The Good Life in Aggtelek National Park Part XXVI: Dill, Perkupa and Opera

Up at 5am as usual to water the garden before the mosquitoes take over the back yard, I then took my bike to nearby Szendrő for some food shopping. The COOP there is surprisingly well stocked with ingredients not normally found even in most Budapest shops, such as buckwheat, chickpeas, brown rice, and millet and flax seed. I just did some basic shopping for a Swiss chard pie since there is still plenty of chard in the garden. I also wanted to make a cold cucumber soup with pistachios. The line at the COOP was long, so I went across the small fruit and vegetable shop on the main square. They had everything except dill. Apparently, everyone has this in their garden (we do too, but it is still small), so there is no reason to carry it. I was ready to walk away disappointed when a large man standing in line beside me motioned to a woman beside him and said that she could probably help me out with some from her garden. I thought it was a joke at first, but she said, yeah come on, and I followed her home where she duly cut me a bunch and said to come back any time. What a wonderful way to start the day!

A couple hours later Jeroen, Lennard, Jeroen's mother Will, and I all went to visit our friends Guszti and Marikanéni in Perkupa. They fed us till we burst with vegetable soup (all ingredients from their garden), zucchini "meatballs," and hurka (the Hungarian equivalent of Scottish haggis). If this was not enough, there were uncountable desserts, homemade brandy, mounds of pogácsa, sour cherry juice and coffee. Marikanéni outdid herself, making two versions of almost everything since both Guszti and Will have a flour allergy. Then they piled us with vegetables and sent us on our way to visit local weaver and friend Jolankanéni. Jolankanéni weaves rugs, wall hangings and pillow covers on a 1909 loom she traded 3 chickens for. Somehow we still found room for some of her lovely cherry cakes.

Back home, determined that the lawnmower had indeed blown its motor and was unrepairable. He was able to fix our kitchen cold water tap though. And then we were off to the small village of Égerszög and the Opera Festival. What else are you going to do on a Saturday in the countryside?! While not my preferred style of music, it was great, and I am very happy I spotted the sign on the way to the bus in Jósvafő. It is unclear what connections the organiser has, but he somehow entices stars from the Hungarian State Opera and Opera Theatre to come and sing every year in a small 18^th century late-Baroque-style Calvinist church. Amazingly, tickets were also free.

The MC for the evening was baritone Andras Habetler, and I think he did a fine job. The show was opened by the Perla Kamara Egyuttes string quartet playing old standards from Bach, Vivaldi's "Summer," "O-so-la-mio," and I think what might have been the theme song for On Golden Pond, but the Dutchies think it might have been from a yoghurt advertisement. Unaware of the programme, it was at this point that we began looking around at each other asking where the opera was in all this.

Then the evening got a little special. The three soloists came in and stood in the centre of the little church surrounded by about 50 people, in the little village in the middle of nowhere. Swallows were flitting about the windows, and László Bartal, the conductor for the State Opera began to play the piano.

Andras really knew how to play the crowd, moving along the aisles and kissing the hands of old women. When a couple with a small child had to leave, he was gracious taking their hands, including the child's, and bidding them a lovely evening.

Soprano Barbara Bordás was dressed to the nines, and sang both solos and duets with the other two including a very playful piece with Andras concerning some magic potion, and a romantic scene at the end with Gergely. While all the performers were very talented, it was tenor Gergely Boncser that brought people out of their seats. I am no judge of opera, but the Dutchies were wowed. I did not catch what songs were on the programme, I know there was one by Puccini.

For their encore, they performed "If I Were a Rich Man" from A Fiddler on the Roof. This was so out of place, it reminded me of walking into a cellar pizzeria in Sarajevo around midnight in 1989 to a live band playing "Hava Nagila" (I still think the best rendition was done by Harry Belafonte of all people). The entire audience joined in. When have you ever seen that at an opera?

Filing out of the church, I was approached by a large man who had been waving from the gallery. I thought he had been waving to someone else, but it was to me. He asked me if I got the dill! As it turns out, Janos Paszternak runs the Paszti Pastry Shop in Szendrő and invited us for coffee and a chat next time we are in town!

Asked at the beginning of the show how many were there because of their wife, husband, parents, children and not a fan of opera, I was one of 3-4 who raised their hand. I am still not a fan of opera, but it was a great evening and really happy I attended. This is the way Opera should be presented more often - accessible, without the makeup and costumes, smiling, approachable, and most importantly, playful.

Back at the car, we had some pogacsa and pastry from the doggie bag Marikanéni packed us, as well as a glass of wine. The folk dancing was about to begin. True to village life, I think most people went to be after the opera. Not many people went across the street to the courtyard of the art gallery and barn stage for the live folk music by the Csender Nepzenekar. We were among about five people paying attention, but even so, the band gave it their all. I was reminded of the unplugged concert I once saw in Russian restaurant in Budapest advertised as a pre-concert before they took the big stage at Petöfi Csarnok. I do not know what the band's Russian name is, but it translated as something like The Cradle. My then-girlfriend and I were the only people in the entire restaurant. I think most other bands would have thanked us for coming but cancelled the gig. Instead, we were treated to a private 45 minute concert.

The villages of Borsod County appear to be a secret pocket of opera lovers. Csaba Szegedi, the Hungarian State Opera's junior baritone and Juventus Prize winner will take the stage at 18:00 in Perkupa next weekend on July 5^th. Szegedi spent his childhood in the village. Tickets are free.