Roby Lakatos

“If violinist Roby Lakatos were paid on the basis of how many notes he plays in any given performance, he’d probably be the richest musician in the world. His performance Saturday night at Royce Hall was a stunning display of finger-blurring virtuosity. But it was much more, as well.”—Los Angeles Times

Born into the legendary family of gypsy violinists descended from János Bihari, “King of Gypsy Violinists,” violinist Roby Lakatos is not only a scorching virtuoso but a musician of extraordinary stylistic versatility. Equally comfortable performing classical music as he is playing jazz and in his own Hungarian folk idiom, Lakatos is the rare musician who defies definition. He is referred to as a gypsy violinist or “devil’s fiddler,” a classical virtuoso, a jazz improviser, a composer and arranger, and a 19th-century throwback—simultaneously. He has performed at the great halls and festivals of Europe, Asia, and America. Lakatos has collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli, and his playing was greatly admired by Sir Yehudi Menuhin. In March 2004, alongside Maxim Vengerov, Lakatos appeared to great acclaim with the London Symphony Orchestra in the orchestra’s Genius of the Violin festival.

Tickets $33–$51