Music Across Frontiers

Three famous men, three countries: Ferenc Snétberger from Germany, Boban Marković from Serbia and Kálmán Balogh from Hungary. They are musicians, to the core each of them playing in their own distictive music styles. Snétberger plays soft guitar music. Marković the trumpeter fills the space with his soft vibrant sound. Balogh plays the cymbalo with all the virtuosity of this Central European instrument. This three men had never played together before.

Ferenc Snétberger was born in Salgótarján, Hungary. Thanks to his broad musical skills ranging from jazz to classical he has been performing in a variety of settings including the Budapest Music Academy and the Berlin Philharmonic Hall.

Reowned trumpeter, Boban Marković and his orchestra originate from the town of Vladičin Han in Southern Serbia. His distinctive sound made an important contribution to the success of Kusturica’s film “Underground”.

Kálmán Balogh is one of Hungary’s foremost cymbalo players. His viruosity is matched by his understanding and respect of this heritage. In his expert hands, the cymbalo can drive a band rhythmically or even take the melodic lead.

After introducing the three musicians, the film takes them into a studio to rehearse and develop the program for an upcoming concert in Budapest. The core ensemble is accompanied by Czech singer and violinist Iva Bittova, Russian violinist Sergey Erdenko, as well as Peter Ralchev, playing the accordion and Arild Anderson, bass.
They may come from different countries but they share the same Central European gypsy heritage. As the film moves from informal neighbourhood settings to the confines of studios the audience becomes part of personal and musical chemistry that is being fused together. The musicians gather on stage for an all-star performance.