Andrea Berendika, flute, alto flute
Bogdan Ranković, klarinet, bas klarinet, alt and soprano saksopfon
Bela Buranji, soprano, bariton saxopfon
Branislav Aksin, trombon
Tijana Stanković, violin
Akoš Keseg, violin
Marina Džukljev, piano
Ervin Malina, double bass
Ivan Burka, vibrafon, marimba
Ištvan Čik, drumms
Szilárd Mezei, viola, composition
The exceptional viola player, leader and composer Szilárd Mezei from Zenta, Vojvodina, is widely considered as the next composer in Hungarian music history, who – keeping a continuity after Béla Bartók and György Szabados – treats folk music in an exceptional way.
REVIEWS
Szilárd Mezei Túl a Tiszán Innen Ensemble - Citromfa (FMR, 2018)
Autor: Nick Metzger
The Tiszán is a river that at one time flowed entirely within the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary. It of course flows as it always has; only the immaterial boundaries of human dominion have changed. It passes to the east of the city of Senta, where composer Szilárd Mezei has lived all his life. From there it merges with the Danube (Europe’s second longest river, which passes to the south of Novi Sad, where Szilárd and many of his colleagues perform and where this album was recorded) in the very heart of the Vojvodina province, and then on some 1300 km to the Black Sea.
Túl a Tiszán Innen roughly translates to English as Beyond the Tiszán from Here and is the name bestowed to Mezei’s ensemble dedicated to the union of Hungarian folk, jazz, and classical music. For their third release “Citromfa” or Lemon Tree, the 11 piece ensemble presents a 9 song, 2-disc set with a run time of just over two hours, every second of which is filled with intriguing, exotic, and beautiful music (...)
Szilárd Mezei Túl A Tiszán Innen Ensemble – Citromfa
// massimoriccisquid.wordpress.com
Autor: Massimo Ricci
Artists keeping their output’s level consistently high despite a release schedule of an album per week or so are extremely rare. Violist and composer Szilárd Mezei is one of them, as evidenced by the large quantities of creative brightness characterizing the man’s multifarious projects. I honestly can’t recall a Mezei recording that didn’t stir my interest, but with Citromfa there’s an added degree of somewhat melancholic admiration of ancient East-European sounds and memories communicating more to this reviewer than those linked to his own birthplace, which is artistically weak (in spite of smart political facades) and desperately uninterested in the preservation of genuine significance (...)
Szilard Mezei Tul A Tiszan Innen Ensemble: Nem Fustol A Zentaji Gyar Kemenye
Autor: George W. Harris
You usually don’t think of Serbia as a hotbed for jazz, but that’s where Szilard Mezei was born. He plays viola, and uses Hungarian folk songs as the basis for the twelve pieces on this two disc set. The ensemble includes reeds, woodwinds, strings, brass, vibes and a rhythm section while the pieces themselves are rich with melody, brought out and accentuated by the various artists.
The flutes and reeds are sublime on gentle themes of “Nm Zorog…” with a chamber feel during “Nem Fustol A Zentaji…” Bogdan Rankovic’s bass clarinet lurks mysteriously on “Ma Menyasszony…” and there are glorious harmonies for the flowing “Nem Idevalo…” . Pastoral vibes hover on “Eskuvorol Jovet” and Mezei delights with rich water color strokes during a charming “Szeles A Duna.” There is a rich mix of freedom from the soloists held well in the form by the strong traditional pieces. This is a delight! (...)