Rarely have the Islamabad music and dance lovers had better opportunities to enjoy professional folk music and dance than this week.

The embassy of Hungary, together with MOL Gas & Oil Company, the largest Hungarian company in Pakistan, organised two events in a local hotel. Ambassador Istvan Szabo opened the event with the CFO of MOL, Cseba Raisz.

“This was almost as good as such concerts are in Budapest, Hungary,” said a European member of the audience. “And that says a lot because Hungary is known for great musical events, including classical, folk, chamber and even modern rock music and dance.”A young Hungarian added: “The three giants in Hungarian rock are Illes, Metro and Omega, whose popularity remains high at home and elsewhere in Europe.”

The week-long Hungarian music events were held in Islamabad, Lahore and Faisalabad and the large troupe of dancers and musicians had a taste of the culture of Pakistan too.

“I hope they will take with them great memories from Pakistan,” said Raisz of MOL. He gave a brief overview of Hungary’s musical history.

Bela Bartok (1881-1945) and Zoltau Kodaly (1882-1967) are among Hungary’s most famous composers known for using folk themes in their music. Bartok collected folk songs from across the eastern Hungary as well as in Romania and Slovenia. Classical and folk music remain prominent parts of the national identity, and are still popular among young people.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) is one of the most important and influential composers and pianists of the 19th century. He was influenced by composers in the centres of the cultural world that time, indeed Germany and France. He, in turn, also influenced the rest of Europe.

“You can almost not see in any direction in Hungary’s capital Budapest and miss a statue or a building referring to Franz Liszt,” said Dr Baloch Allah Wadhayo of Preston University, who visited Budapest with his wife while studying in Romania in the 1970s.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2014