Lantos Zoltán
Zoltan Lantos is a violinist who is at home in musical cultures from across the globe - but has forged a sonic language all his own.
He appeared on the Eastern-European jazz scene while studying at the Music Academy in his hometown, Budapest. But shortly after earning his degree in classical violin, Lantos embarked on a remarkable musical journey. Drawn to experimental and eastern music, he traveled to India in 1985 to study classical Indian music. There, the "biology" of a single note—the life of the inner, unheard and unplayed sound ("Anahata Swara") is of the utmost importance. Lantos says that in India he discovered what became the focal point of his musical life: the experience of existing joyfully in a living moment, savoring a simple "oneness" that embraces both the spiritual and physical.
In 1994, after 9 years of studying, traveling, teaching, and performing in India, Lantos returned to Europe. Through violin improvisation, he began rediscovering his musical roots. He found his musical language by blending Hungarian and classical traditions with Eastern music and contemporary European jazz. Over the years, Lantos' musical voyage has brought him together with many great artists on stage and in the studio. But equally important were his numerous meetings with lesser known folk and ritual musicians, in the caves of Granada, the deserts of Rajasthan, the age-old Buddhist monasteries of the Himalayas, and remote Bulgarian weddings.
Lantos' group, Mirrorworld, was founded in 1997. It is difficult to categorize their music, although similar projects have been labeled World Jazz. He is also part of several other international projects, as well as performing in solo with a live electronic setup. Lantos' musical identity, as a violin player, is rooted in the traditions of his native Hungary. At the same time, it is deeply influenced by Indian music and other Eastern traditions, all embedded in a whirlpool of electronics, ambient textures and live looping. Sometimes contemplative, sometimes pulsing with fiery dance rhythms, his compositions and improvisations echo the music of his homeland, as well as the vast musical experiences he came across his way…
