Gipsy Way / Bach, Brahms, Monti .../ - CD

This CD captures two unique concerts by violin virtuoso Pavel Šporcl with the Slovak Roma cimbalom band Romano Stilo, featuring Marek Rajt on first violin, Nikola Sléz on second violin, László Onodi on guitar and viola, Martin Rajt on double bass, František Rigo Sr. on cimbalom and František Rigo Jr. on electric piano. The concerts stood out both for this unusual musical encounter and for Šporcl’s atypical repertoire and the atmosphere on stage and among the audience. Alongside Roma, Hungarian and Romanian folk music, the programme includes works by Pablo Sarasate, Johannes Brahms and Aram Khachaturian inspired by these traditions, with occasional touches of jazz. Šporcl performs the demanding material with confidence and conviction, while Romano Stilo are his excellent partners. The repertoire includes Bach’s Gavotte en Rondeau, Russian Fantasy, Sarasate’s Gypsy Melodies, Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 5, Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance, Monti’s Csárdás, Boulanger’s Georgette, Romanian Mountain, Avant de Mourir, an old Hungarian Roma song, Fakó Csárdás, Transylvanian Fantasy and the Roma song Náne Cócha.