István's Personal Page

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  My interest over the years constantly shifted from rock to jazz to classical to world music, you name it. In Toronto I played in the Vadkelet Ensemble (see picture on the left), which is a band dedicated to Hungarian Folk Music. Members are Gábor Dobi (bass, GD) Mateusz Etynkowski (kontra/viola, ME) Peter Horváth (violin, PH), and Istvan (violin, IS); further personnel on the recordings below include Ashok Kumar (tabla, AK).

  The mp3 files below are still a bit raw, and subject to change, (although don't hold your breath: these things take a bit more time then I expected) but they might give you an idea of what sort of things I like to play. With my present recording equipment, the sound is a bit lo-fi, hope that will improve one day. Needless to say, these are for you personal enjoyment only, comercial use is strictly forbidden, copyright reserved by the musicians who play in each recording.

  Music in mp3

•   Donna Lee (Jazz Tune, 0:33, IS on electric guitar) I should dig out more jazz, but I don't seem to have any more recordings lying around, which is a shame...
•   Minimalist (3:36, IS on electric guitars) A minimalist style electric guitar quartett: a genre which I think to have invented lacking a string quartett who would play my compositions...
•   Fibonacci (4:12, IS on classical guitar, violin, drum and Tibetan bell)
Another composition but more in the world music style.
•   Inviritita 1 (2:59, IS violins, ME viola, GD bass) These 5 tunes are from the village of Bonchida, recorded by the members of Vadkelet. The first two are Rumanian dances.
•   Invirtita 2-3 (5:24, IS violins, ME viola, GD bass)
•   Ritka and Suru (3:39, IS violins, ME viola, GD bass) Three Hungarian tunes, still from the village of Bonchida
•   Hajnali ( 1:56, IS violin, PH violin, ME viola, GD bass)
•   Ritka (3:57, IS violin, PH violin-kontra GD bass )
•   Contrapunctus I by J.S. Bach (2:44, IS electric guitars) Purists should definitely stop here. I'd like to think JSB would not object.
•   Contrapunctus II by J.S. Bach (2:49, IS electric guitars) Another fave from the Art of Fugue. Purists: you've been warned already.
•   Veni Sponsa Christi (Palestrina) (1:38, IS electric guitars) Another venerable master. While I am less sure of his approval, I still think that electric guitar brings out something unexpected (and hopefully interesting) from it. Whether it was intended, you can debate.
•   Alap and Taal 1 (6:30, IS sitar, AK tabla) A collaboration with friend and fellow physicist, Ashok Kumar, who is a great tabla player.
•   Alap and Taal 2 (43:49, IS classical guitar, AK tabla) The same idea, but longer... I will soon replace these two with the mixed down versions.