classical music. This world-famous orchestra’s last performance in Zagreb was five years ago, but the orchestra has also performed all over the world, and it is almost impossible to list all the countries and famous stages around the globe where they have performed. This season they will be visiting China for the first time,  but they have already held six concerts at the renowned Champs Elysees Theatre in Paris.

The story of the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra began in 1985, at the funeral of the most famous band leader in Hungary, Sandor Jarok. By joining forces, the leading gypsy musicians paid tribute to the virtuoso musician, colleague and teacher, but also created the foundation for the orchestra led by Laszlo Barki, who was the conductor at the Hungarian national Ensemble until his tragic death in 1997. The orchestra consists of excellent musicians who play without any music sheets, and it includes 60 violins, 9 violas, 10 basses, 9 clarinets and 6 cymbals. One of the most prominent members of the orchestra is the virtuoso cymbalist Oszkar Õkrõs, who is recognized as the greatest virtuoso of that instrument in the world.

These exquisite musicians entertain audiences with traditional gypsy music as well as a classic repertoire of works by Johannes Brahms,  Georges Bizet, Aram Khatchatourian, Pablo de Sarasata and Johann Strauss. Their energy and the atmosphere they create always fascinates audiences, so tickets for their Zagreb show will be very sought after, just like they were during their last performance in the Croatian capital.