Gypsy Music@Menlo

So what is Gypsy Music? What is Hungarian folk music? How do we even know a folk tune is a folk tune? Why is it called the “Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5” when it’s not written by Brahms? These are some of the questions that Music@Menlo asked this week in its program Alla Zingarese.

Composer/broadcaster/speaker extraordinaire Bruce Adolphe surveyed these questions with dizzying intensity in a 2-hour encounter last Wednesday, and this past weekend I’ve participated in the musical response, in everything from Haydn’s Gypsy Rondo trio to Hungarian Dances of Brahms, Slavonic Dances of Dvorak, and the glorious C Major Trio of Brahms.

Honestly, though, violist Paul Neubauer stole the show (yes, that’s right, I did just say that a VIOLIST stole the show…) with his spectacular renditions of Gypsy Serenades, Czardas and the most unusual canary you’ve ever heard.

To see Paul’s spectacular stage entry, and to get a little taste of the concert, check out Music@Menlo’s latest video, Alla Zingarese!

[pb_vidembed title=”Alla Zingarese” caption=”Alla Zingarese at Music@Menlo” url=”http://vimeo.com/27374385″ type=”vem” w=”480″ h=”385″]