Ági Szalóki – János Ávéd – István Tóth: It was foretold long ago...

The collaboration between Ági Szalóki, János Ávéd, and István Tóth is imbued with respect for tradition and a love of freedom. The program includes contemporary arrangements of church folk songs, Advent and Christmas carols, works by Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos, Bálint Balassi, Maurice Duruflé, and unknown 13th–18th-century English, Italian, and Hungarian composers, as well as thoughts, biblical passages, and poems related to the songs that set the mood for the holiday.

The cornerstone of the contemporary interpretation of the pieces is provided by Ági Szalóki, who sings in several languages at a native level. The collective improvisations of István Tóth and János Ávéd blossom from beautiful melodies and move away from the traditional representation of the era into a more contemporary jazz context. Departure and return are seemingly two opposing processes, but they are also a necessary part of the basic experience of being a musician; we could even say that they are the journey itself.