Esperia

You will hear songs from the early 1900s performed with guitar, bouzouki, accordion, and vocals — just as they are still played today in small cafés and tavernas across Greece. Through these songs, written in a raw and direct manner about the joys and hardships of life, the rhythms of a bygone era are brought to life, conveying the genuine temperament of people from the East and the Mediterranean.

Although Budapest is far from the Mediterranean Sea, on this night, we’ll bring it closer to you through music and the stories behind it.

Rebetiko is more than just a musical style shaped by diverse traditions and historical influences. It is a way of life, an ethos that has endured for over a century, encapsulating the urban and traditional musical culture of the Mediterranean and Anatolian Greeks, along with influences from the Balkans, the Middle East, and Western Europe.

Today, it is recognized as a protected cultural heritage worldwide, heard in cozy cafés, upscale restaurants, and prestigious stages. Yet, over the past century, it has also been the symbol and voice of the underground, of resistance, and of those living on the fringes.

The profound musicality embodied in rebetiko is deeply rooted in the Greek soul, as evidenced by its continued presence in everyday life — a tradition that has never faded away.