The performance of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble is an anthology-like selection, a journey across ages and borders, inspired by the folk traditions of Hungarians and minorities sharing a joint destiny (Romanians, Slovaks, Serbs and Croats, Germans, Ruthenes, Gypsies) in the Carpathian Basin, introducing the life and dances of Transcarpathia, Transylvania, present-day Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, and Hungary. Paying homage to the indisputable reality of togetherness, it presents a sweeping panorama of the rural heritage and the unparalleled cultural and spiritual riches bequeathed to us by sharing our journey over a thousand years.
The themes of this selected programme convey Bartók’s message, stating that the interaction of the arts of the ethnicities living here over the centuries has created a collective, inseparable culture. From our contemporary world, we may observe this culture from the “distance” of a hundred years, but we believe that no matter how far, true art stands the test of time.