Hungarian Parliament 2.0 and Christmas Party

Only 2 days after my trip to Parliament to as an American Fulbright representative, all of the Fulbrighters in Hungary came together for a tour of the Parliament. It was fantastic! During the first trip, we went through several layers of security before heading to a meeting room. We saw only the staircases and the hallway, and they are beautiful on their own.  Dan and I were glad to see more of the building on Friday December 12.

First of all, it was a special day because it was our last event for the semester. This was also our last opportunity to see the professors and scholars who were only here for the fall. The Parliament was a perfect end to the year. This time we entered through the recently built underground entrance for tourists. By being underground, nothing obstructs the view of the building. When it was our turn to enter, we went through the security checks and walked up several flights of stairs. These were the same stairs I had used on Wednesday. The design of the windows, walls, and ceiling are lovely in the staircase.

Beautiful windows and golden arches.

Long hallway down to the center of the building.

Looking through the beautiful windows, a view of the Ethnography museum across the lawn.

When we reached the main hall, it was breathtaking and stunning! Only special guests and dignitaries get to enter through this area.

Here is a photo of the Fulbrighters in attendance.

The next stop was the area under the dome. It is by far the most beautiful room of the Parliament, so of course we were not allowed to take pictures. This is also the home to the crown jewels of Hungary. The jewels have two constant guards around them at all times. Here is a picture of the crown that I found on the internet so you can see what it looks like.  This picture shows the crown and the orb with parts of the scepter and the sword.

The crown is incredibly detailed. We were only able to see it for a few seconds. I hope I can go on a tour again before we leave. After the dome section, we went into a room where reporters can wait before special news or interviews. There were several statues representing various types of work in Hungary. I enjoyed this statue of a hunter with his horn and his dog.

Our last room was the hall where the Parliament actually gathers. It was very beautiful. Here are a few photos. This first photo shows the front of the room where the leaders of the Parliament sit.

This is the ceiling of the hall.

Here, you can see the desks where the members of Parliament sit. They each have digital voting devices.

After our tour inside, we moved outside to view the statues around the Parliament. A former Fulbrighter to the United States shared the significance of each statue.  My favorite part about all of the statues is that they depict the history of Hungary with great detail. Hungary is rich with history and they are proud to tell it through their statues, architecture, and art. 

To conclude our tour, we took a group picture outside the Parliament. It was a wonderful tour. 

Following the tour, we headed to the Fulbright office for our Christmas party. We did a white elephant gift exchange and we had a great meal. It was a wonderful celebration of our time together so far. Dan and I will definitely miss all of the scholars and professors who are heading back home. They are interesting and inspiring and I hope our paths cross again some day! 

Hungarian Parliament

On December 10, I had the honor of representing the United States and Fulbright during a visit to the Hungarian Parliament. A group of 9 Fulbrighters visited with MP and President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dr. Zsolt Németh. There were five US grantees to Hungary, and I was one of them. Here we are before the meeting:

Left to right: Dr. Mary Durfee, Dr. John Cox, Hanni Thoma, Megan Small, and Jan Wessel.

There were also 4 Hungarian grantees to US who have recently returned to Hungary.

Left to right: Tamás Csapó, Anna Péczeli, Dr. Károly Jókay (Executive Director of the Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission), Dr. Katalin Parti, and Dr. Marcell Szasz.


The meeting was a great experience! Dr. Németh shared some of his thoughts on the importance of the Fulbright and connections between the United States and Hungary. He pointed out the benefit of sharing all of the positive aspects of Hungary with the world.  I thought to myself, "Good! That is what I'm here to do!" Each of us had a few minutes to speak about our work and how we are making connections between our countries and cultures. I was proud to share my love of Hungarian music and how I plan to share it. Now that I am in Hungary, I see so many opportunities for further research. No matter where my life takes me, I know that I will always have a passion for Hungarian music and I will continue to study and share it.

Here is a picture of the group with Dr. Németh (in the center).

We also posed for a quick picture outside of the Parliament. It was a successful day for Hungarian-American relations!

Bécsi Philharmonikus

WOW!!! Tonight (December 7 - sorry to take so long to post!), Dan and I went to see the Bécsi Filharmonikus (Vienna Philharmonic) at the Művészetek Palotája (Palace of Arts) here in Budapest. This concert was a tour concert for the ensemble and the conductor was Michael Tilson Thomas from the San Francisco Symphony.  The concert was amazing!!!!

Let me say that I was excited for this concert for many reasons.

The venue:
This concert took place at the Művészetek Palotája, the Palace of Arts.  This new building is a beautiful structure south of the city center of Budapest yet still situated on the Danube. The hall was only built in 2005.  One of my favorite parts about the building is that the lights on the outside change color at night! This photo shows when it was purple.

The music:
The program included Johann Baptist Vanhal's Double Bass Concerto followed by Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5.  This particular symphony is a favorite among horn players because of the Corno Obbligato part and the numerous tutti sections.

The orchestra:
The Vienna Philharmonic is one of the absolute best orchestras in the world. They have a long tradition of style and high quality. There is so much to say about them that I cannot include it all here. Please check out their website. http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/

The horns:
The horn section of the Vienna Philharmonic is unique because they play their own style of horn.  No other orchestra in the world uses this horn. From far away, it may look the same as other horns but it is dramatically different. On horns like mine, the valves are next to the keys which are moved by the left hand. On the Vienna horn, the valves are at the opposite side of the horn. Here is a picture.

The Vienna Horns have made a few recordings which I love. Here is a video so you can see and hear the horns. (Feel free to click on other links that pop up for the Vienna horns. I promise you won't be disappointed!) 

The conductor:
I don't really follow conductors but I still have a few conductors which are my favorites. I will admit that I don't think about conductors when I am listening to a recording, only when I am watching a performance or a video. I first saw Michael Tilson Thomas several years ago when I watched one of his video programs, Keeping Score.  In this series, he goes beyond program notes to break down the music and its history. These videos are very inspiring. Michael Tilson Thomas' style is clear, friendly and sophisticated. I was excited to see him conduct in person.



All of this excitement before the concert added to the emotion of the performance. Dan and I treated this evening as a special date. All dressed up, we went out to eat supper at a nice Indian restaurant near our apartment before the concert. The weather was cold, rainy, and gloomy but we were ready to pop with excitement, especially me.

The Concert:
The first piece, Johann Baptist Vanhal's Double Bass Concerto, was a great opening selection. The soloist was bassist Ödön Rácz, member of the Vienna Philharmonic. The piece was light and charming. My favorite part were the highest notes played by the soloist. The harmonics rang throughout the concert hall. He did a wonderful job!

The showstopper, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5, was the highlight of the evening. I will admit that I cried through the performance and was even shaking at times. Dan can confirm this. This concert was the third time that I've heard Mahler 5 live. I don't know if I've heard any other piece more often. The Vienna Philharmonic was exceptional!

I hope I can put my feelings about the concert in words. It was perfect! (Let me say too, though, that I honestly heard a chip in the horns and even someone's phone went off during the quietest moment-Ugh!) Still, this was the best performance I have seen in my life. Here's why:

The blend:
The horns, and every section, blended so well. (FYI, I am probably going to use the horns for all of my examples). Each chord was full as each horn player played with the same dynamic. No one player sounded more prominent than another. Beyond just the horns, the instrumental groups blended extremely well. The brass instruments all came together in a glorious choir of unity. Speaking of unity...the unisons! I was amazed by the unison tone of the horn section. There are several tutti passages for some or all of the horn section. Their individual sounds melted together to create a majestic and heroic horn beauty. I loved it!

The passing and sharing:
One thing that music ensembles work on is developing the ability to pass notes or melodies. I have never heard a better example than the Vienna Philharmonic. In the horn section, this kind of playing happens frequently for the assistant horn. The assistant helps the first horn by playing taxing sections and passages just before and after a prominent solo. It is not a glamorous job but it requires amazing skill. For example, the horn solo in Mahler 5 includes a lengthy loud passage which ends with a long whole note. As the soloist reaches the end, the assistant sneaks in on the whole note and holds it so the soloist can stop and rest. This requires matching pitch, dynamic and tone. The horns in the Vienna Philharmonic did this well. Another example of passing is when a melody is made by combining notes across several instruments. For example, the horns play 123, the violins play 456 and the flutes play 789. Together, the melody is 123456789. Just as in a single section, this kind of music requires matching pitch, dynamic, and tone. Now, however, it is even more difficult because you must work together with the other instrumentalists to create a complete musical phrase.  I could hear each section of instruments pass the melody between each other as if they were all on the same wavelength, and I'm sure they were. One book that I love, Barry Green's The Mastery of Music, talks about connecting with other performers in a way that our minds and bodies are all communicating. I can't remember the term he used, and I don't have the book here with me in Budapest. However, I could sense that incredible unity across the orchestra. I can't think of any other time that I've seen or heard that connection. It made the music so much more powerful. It was clear that the orchestra was an ensemble, working together to make the music. There weren't any individuals who stood out audibly or visually.

Attire:
For many collegiate and professional ensembles, the rules are often stated that the men must wear tuxedos and the women must wear something black. I have seen a wide variety of women's styles. Some groups require full sleeves and covered legs and feet. Others do not. For example, I have seen women in sleeveless corset-like tops and others in black ponchos. There is also a wide variety about the definition of black. Women's attire often varies in type of fabric and presence of embellishment. Some women wear sequined sweaters or tops with glitter. Others embellish with jewelry. I am not against the ability to have personal choice for attire. However, the Vienna Philharmonic looked incredibly snazzy and professional. The women were all wearing the same outfit. It was an all black suit of equal quality to the men's matching tuxedos. It took me a long time to find all of the women in the ensemble because everyone matched so well. I really liked how the group was unified visually.

Movement:
Musicians plays their instruments with varying amounts of movement. There are many times when I'm at a concert and my eyes are drawn to the individual who frequently bobs and sways in their seat. I tend to be very still when I perform in a group setting but I can see the advantage of movement. The key is for everyone to move together. This is what the Vienna Philharmonic did. Just as no one stood out visually because of attire, no one stood out with individual movement. Everyone moved together, the entire time. It was easy to see the unison movement of the strings by watching their bows, but the other sections moved together as well. The leader of all of this movement was Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas. WOW! If anyone deserves to be called Maestro, it would be him. He conducted Mahler 5 for memory. Consider that the symphony is about an hour and 15 minutes! Without the obstacle of the stand on the podium, the Maestro moved freely and expressively in front of the orchestra. This is what I love. His graceful and energetic motions instilled even greater passion into the players. As a conductor, he is not a mere time keeper but a leader who educes passionate artistry and sensational music from each player.

Overall thoughts:
Magnificent, outstanding, superb, fantastic, unparalleled, first-rate, top-notch, amazing and inspiring. All of these words describe the concert. The wide dynamic range, the purity of tone, the emotion, the unified look, the unified playing, and the overall beauty made me feel alive. This is why I love music! I hate to say that my feelings for music may fade at times but this concert more than reignited my love...it set my heart ablaze! I had a wonderful time and I feel so honored and blessed to have had the opportunity to attend this performance. I read the following statement on the Vienna Philharmonic website:

The Message of Music
The Vienna Philharmonic has made it its mission to communicate the humanitarian message of music into the daily lives and consciousness of its listeners. In 2005 the Vienna Philharmonic was named Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The musicians endeavour to implement the motto with which Ludwig von Beethoven, whose symphonic works served as a catalyst for the creation of the orchestra, prefaced his "Missa Solemnis" - "From the heart, to the heart".

Vienna Philharmonic, you have succeeded in your mission because you definitely touched my heart. Thank you!

Here are a few photos from the evening. Enjoy!

Clowns on the Horizon

On Thursday December 4, Dan and I volunteered with the group Bohócok a Láthatáron, Clowns on the Horizon. The group was created by Yvette Feuer, a Fulbright Grantee to the United States in 2003.  The mission of the group is as follows:

"Clowns on the Horizon is a not-for profit group of Hungarian actor-clowns whose mission is to bring joy to and develop the cultural and life of impoverished and marginalized communities all over Hungary. The group was founded in 2010 by Yvette Feuer, actor, clown, drama teacher and child psycho-dramatist.  Our aim is to engender understanding and acceptance between Romany and non-Romany communities, which we accomplish through clowning-based shows, drama workshops and communal programs. These engage children, teachers and parents of both communities to break down conventional attitudes of mutual mistrust and fear by illuminating our shared humanity."

We went with the group to Letkés, a small town (about 1200) on the northern border of Hungary. Actually, the border was so close that our cell phones thought we were in Slovakia. After we arrived at the school we prepared for the performance. The clowns performed in the gymnasium of the elementary school.

After their skit was finished, Dan and I helped with some games for the older students. These included a game where everyone would dance as hard as possible and then freeze when the music stopped. We also made a large conga line to snake around the room. After about 30 minutes of dancing, we, and the kids, were worn out. The school generously provided lunch for us. After lunch, we worked with the younger students. Dan worked with a group of kindergarteners with painting and coloring activities. I worked with a group of second graders. My group was focused on music. Our first activity was a call and response game of various rhythms and sounds.  Next, we gave each of the children small instruments. Then we demonstrated signs for the group to play loud, soft, fast, and slow. Yvette and I took turns conducting the students and then we gave the children the opportunity to conduct. They loved it! Finally, I taught the children an easy American dance, the Bunny Hop. Bunny in Hungarian is nyuszi.  The children had a wonderful day watching the performance and participating in the activities.  My favorite part of the day was seeing the children smiling and laughing. I hope that we can work with the Clowns on the Horizon group again in the spring.

For more information about Clowns on the Horizon, visit their website at
http://www.bohocokalathataron.hu/index.php/en/.

Photography Day!

On Friday December 5, several of the Hungarian Fulbrighters got together to tour the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center and the Hungarian House of Photography in Mai Manó House. These two locations are the affiliations of one of the current Fulbrighters, Kelly. Our first stop was the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center.  In this building, they offer a variety of exhibits. We first entered a room with photos from a project about Hungarians who have moved to America. I thought these photos were very interesting because they showed how cultures can be blended. Across the hall was a large collection of items shown as the original release and user-modified versions.  Many of these items moved beyond photography to digital projection and virtual reality. For example, they had items such as Google Glass and a Wii compared with the "hack" version where someone has used the same technology for a different purpose. It was a very neat exhibit. Dan and I both wish we could have spent more time exploring everything they had to offer.

Next, we went to the Hungarian House of Photography in Mai Manó House. This building was amazing.

Mai Manó was an important Hungarian photographer of the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. His house, shown above, has eight floors, complete with the natural light photography studio (on the third floor with the large windows). The house itself was amazing but the exhibits were even better.  The exhibits included Mai Manó's work plus an collection of new photographs using old techniques.  Kelly also shared her research with us in the library.

Our afternoon photography tour was a wonderful outing! I have never known much about photography but this tour opened my eyes to the history and artistry of it. I hope I can learn more about photography in the future. To conclude, here is a silly picture of me and Dan from the tour. 

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Saturday night (November 29) was an experience that I will never forget. Dan and I went with three other Fulbrighters to see the Budapest Festival Orchestra.  This was not the typical concert.  It was a Saturday night at 11:30pm.  Rather than a concert hall, the performance was in a place called Millenáris Theatrum.  It was more like an open stage theater which would be particularly well suited for a modern dance performance. Seating was first come first serve. The most popular choice were the bean bags spread across the floor and throughout the orchestra. People were sitting in the middle of the orchestra itself! By the time we arrived, all of the bean bags were taken so we sat in the rows of seats found on both ends of the room. We ended up being behind the orchestra. The conductor was Robin Ticciati and the program was Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales and Claude Debussy: La mer.  One of the benefits from sitting behind the orchestra was seeing the conductor's face.  I have never heard of Robin Ticciati before but I enjoyed his style and facial expressions. As someone who is usually in the orchestra, I have seen a wide variety of conductors and I think Mr. Ticciati's style worked well.

The atmosphere was very casual. The audience and the orchestra were wearing street clothes.  In the lobby, you could purchase drinks and snacks to bring into the concert with you. Many people were drinking wine in plastic cups and we saw a couple of people eating sandwiches.

I am glad that I went to this concert because it has made me reconsider my thoughts as both a performer and an audience member. I realize that every business field looks for innovation to keep promoting their product.  In some of my music classes, we have discussed the routes some orchestras are choosing to take.  The Budapest Festival Orchestra is experimenting with unconventional time and setting, and it is working for them. The theater was packed with people. It was also perhaps the youngest audience I have seen at a concert (not including children's concerts). Most everyone around us seemed to be in the 18-30 age group.  They also used an unconventional seating arrangement and tickets.  Giving people a chance to sit anywhere they like offers new sound experiences and contact with the performers. It breaks down the audience/performer divide.  They also broke down any sort of audience divide by pricing all tickets at 1500 HUF (about $6).

The concert was a success, but every concert in the evolution of orchestra performances has both pros and cons.  This concert was sold out to a very young crowd. I cannot think of any concert that I've seen in the US that was sold out or had a young audience. Clearly the Budapest Festival Orchestra is doing something right. On the other hand, I question the means that led to this success because I know that I was distracted through most of the concert. The distractions ranged from the sound of bean bags rustling to seeing a couple making out. People were drinking, whispering, sleeping, and taking photos with their phones. Just the fact that the orchestra was wearing street clothes made me feel like I was sitting in on a rehearsal.  I hate to say that I went to a concert and I can't remember the music, but that's almost how I feel.  Luckily, the value of the performance do not rest solely on my experience or opinion.

Let me make it clear that the music was great. The orchestra played extremely well. In particular, I recall the sound of the English horn. I'm inclined to focus my attention on the brass instruments so I was pleasantly surprised to be caught off guard by the beautiful tone of the English horn player. On a side note, here in Hungary the programs do not include a personnel list. I cannot tell you who was playing the English horn, only that his or her tone was heavenly.

Yet the question remains in my mind, how can we be innovative with our promotion and performance of instrumental music? The answer is something that we are still seeking through trial and error. My suggestion is that we work on strengthening our product rather than placing it in a new container or giving it a fresh coat of paint. I hope our goal as a music community is to continue to show that our art is culturally relevant, historically important, aesthetically pleasing, emotionally engaging, and intellectually sufficient by always performing with the utmost intention, professionalism, and unity of heart and mind. Let's move people with our music! The music is, and always should be, more powerful than location, attire, refreshments, and price. Let's keep it that way.

Hidas Visit

Earlier this week, Dan and I had a bit of free time so we went to see where Hidas lived. On the outside of his apartment building, there is a nice plaque in his honor.  It is fun to think about his life here in Budapest and to visit places like this where he lived and worked.  I hope that my research will shed more light on his life and work. 

"In this house lived and worked Hidas Frigyes, the last Hungarian romantic composer (1928-2007). In his wondrous melodies shall he live forever."

December!

Here it is December and I still can't believe how fast time is going. This last week flew by especially fast. Now we'll be through December before we know it.  I wanted to share a few updates about our time here. I apologize that I've been getting behind with my posts.

First, the gas in our apartment is back on! We are set for winter with our heat, hot water, and stove. We are so grateful to have it back. In the past few days, the temperature has dropped quite a bit. Hopefully we might be seeing a little snow soon. Currently the weather is hovering just above freezing so we're only seeing rain. Although it is gloomy outside, we're staying cozy inside.  I'm especially enjoying my Advent calendar which I just started today!

My research is going well but I'm still adjusting to the schedule. The hardest thing is the frequent fluctuation. Some days produce great findings and others do not.  I can plan to research but I cannot plan the results. Also, my schedule fluctuates with each lesson and volunteer opportunity. New events require more time planning for travel and finding the locations.  I look forward to the time when I can have a fairly regular schedule again.

On November 19, I took part in International Education week. The Fulbright Commission and EducationUSA were hosting an informational event about studying in the United States. I represented my 4 universities (Missouri State, Kansas, Illinois State, and Iowa) and answered questions. It was interesting to hear the concerns that Hungarian students have about college. They were not too different from the concerns of American students. Everyone I talked to was excited at the possibility of attending college or graduate school in the US.  I am grateful to have had this opportunity to meet Hungarian students and help answer their questions.

Finally, I wanted to share some thoughts on shopping. Dan and I have been to many of the malls in Budapest, searching for a new dress outfit that is also warm. I have had a tough time. First, any sizes which I may have known are now gone.  Even when I find clothes that say S, M, or L, they are set to a different standard. Also, the current trends in Budapest are different than what I would typically wear.  Some of the items we keep seeing are ponchos and jumpsuits and one of the most common fabrics is leather. I typically had a hard time shopping for clothes in the US but it is much harder in Budapest.  I will just keep trying.  I have found a few items and I hope to complete an outfit soon.