A family affair

by Eva Dameron

Daily Lobo

Hungarians are a melancholy people, and their music reflects that state of mind.

"It's a country that suffered a lot for many centuries through many invasions," said violinist Roberta Mez?-Arruda. "They've had few years of real independence. Of course, they made up for it - they're a very strong-charactered folk. The music reflects that a lot - the music can be quite sad. There's a saying, 'The Hungarians rejoice crying.'"

Cellist Lászl¢ Mez?-Arruda, from Budapest, Hungary, and his violinist wife Roberta, from Brazil, formed Duo Erkel about three years ago.

Lászl¢ was admitted to study music at the University of Southern California-Los Angeles, while Roberta will enter UNM's graduate performance program.

They will perform pieces by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his death.

They will perform at 8 p.m. tonight in Keller Hall.

Kodály was an important intellectual figure in Hungary, well known as an

ethnomusicology pioneer who collected and recorded more than 20,000 Hungarian

folk songs.

Lászl¢ began his cello studies at 6 years old, indirectly under the influence of his father, a member of the Bart¢k Quartet.

"My father knew Kodály personally," Lászl¢ said. "He's a cellist, a professor at a music university in Hungary - the Liszt Academy. My whole family, they're musicians. My aunt is first cellist in the opera in Budapest. My other aunt worked with Kodály a little bit. My father's brother is a composer."

Roberta said it is normal to be a musician in Hungary.

"All Hungarians learn hundreds of folks songs in school," she said. "And they have these centers for folk dance and folk music, which attracts younger generations, so it keeps

it alive."

She said this has helped Eastern European music stay alive, by keeping its traditions intact.

"I'd say folk music survived from Hungary to Eastern Europe in the Balkans," she said. "I mean, Serbian music and Romanian folk music is so alive up to today, and it still survives almost untouched in some villages in the middle of nowhere. They try to keep the tradition."

Lászl¢ said that in Transylvania, which was part of Hungary until the end of World War I, Hungarians make a point to wear traditional costumes in the villages.

"It's really nice there, because there are 2 million Hungarians living in Transylvania, which is part of Romania now," he said. "They still try to keep themselves very, very Hungarian - that's why they keep the clothes, the tradition. They speak almost like the Hungarians spoke 150 years ago."

Duo Erkel will also perform short Hungarian folk melodies arranged by BÇla Bart¢k, whom Kodály worked with. Lászl¢ will perform a six-movement Bach suite solo. After the intermission, Lászl¢ will play Kodály's solo sonata on the cello.

"These are really good pieces," Lászl¢ said. "We want to let the people know more about Hungary and Kodály."

Duo Erkel

Keller Hall

8 p.m.

Tonight