From 1 to 4 March, Leeuwarden was not only the European Capital of Culture, but also the Yiddish Capital. During the festival Yiddish Waves, which is part of the official Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018 program, the former Jewish quarter of Leeuwarden came to life with entertaining guided tours, street theatre and music performances.
One of the highlights of the festival was the uplifting concert of the Hungarian folk ensemble Muzsikás on 3 March. On Saturday evening, the band played contagious songs for one and a half hour in a sold out Westerkerk. They searched for ‘lost’ Jewish music in Transylvanian farmer villages and learnt the songs from gypsy musicians, who have kept playing this heritage.
In the spirit of Yiddish Waves, the ensemble brought the traditional Jewish-Hungarian music back to life. For the Hungarian audience, the music by Muzsikás was surprising and refreshing. For artists and people from the Yiddish culture, their performance was full of familiar moments.
The concert was attended by Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Hungary, Ms Krisztina Varga, who congratulated the band with their successful participation after the concert.
The band not only performed on Saturday evening, but also walked through the Jewish quarter on Saturday morning and spontaneously joined a living room concert. Before their departure on Sunday, they attended several other concerts of the festival.
On Saturday morning 3 March, Muzsikas performed two songs in the radio program ’Op & Ut’. Their contribution can be listened to from 11.00h. A beautiful review of Yiddish Waves may be found in the Leeuwarder Courant.
The participation of Muzsikás to Yiddish Waves was made possible by the Embassy of Hungary.
Photos: Marjo Vonderman
