(Progressive rock) Vedres Csaba - Ephata I. – Tortured & Formatted - 2001, FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Biography

I was born in 1964 in Budapest, Hungary. I frequently attended classical music concerts with my music-teacher parents and, at the age of 10, I took up piano lessons. In spite of my tolerant teachers, I was attracted to rock music and changed to guitar at the age of 15 and founded several rock groups in high school. I became familiar with the music of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and Frank Zappa in 1981; however, the Choral Fantasy of Beethoven also had a great impact on me. The latter led me to choose classical, rather than jazz study and, with my entrance piece "Fekete Hangulat", went to study at the conservatory in 1982, with Kocsár Miklós, a highly open and creative teacher.

In the autumn of 1986, together with Péter Pejtsik (cello) and Gábor Egervári (flute), I founded the group After Crying. Our aim was to create "contemporary, but listenable" music. For a year, we had been listening to contemporary composers like Schönberg, Stockhausen, Boulez and Ligeti, but we all realised that this music was not our path. Instead, we found what was authentic for us in the contemporary music roots of the music of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Frank Zappa and Laurie Anderson. Following this, we found our distinct direction, which found a favourable audience reception in the time frame of 1990-91.

I left After Crying in the summer of 1994, due to personal and artistic reasons and since then, I have pursued a solo career.

In 1995, I founded the group Townscream, which disbanded in April of 1999, mainly due to the lack of the possibility of rehearsals and concerts.

Together with my bands, as well as a solo musician, I have given concerts in several countries throughout Europe and North America, the U.K., Portugal, Israel, Germany, Canada and Yugoslavia, to name a few.

In 1996, I received a church organist diploma.

I have released several solo CDs since 1999, gradually shifting back towards classical music. My aim is to create authentic contemporary music based on the classical tradition, but using undertones of rock.

I have composed more than 40 pieces of incidental music for theaters throughout Hungary.

Since 1995, I have been happily married to violinist Gyermán Júlia. We have four children: Péter (born in 1996), Anna Flóra (1997), Laura (2000) and Luca Zsófia (2002).

From 1999 to 2002, we lived in the city of Pécs, where my wife played with the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra; since 2002, we have been living in Szentendre, where I am an organist in a Catholic church, a great joy for me.

From January 2003 to 2005, I presented two series of lectures: the first was devoted to the problems of light (rock) music [remark: rock and its related genres are often classified as light music in Hungary], while the second series was devoted to the analysis of the works of rock legends (Zappa, ELP, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, etc.), as well as a piece by the Hungarian group Kolinda.

In November, 2004 I founded Kairosz, a group consisting of a string quartet and keyboards. Our first experiments with electronic music were received with antipathy. Since we altered our sound in favor of a pure acoustic setting, we experience a careful approach.

In the autumn of 2004 I started to write a Requiem, which premiered in 2005, in Kaposvár, Hungary.

Since February 2005, I have been a guest lecturer at the Aesthetic Department of the University of Pécs. I have given two courses so far: "The Aesthetics of Light Music" and "Twentieth-Century Music Aesthetics and Music Theory Systems." This opportunity, besides being a great honour for me, is a great source of joy as well: I have experienced how talented and open, although often misunderstood, the young generation is!

In August, 2005, I composed Consolatio (for choir), comissioned by the Origen Conference held in Pécs, which was performed by the choir of the Pécs Bazilika with great (and unexpected) success.

My wife and I continue our organ-violin concert series "Lélektánc" (Dance of Spirit).

Presently, I am working on the final touches of a trombone quartet, finishing the Requiem and composing new pieces for Kairosz.

www.vedrescsaba.hu

Music: Vedres Csaba (except 13: Vedres – Mussorgsky), lyrics: Egervári Gábor (except 5: Egervári – József Attila)

From the liner notes:

Motto 1: "...plastic must be more plastic and at the very moment it begins to cry and at the very moment it will scream like the martyrs under the pressure of the torture. This very thin and and still scream cried out by these objects, creatures and situations is that must be heard. And here is there my very excruciated promise what I call the ultimate dependence." (Pilinszky János)

Motto 2: "...some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk..." (Mark 7:32)

After two objective fated state-reports the listener can recognize the eight different getaway strategy of today's human. Getaway into my inner spiritual world, into the entertainment, into the nostalgia, into the computerized rituals, into the depression, into the expectation in ourself, into the scepticism and the Internet. All they sceneries are concentrated with some gall but they aren't caricatures. Perhaps some people will be astonished because of the sound is much more "simple" as usual.

All the experiments falling through there is a question: Where away? "The subway of Death" is an unexpected encounter, a confrontation with reality instead of the illusion. To leave illusions is always shocking and maybe painful at the first sight but includes the possibility for everyone to coming out as much true people. The final scenery is the "Fool's Song" from Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunoff". But the story isn't over yet. the deaf-and-dumb having no ears to hear and no words to bless but curse only, will be mended and starts to hear and speak. I can understand him hardly yet. What I tried to recognize I'll tell on the following part of this record Ephata II. — Vedres Csaba

Vedres Csaba – Korg Trinity Plus, Akai S-5000 sampler, vocals, samplings
Gyermán Júlia – violin, sampling
Scheer József – samplings
Winkler Balázs – trumpet, samplings
Horváth Krisztina – I. violin (Epilogue)
Lezsák Attila – viola (Epilogue)
Krommer Lúcia – cello (Epilogue)