Magyar Magic
Britain focuses on Hungarian arts and culture
written by Nancy Laforest

The presence of Hungarian culture in the UK is now stronger than ever. The Hungarian Cultural Center in London, which opened its doors for communication, cooperation and shared creation four years ago, is currently focusing on a year-long program entitled “Magyar Magic,” scheduled to end in November 2004. Partnering young and well-known Hungarian artists with prestigious British institutions and events, Magyar Magic is proving to be a unique and successful form of cultural integration.

"Our work here is to build bridges between Hungarian and British cultures," explains Katalin Bogyay, director of the Hungarian Cultural Center (HCC) in London. "We want to be visible on a professional level," she continues, "which means to integrate completely, organically, into the structure of the cultural life in Britain." Inspired in part by Hungary’s upcoming European Union (EU) accession, Magyar Magic strives to represent a complete cross-section of the arts in Hungary, placing these into new contexts.

Katalin Bogyay, director of the Hungarian Cultural Center (HCC) in London, says Hungary must be "visible on a professional level"

"Now that we are opening up our borders, Hungarian artists have to be prepared. It's not easy," warns Bogyay, "and they have to know and follow the rules." Brits, on the other hand, must be willing to discover, and accept new cultures. This meeting of minds, in fact, is the main goal of the HCC. Opened in November 1999, HCC is located in Covent Garden, in the heart of the English metropolis. It is not a clubhouse for Hungarians, explains Bogyay, but rather a meeting point for players in British cultural life. It is a space where producers, impresarios, journalists and artists share their experiences and explore something common. Bogyay herself is one to make things happen. Her rich background as a journalist and producer in Hungary and the UK led to her realize and understand the low levels of awareness concerning Central European cultures. She then raised the question: What are the possibilities in Britain for small European cultures to be visible in the media? When offered the opportunity to direct the yet-to-be HCC, she knew this was her answer.

Exposing Hungarian arts and culture
After its opening, HCC began producing a series entitled: “Hungary in Focus.” On behalf of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and in partnership with the Hungarian National Tourist Office, Hungary in Focus served as an introduction to the 1,000-year-old Magyar heritage. Concerts from classical to contemporary music were presented, as was dance, opera, theater, film and literature. Visual artists were also exhibited around the UK. After a few successful seasons of Hungary in Focus, an ongoing yearlong celebration like Magyar Magic (www.magyarmagic.com) seemed to be the natural progression. In the summer of 2002, an inter-governmental accord was signed by the British and Hungarian ministers of arts and culture. Hungary offered a budget of HUF 800 million (GBP 2 million), which was the go-ahead for official Magyar Magic preparations to get underway. The festival program was put together by the end of 2002, and was created by matching Hungarian artists and works of art with previously established partnerships and contacts in the UK. While the celebrations of culture have a high-profile presence in London, Magyar Magic plays a part in festivals and exhibits around Great Britain as well. From January, the team will travel to more than 10 different cities around the UK: Belfast, Bradford, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool. The official festivities, however, began in London last November. “A Celebration of Hungarian Gold and Silver,” which accompanied the Gilbert collection at Somerset House, was the first exhibit. Representing liturgical and secular works of art from early medieval to the modern period, objects were gathered from the three most important gold and silver plate collections in Hungary. "By starting Magyar Magic with the Somerset House exhibition, I didn't have to explain too much," recalls Bogyay. "We just presented these amazing objects, which in turn represent our history, geography, culture."

The exhibit, which closed Feb. 1, was a success and pulled in 40,000 visitors. The prestigious Christie’s was also home to a Magyar Magic event for three weeks in January. More than 90 oil paintings by Philip Alexius de László, who painted portraits of European royal families and other leading figures of the day, were displayed. It was the first retrospective of his work to be staged since his death in London in 1937 - with 17,500 visiting the exhibit. From her office at the HCC, Bogyay reveals that renting Christie’s for a day costs about GBP 5,000. “If you rent a space and produce the program yourself, it’s not integration it is isolation. You have to persuade your English partner to become interested in you.” Not only is this beneficial to the Hungarian organizers, but to their British counterparts as well. They receive a financial push from Hungary, and while learning to understand and work together, they share the possibility for the project, the investment and its success.

Hungarian hit acts to be staged in England
The success of Magyar Magic seems to be inevitable. The quintessential Hungarian voice, Márta Sebestyén, already took the stage, similarly to big names like the Budapest Klezmer Band, the Balázs Elemér Group and Romano Drom. Upcoming performers include Roby Lakatos, Ghymes, Kalyi Jag, and Sebestyén, who will play again in the future. The works of Hungarian composers have been, and will be performed by acclaimed orchestras like the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Royal Liverpool Orchestra and the Philharmonic. Literary events will largely begin in April. Pál Békés, the artistic curator for Magyar Magic, as well as the man responsible for theater and literature, reveals the difficulties of trying to publish foreign language books in the UK. “Only 3% of the literature in the UK is foreign,” he explains. “It is not enough for books to be translated into the English language, but they need to be written in the proper British version.” He claims that for a Hungarian author to be published and distributed in the UK, it takes five times more effort, and the result, or output, is often five times less. “As the British call themselves, they are an insular culture. On one side, they are extremely open to theater shows, the fine arts, anything that doesn’t require special investment. As soon as it comes to language, however, it’s a different thing.” Nevertheless, after spending months knocking on the doors of English publishing houses, results will finally bloom in the spring. The celebrated novel “Celestial Harmonies,” by Péter Esterházy will be launched by HarperCollins in April and a new anthology by contemporary authors, entitled: “Island of Sound,” will come out in May. Poetry and photograph books, amongst others, will also enter circulation in the British market.

Building bridges
On all cultural levels, bridges are being built for future collaboration. While introducing the gems of Hungarian culture in the UK, Magyar Magic is also helping entice potential tourists. British interest in Hungary as a tourist destination saw a significant positive shift in 1999, when Hungary joined NATO. Even in 2002, when tourism worldwide was lying low for fear of terrorism, Hungary saw a 14% increase in the number of British visitors. Last year, 250,000 Brits visited Hungary. Gábor Tarr, head of the Hungarian National Tourist Office in London, says this increase can be accredited to holiday shows, word of mouth and events like Magyar Magic. "The British are spoiled for choice, explains Tarr. “Some 93% of British tourists stay at good hotels. They spend a fortune at bars, restaurants, the opera and excursions. Their per capita spending is high, compared even to the American or Japanese tourists. That's why it's important to play offensive instead of defensive, and to re-introduce a sense of improvisation." Magyar Magic shows the UK an essence of what is available in Hungary. Bogyay compares her role to that of a mid-wife. Being Hungarian, she understands the cultural history, and having lived and worked in the UK, she understands the mentality. “But because they’ve never worked together, the two cultures don’t understand each other. Like a mid-wife, I am here to help them start communicating.”