What the audience says: Söndörgö

Utter privilege to see @sondorgo in London tonight. Five *outstanding* musicians, interplanetarily good music.

Fabulous concert @sondorgo @makingtracks_uk superb musicianship. Catch them if you can!!

Blisteringly good gig from @sondorgo @RichMixLondon

Great show tonight at Bury St Edmund's. You are fantastic musicians. Thank you very much.

Another amazing performance. This time in Cambridge. Brilliant musicians.

Hungarian band @sondorgo were brilliant tonight performing at Gateshead Old Town Hall. Catch them on the @makingtracks_uk tour - great!

Incredible concert in Brighton tonight!

Loved the gig last night; thank you! Your musicianship is incredible and you successfully communicated your joy of playing this uplifting music together. Good luck with the rest of the tour.

Thanks for such a great night @RNCM! I can't wait for the next time you're in Manchester. I'm going to love all of my CDs!

Fantastic concert in Gateshead. We loved it!

Hungarian folk band SöNDöRGő were fantastic at NCEM York tonight. See them at @RichMixLondon Friday if you can!

Söndörgö were really great on Friday night, audiences absolutely loved them.Great choice!

Was a great show, loved it!

Amazing Brighton gig. Highly recommend!

We saw you play last night in Bristol, thank you for such a wonderful evening of music, we look forward to your return.

amazing amazing gig. thank you. one song was particularly moving for me...felt like an entire journey in one song...would love to hear it again. thank you! xx

The Bristol gig was amazing, thank you so much!

brilliant gig (...) loving the band!

Great evening / nagyszeru est!

The audience were clearly very impressed with the band who were incredible musicians and clearly very happy to be on tour.

Great evening at @CambJunction listening to @sondorgo (included variations by Bartók and Vujicsics). Now lusting after a hulusi!

Fabulous music happening NOW @sondorgo @RichMixLondon

@sondorgo @RichMixLondon It was a fantastic evening.

Photo: The Orbital Strangers Project

Live review: Söndörgö at NCEM

By David Forsdike

The Making Tracks tours are all about introducing British audiences to music from less-well known corners of the globe, and last night at the NCEM in York the audience was treated to a scintillating live performance from a Hungarian quintet, Söndörgö. These five Hungarians have this music in their blood - there are three brothers in the group, along with a cousin and a family friend – and the father of the brothers, Kalman Eredics was a founder member of the group Vujicsics. Joe Boyd’s label Hannibal Records released a Vujicsics album of Serbian music from Southern Hungary in 1988, and it is this same repertoire which Söndörgö re-create with such panache today.

These musicians may be Hungarians, but there is no violin or cimbalom here. Their instruments are tamburas of various sizes, which they have mastered to a high level of virtuosity. The smallest is the size of a ukulele, but in the hands of the group’s leader Aron Eredics, the eldest of the three brothers, it demonstrated a myriad of emotions, sometimes slow and ever so slightly mournful, but more often than not ending in a joyful torrent of cascading notes across its small soundboard - this is after all music for dancing!

The line-up of instruments was ever-changing. Sometimes there were string only pieces, others featured clarinet, flute, saxophone or trumpet solos; the accordion stole the limelight at times, and engaged in frantic duets with the lead tambura, revealing a tightness of ensemble and infectious energy which was simply breathtaking. Was this the intuitive precision and collaborative musicianship that only fellow family members can provide? Their repertoire included Gypsy songs, Macedonian tunes with an Oriental flavour, and some smaller scale duos featuring tunes collected by Bela Bartok; at times they even added some hearty vocals to the mix.

One of the real joys of the evening was the chance to witness a true acoustic performance. This has become such a rarity in this day and age, and it was a real delight to hear Söndörgö’s music fill the NCEM without any amplification. Lighting was used sparingly, and enhanced the occasion without being obtrusive. These musicians were truly enjoying themselves. A highlight of the evening came after the interval with a magical piece for tamburas alone. This featured slow moving chordal harmonies ending in the most delicate of all pianissimos as the lights faded to nothing. Truly memorable!

Live review: Söndörgö at RNCM (2)

By Ellie Sherwood

Söndörgö’s performance at the RNCM last night marked the start of their tour of the UK. I was completely blown away by the passion and talent that emitted from all five musicians on stage, who kept us entertained by their virtuosic and superb playing right until the last note. Coming from a small Hungarian town near Budapest, Söndörgö create a refreshing and unique Balkan sound which is heavily inspired by Southern Slavic folk music. The band are motivated to preserve musical traditions of the Serbs and Croats as found in different settlements in Hungary, and through this renewal of folklore and heritage, they produce inimitable music that sounds both old and new; an echo of the past heard within the present.
The traditional Balkan instrument, the tambura, was played to its absolute maximum during last night’s gig. Similar to the mandolin, the tambura is a small and agile plucked instrument, and I have never seen or heard a dainty instrument be used in such a powerful and spritely way. Each member of Söndörgö played at least three different instruments during their performance such as the tambura, wooden whistle, guitar, double bass, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, hand drum and accordion. It seemed every piece had a different set-up of instruments, and often a musician would swap instruments half way through a song. It was exciting to see such versatile musicians performing, and what was equally impressive was that Söndörgö’s unique sound did not once falter, despite all these exciting changes. They also enlivened us with singing a couple of traditional Hungarian tunes – whilst playing and swapping instruments, of course.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Söndörgö concert was the musicians’ ability to respond to the musical spontaneity of each other. They were obviously well-rehearsed and extremely tight, but there was very much still an element of surprise and impulsiveness that only comes from musicians who perform from their hearts every time. Söndörgö were playing for us, but they were also playing for themselves, and it was obvious that they were pushing the boundaries of their own music whilst on stage. Part of their ability to do that might come from the fact that four out of five of the musicians are related – three of them being brothers, and one being a cousin – but most of their talent is rooted in their skill of listening and watching each other whilst also listening to themselves. Their musicianship and talent provided the audience with an incredibly enjoyable and remarkable evening, and one also cannot forget Söndörgö’s use of stage lighting, which added an exclusive touch the their performance.
Thank you Söndörgö, and good luck with the rest of your tour!

Live at RNCM

Live review: Söndörgö at RNCM (1)

By Lucie Phillips

On the opening night of their tour, Söndörgö’s exhilarating music entranced the audience of RNCM’s Studio Theatre from start to finish. Their unique approach to Balkan music is incredibly attractive and versatile, tempting the audience in every direction possible with their rapid Southern Slav folk dances and static, atmospheric improvisations. Even within songs their music takes the most unexpected, most pleasurable of turns: flitting between styles and speeds with ease and sophistication.
Söndörgö is primarily a tamburitza band, meaning that they play various types of tambura - a mandolin-like instrument. Occasionally wind instruments appear along with an accordion to add yet another colour to this already vibrant band. Between them Áron Eredics, Benjamin Eredics, Dávid Eredics, Salamon Eredics and Attila Buzás play at least 17 instruments to the highest of standards. The group made the decision on the night to not to be amplified but this did not hinder the balance at all - they are so skilful and such good musicians that when two of them played in harmony it still sounds like one, even without mics. As they ‘rock out’ the brothers challenge each other when soloing which makes the show all the more entertaining to watch. And occasionally they treat us to snippets of hearty singing, adding yet more skill and convincing us of their expertise.
As well as the individual virtuosity of Söndörgö, they are possibly one of the tightest bands you will ever come across. This tightness doesn’t merely come from endless rehearsal; it comes from knowing each other inside out as musicians which is why they manage to sound so organic and are never in danger of coming across as over rehearsed. Even the lighting team were part of this synergy and while the light show was startling at first, the juxtaposition of traditional music and modern technology wasn’t grating or twee but instead, sums up the band as a whole: 5 passionate, incredibly talented musicians who are enlightening the world with their music; not because it’s a niche commodity but because it is what they love. Music lovers will look back on this gig and smile in delight at the incomparable joy and talent consistently presented by Söndörgö. Their passion shines through and the audience cannot help but be enchanted by Söndörgö’s endearing manner and exhilarating performance.

Live at RNCM