Félix Lajkó
Encyclopedia
Félix Lajkó is a Hungarian violin
ist, zither
player and composer
. He plays a variation of musical styles: traditional string music
of the Pannonian plain, Romani music, folk music
, classical music
, rock
, blues
, jazz
and improvised melodies
. In concert, he plays mostly the violin
either with his small band or solo.
, in the Serbian province of Vojvodina
(then part of Yugoslavia) to ethnic Hungarian
parents. He started playing the zither
at the age of 10. His first contact with the violin was at the age of 12. He has finished the six years of musical school in three years time. Lajkó finished his formal studies and turned towards concerting.
' band, Makúz and Boris Kovač
's band, Ritual Nova. He performed together with the world-famous Japan
ese butoh
dancer, Min Tanaka
and the French
Noir Desir
band a number of times. He has had many concerts together with the London
-based Romania
n violin player Alexander Balanescu
and with Boban Marković
's brass gipsy band
.
Lajkó has composed music for some theatrical plays. Among others he wrote the complete music material for the Subotica Teatre
's Public Enemy
production. Jozef Nadj from Orléans
regularly invites him to compose music for his performances and he has also composed music for choreographies of Ivett Bozsik. He composed the whole musical score for Wheels, a film by Serbian director Ljubiša Samardžić
. It was also him who composed the hymn for the 1998 Sarajevo
cultural festival, "Sarajevska Zima". He has participated in many fiction films and Miklós Jancsó
made his short film Play, Félix! about Lajkó. He wrote music for Towards a New Atlantis, a project of the Venice Biennale
in 2000. Lajkó also composed music for and acted as the main character of Kornél Mundruczó
's film Delta - a film which won a small prize in Cannes
, and was nominated for the Golden Palm. It was the Hungarian Film Festival's winning film, and Lajkó was awarded the best original soundtrack award at the Festival.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
player and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He plays a variation of musical styles: traditional string music
Strings (music)
A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
of the Pannonian plain, Romani music, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and improvised melodies
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
. In concert, he plays mostly the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
either with his small band or solo.
Biography
Lajkó was born in Bačka TopolaBacka Topola
Bačka Topola is a town and municipality in the North Bačka District of Vojvodina, Serbia...
, in the Serbian province of Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
(then part of Yugoslavia) to ethnic Hungarian
Hungarians in Vojvodina
Hungarians are the second largest ethnic group in the Vojvodina province in northern Serbia. According to the 2002 census, there are 290,207 ethnic Hungarians in Vojvodina who compose 14.28% of the provincial population. The number of ethnic Hungarians in the whole of Serbia is 293,299, and their...
parents. He started playing the zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
at the age of 10. His first contact with the violin was at the age of 12. He has finished the six years of musical school in three years time. Lajkó finished his formal studies and turned towards concerting.
Collaborations and work
Lajkó has played together with a large number of well-known bands and musicians. He was a member of György SzabadosGyörgy Szabados
György Szabados was a Hungarian jazz pianist, and is sometimes referred to as the "father" or "unofficial king" of the Hungarian free jazz movement since the 1960s.- Biography :Szabados was born in Budapest...
' band, Makúz and Boris Kovač
Boris Kovac
-Biography:Kovač was born in Novi Sad, the capital of the Vojvodina region of Serbia, then part of Yugoslavia. He studied on the accordion as a child and later received one year of instruction on saxophone, but is self-taught on a wide array of instruments....
's band, Ritual Nova. He performed together with the world-famous Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese butoh
Butoh
is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...
dancer, Min Tanaka
Min Tanaka
is a Japanese actor and dancer. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 26th Japan Academy Prize for The Twilight Samurai.-Filmography:* The Twilight Samurai * The Hidden Blade * House of Himiko...
and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Noir Desir
Noir Désir
Noir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec...
band a number of times. He has had many concerts together with the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n violin player Alexander Balanescu
Alexander Balanescu
Alexander Bălănescu is a violinist and founder of the Balanescu Quartet.He emigrated with his family to Israel in 1969....
and with Boban Marković
Boban Markovic
Boban Marković is a Serbian Romani trumpet player and brass ensemble leader from Vladičin Han, frequently recognized as the greatest trumpet player to emerge from the Balkans...
's brass gipsy band
Balkan Brass Band
Balkan Brass Band or Chochek is a distinctive style of music originating in 19th century Serbia when trumpeters in the military transposed folk music during harsh times. It is popular throughout the Balkans, especially Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria. The beats are usually fast and accompanied by...
.
Lajkó has composed music for some theatrical plays. Among others he wrote the complete music material for the Subotica Teatre
National Theatre in Subotica
-Reconstruction:The historic theater, which was built in 1854 as the first monumental public building in Subotica, was demolished in 2007, although it was declared a historic monument under state protection in 1983, and in 1991 it was added to the National Register as a monument of an extraordinary...
's Public Enemy
An Enemy of the People
An Enemy of the People is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen wrote it in response to the public outcry against his play Ghosts, which at that time was considered scandalous...
production. Jozef Nadj from Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
regularly invites him to compose music for his performances and he has also composed music for choreographies of Ivett Bozsik. He composed the whole musical score for Wheels, a film by Serbian director Ljubiša Samardžić
Ljubiša Samardžic
Ljubiša Samardžić is a Serbian actor and director, who is best known as Šurda in the Vruć vetar TV series.- Early life :Born to the family of a coal miner, his acting talent was discovered very early and he won a scholarship with respected director Bojan Stupica. Samardžić was educated at the...
. It was also him who composed the hymn for the 1998 Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
cultural festival, "Sarajevska Zima". He has participated in many fiction films and Miklós Jancsó
Miklós Jancsó
Miklós Jancsó is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter.Jancsó achieved international prominence from the mid-1960s onwards, with works including The Round Up , The Red and the White and Red Psalm .Jancsó's films are characterized by visual stylization,...
made his short film Play, Félix! about Lajkó. He wrote music for Towards a New Atlantis, a project of the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 2000. Lajkó also composed music for and acted as the main character of Kornél Mundruczó
Kornél Mundruczó
Kornél Mundruczó is a Hungarian actor, film director and screenwriter. He has directed 15 short and feature films since 1998. His film Johanna was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival....
's film Delta - a film which won a small prize in Cannes
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, and was nominated for the Golden Palm. It was the Hungarian Film Festival's winning film, and Lajkó was awarded the best original soundtrack award at the Festival.
Discography
- A bokorból (2009)
- Remény (2007)
- Lajkó Félix 7 (2005)
- Félix (2002)
- Lajkó Félix and his Band (2001)
- Boban Marković|Boban Markovics Orkestar Feat. Lajkó Félix (2000)
- Lajkó Félix and his Band: Concert ’98 (1998)
- Lajkó Félix– Attila Lőrinszky: Live at the Academy (1997)
- Lajkó Félix And his Band (1997)
- Noir DésirNoir DésirNoir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec...
: 666.667 Club CD (guest musician) (1996) - Samaba Trió: Opus Magnum CD (guest musician) (1996)
- Lajkó Félix and his Band (1995)
- Mihály Dresch Dudás: Zeng a lélek (1993)