Meszecsinka / Hungary/Bulgaria/Croatia/Poland
This is one of the most interesting examples of building a common story based on different traditions, and at the same time one of the most convincing attempts to create one's own identity in relation to the Central and Southern European dialogue of cultures.
Meszecsinka sings in seven languages: Hungarian, Spanish, Russian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Arabic and Ai. The members of the group come from four countries: Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia and Poland, and they lead us to Wonderland, where Bulgarian and Hungarian folk combine with flamenco, funk and psychedelic, as well as oriental and experimental music. That is why reviewers, writing about their work, bring to mind not only various forms of traditional music, but also the achievements of Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, The Orb and Ozric Tentacles.
Meszecsinka has been recognised by "Dal+Szerző" magazine as one of the twelve best Hungarian ensembles in the world of music. It's worth noting that the band's latest album, Álomban ébren / Awake in a Dream won the Fonogram Music Award (the Hungarian equivalent of the Grammy Award) for the best world music album of the year. The recording of this excellent work was supported by a great guitarist and producer of Armenian-Russian origin, Karen Arutyunyan, who will perform with the band during the Krakow festival.
The group often plays concerts all over Europe, also visiting the United States and Canada. They recorded a video in Red Square in Moscow. Their other music video, to the song “Kinyílok”, was well received, among others, by the prestigious magazine fRoots. In 2018, Meszecsinka performed at Worldmusic Stage – the second largest stage of the biggest festival in Europe, Sziget Festival, as well as at FMM Sines in Portugal. That same year, they accompanied the famous Swedish folklore band Garmarna on their Russian tour.
The members of the band not only play concerts, but also promote traditional music in a practical way. In recent years, they have given lessons and conducted workshops on Hungarian culture in schools and universities in Denmark.
The concert took place in 2019.