„If it wasn’t for this music, I wouldn’t have touched a violin ever again.”
Attila Halmos, band leader
Tükrös formed in 1986 with the purpose of playing traditional music of magyars within and outside of Hungary. Personal encounters, trips to Transylvania, experiencing folk tradition, still alive and well at the time, inspired the group of city boys with a classical music background to devote themselves to this heritage. Their models are the village bands of old, with their seasoned sync and tight play in service of dancers.
After a decade of playing together, they release their first album: Tükrös Ensemble: Hungarian Folk Music. It already displays a mature style and harmonious music making, along the unflinching love for the folk tradition. The band launches their own summer camp, first in Debrecen then in Simonpuszta, to pass over the experience of living music, songs and dances to hundreds. A growing number of domestic gigs are componded with invitations across the borders: Tükrös render the Hungarian musical heritage in Prague, Brno, Dortmund and Vienna.
The 2000s see overseas tours: Sidney, Melbourne, New York and Chicago are the band’s recurring destinations. Tükrös launch a summer camp for the Hungarian community in Australia: bringing the magic of folk music and atmosphere of Hungarian jamborees that didn’t fade away over thousands of miles.
Their second album Szatmári Népzene az 1900-as évekből – Hungarian Village Music from the 20th Century concentrates on North-Eastern Hungary and its famous bands, and sees the band’s soulful style crystallize. The next publication delves into the tradition of Táncház movement’s most iconic region: Mezőség – Our Transyvanian Heath, 2008. The album Music of Forests and Waters (2015) gathers music of Central Transylvania, as pristine as the creeks and rivers running through it. Spelling out the harmonious bond of village culture and nature, Tükrös make a statement through music on their final album to date.
