Burning Strings of Lajko: Unconventional Serbian Leaves Them Breathless

The 26-year old Mr. Lajko is indeed unconventional, sometimes brash and even lewd. Yet his many and diverse collaborators also talk of a keen sensitivity. Normal, he may not be. But the wild, frenetic artistry of this Serbian-born violinist of Hungarian origin comes as a welcome contrast to the rarefied classical-music world.

Unable to cope with the constraint of a classical training, the largely self-taught violinist was ousted at age 16 from the music academy in his Serbian hometown of Subotica. Far from stopping him on his artistic journey, however, the experience set him free. Mr. Lajko plays with an impassioned gusto that may not be academy-approved but, by the end of a live concert, leaves his listeners awestruck, and the strings of his bow strewn about the stage.

"He is a kind of a free spirit in this strange world", says veteran Hungarian filmmaker Miklos Jancso, who co-directed a film on Mr. Lajko, "and through his self-expression he transmits feelings as if he was living in another sphere. He devotes his whole being to what he does, probably instinctively." Mr. Jancso's film, "Plax Felix, Play," is a juxtaposition of close-up shots of Mr. Lajko's anguished facial expressions as he performs and images of attempts at early flight and motor-car racing Mr. Jancso himself is no stranger to intense creativity, having worked with talented and eccentric characters throughout his long career, most notably Federico Fellini. Mr. Jancso's film leaves us with an image of a virtuoso living on the edge, where the intensity of his creativity verges on madness.

Mr. Lajko's work is fed by his many collaborations, which span the creative spectrum from classically trained violinists to Min Tanaka, a troupe of Japanese Butoh dancers, to the French rock band Noir Desir. An upcoming gig will have him performing with a popular Hungarian DJ. For Mr. Lajko every concert has to be a new challenge. While his energetic and soulful music is said to be inspired by a fusion of folk, jazz, Gypsy and Jewish klezmer sounds, his scope makes it almost useless to define it as any particular style.

"There are a handful of violinists around the world who can improvise in an interesting, creative way, and Felix is one of them," says a classically trained violinist Alexander Balanescu, who has played several concerts with Mr. Lajko. "We worked together for four days, and while I think only maybe 10 percent of the time was efficient, what we did get is something that is very rare."

When at home in Subotica, Mr. Lajko practices in the surrounding forests and in the remains of an abandoned mansion. While he has performed in diverse locations, including Italy, Paris, Prague, Tokyo and most recently Monaco, for the most part he brushes aside the international circuit for one-off events, preferring the small-town life of his embattled native city to the hectic one of a touring musician. "The world of a star really doesn't interest him," says Laszlo Horvath, his long-time friend and Hungarian manager. "For him it is the forests, the little hills, and his little home: That is his world, where he feels most comfortable. But he will tell you that to feel good, he needs money, and that is when he performs."

During the fiery days of last year's crisis in Serbia, those who could field their way across the Hungarian border to escape the NATO bombing campaign. Not only did Mr. Lajko choose to stay, he even went on to tour Serbia to acclaim with Boban Markovic's Gypsy orchestra. After the psychological trauma that Serbia endured last year, it's not surprising that the crowds could relate to his spontaneous and soulful, if somewhat disturbing, intensity. "Serbia is a strange country," says Mr. Horvath. "There is an incredible energy in the people, and he gives his energy to the audience, but he also receives it from them. There is a great need for the kind of music that he plays in Serbia. There is a kind of harmony between the music and the audience."

Mr. Lajko is not alone, however, in his attempt to popularise fiddle music by reshaping it in a rough-edged, almost rebellious style. Take the Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac in Canada, who rocked the world of highland fiddling by fusing it with elements of rock'n'roll and hip-hop. He too is known for onstage antics, obscene language and zany behaviour.

But with both players there is an inherent honesty and an allencompassing artistry that draws the audience to them. At Mr. Lajko's last Budapest concert the crowd of almost 3,000 ranged from young to old, from the cyber-generation to the artistic community to everyday folk. A Lajko concert is an event. As Mr. Lajko says of his music: "If it doesn't come from the soul, then you can really just forget about the whole thing.

Mr. Lajko is performing Saturdays, Aug. 19, at Tilos az A (a stage and club on the small lake in Budapest's city park, next to Heroes' Square).