Not only did they captivate the audience, but they even got them singing—Hungary’s most popular Roma folk band, Parno Graszt, took to the stage at oDEon on Tuesday evening. As part of the Musician(?) LIFEpaths series, the recently awarded Artisjus Prize-winning band shared stories about the joy of making music, their most memorable concerts, and how a Roma family from the village of Paszab became an internationally recognized ensemble.
On Monday night, the band’s frontman received the award for Pop Music Production of the Year for their 2023 album release concert. The next day, he was already recounting the unique experience of the now Artisjus-awarded event to students at the University of Debrecen.
“Six to seven thousand people were waiting for us at Budapest Park. We stood on stage watching the live radar image, hoping the storm front would pass before the concert started—but it arrived exactly on time. Rain began to fall, and I saw the crowd scatter. I thought everyone had left. Then the rain eased, and people returned. A few songs in, it started pouring again, and the crowd ran for cover—but they came back once more. By the third time, no one left—they were already soaked through. Maybe that’s what made the concert so special—it even earned us an award,” recalled József Oláh at the latest Musician(?) LIFEpaths talk, held at the Böszörményi campus theatre.
With over 30 years behind them, Parno Graszt is essentially one large family, most of whom still live in Paszab in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County. This means they travel thousands of kilometers each week.
“People often envy our profession, many dream of becoming musicians. But to be honest, being a musician is truly a Roma life. You travel so much—it’s exciting at first, but after ten years, getting on a bus for a 1600 km ride isn’t that fun anymore. Your legs swell up, and then you still have to go on stage and put on a show. Luckily, our amazing audience gives us so much energy that we feel like we could easily travel another 20,000 km,” Oláh explained to students. He was joined by his son Krisztián and the band’s only female member, Heléna.
The evening’s host, Veronika Végh, learned that none of the band members ever studied music formally—they don’t even read sheet music—yet they play a wide variety of instruments, from the kanna (metal jug) to the guitar and accordion. The audience got a taste of this, with performances of songs like A Muki fia and Boldog igazán, the latter sung together with the students. One student celebrating a birthday was even serenaded with a special tune.
Parno Graszt has also made an incredible mark internationally. They credit their popularity in part to recent collaborations with acts like Bohemian Betyars, Pogány Induló, and Debrecen-born Dánelfy Gergő.
A musical based on their songs, titled Fekete tyúk (Black Hen), will debut in Budapest and arrive at the oDEon stage in Debrecen this fall.
The Musician(?) LIFEpaths series will continue at the University of Debrecen in the fall semester. Students will have two more chances to see Parno Graszt live before then: in June at the Great Church (Nagytemplom) and in July at the Campus Festival.
(unideb.hu)
