La Passion – Roby Lakatos (2 CD)

“With his boxer’s frame, moustache and long jacket, he could have walked out of an 1860s daguerreotype. As for his playing, its immense control and exuberant inventiveness defied belief. I doubt whether I’ve ever seen a musician of such calm strength and charisma.” Daily Telegraph (UK)

“… for sheer fun, give me the Gypsy sounds of Roby Lakatos….Remember all those wild, swirling dance tunes by Brahms, Liszt, and Bartok? Well, this is where they came from.” New York Sun

“If violinist Roby Lakatos were paid on the basis of how many notes he plays in any given performance, he’d probably be the richest musician in the world. His performance Saturday night at Royce Hall was a stunning display of finger-blurring virtuosity. But it was much more, as well.” – Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

“But when Roby Lakatos spun out his first cadenza, the earth stood still. His band are Gypsies like him, and each can carry an evening. Lakatos left us with birdsong in our ears.”The Independent (UK)

The king of the violinists, lauded as “The fastest-fingered fiddler in the world” by The Daily Telegraph, the unique Roby Lakatos is back with a stunning new double album: La Passion! Entirely recorded live at the iconic Sydney Opera House, La Passion will allow music lovers to discover Gypsy supernatural violinist Roby Lakatos in an all new program including never previously recorded pieces such as Meadowlands (Songs of the Plains), the Flight of the Bumblebee, Valse Triste, Oblivion, Chiquilin, Those Were the Days, Du Schwarzer Zigeuner and many more gems new to Roby’s discography. The second CD is devoted to the most famous bis of Roby’s repertoire with such beloved pieces as Two Guitars, Fire Dance, Black Eyes (Ochi Chornyje), Brahms Hungarian Dance No 5, Monti’s Csardas…

This album also features a phenomenal L’Alouette (The Lark) lasting more than twelve minutes and catching Roby Lakatos in a jubilatory improvisation. This double Hybrid SACD Surround recording will furthermore allow many listeners to discover an all rejuvenated Ensemble featuring an amazing array of young Hungarian musicians aged from only 19 to 25!

La Passion captures the unique energy that emanates from Roby Lakatos’ live performances. This double album constitutes a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a world marked by musical freedom, warmth, matchless virtuosity and surprising repertoire ideas with long forgotten melodies set in totally new and original arrangements.