Ligeti at Robinwood Concert House
Written by Colleen Kennedy | | ckennedy@toledofreepress.comHot dogs and the opportunity to perform are what draw Lukas Ligeti to Toledo. The composer/percussionist’s April 2 show at the Robinwood Concert House will be his second Toledo appearance. Although his main focus will be music, Ligeti said while in town he plans on stopping by Tony Packo’s, which he pronounced with a soft “a” before referencing his Hungarian roots and stating that Toledoans pronounce the franchise’s name incorrectly.
Lukas Ligeti
Ligeti said his discovery of the Robinwood Concert House, located at 2564 Robinwood in the Old West End, was pure chance. After a playing a New York City show, Ligeti was approached by Bianca Marcia, a Toledoan who had attended and loved that night’s performance.
“I decided to go up, introduce myself and promote Toledo and the Robinwood Concert House,” Marcia said, “I said I have a contact there that books shows and if you’re ever interested in coming out and playing, we would love to have you. I was just a facilitator.”
As a result of the conversation, Ligeti made his Robinwood Concert House debut last September. Marcia was in attendance with a jar of Tony Packo’s pickles as a gift for the musician. Ligeti said the impression he was left with after his first show was a driving force to make Toledo a part of his Spring 2010 solo tour.
“I enjoyed performing in the Robinwood Concert House,” Ligeti said. “I thought it was a very intimate space where people really listen to the music and are very open-minded. It’s just a nice concert atmosphere.”
His upcoming show will include selections from his most recent album, “Afrikan Machinery,” which includes elements of African music, electronic, jazz and indie pop.
Toledo is the second-to-last stop for Ligeti’s tour and one of four Ohio cities he will perform in. Ligeti, who resides in New York City, spends half of the year touring both within the United States and worldwide to places such as Uganda in South Africa and his homeland of Austria.
“I tour a lot,” Ligeti said. “I enjoy touring, I enjoy performing and I enjoy traveling; traveling is a big influence on me — all the things that I see and the cultures.”
“Afrikan Machinery” is a tribute to his particular love of South Africa.
Ligeti said his music is most enjoyable to audiences that prefer to be challenged by music and are curious about something new.
“The kind of music I make is not the kind of music that most people listen to,” Ligeti said. “It’s not music that is made, first and foremost, for entertainment. I like to entertain and I like people to be entertained by my music, but that’s not my primary objective.”
Ligeti’s aim is to create music unlike anything his audience has ever heard before. To accomplish this he utilizes polyrhythmic sequences to create consonances and dissonances within his music — something he said is easier understood through experiencing his music, rather than explaining it. Another thing Ligeti said he finds difficult is defining what genre his music falls into.
“My music has some unusual and original approaches to it in trying ways different than what’s been done before,” Ligeti said. “And that’s one of the reasons why it’s so hard to say what style my music is because hopefully it’s a new style.”
Ligeti plays everything from opera halls to jazz clubs for audiences of five to 3,000 but the number of people isn’t something that concerns him. The only preferences Ligeti said he has for a venue include somewhere the crowd will listen, the sound is good, and he feels welcomed — criteria the Robinwood Concert House meets.
Robinwood Concert House is operated by Gabriel Beam, founder of Toledo Bellows, a nonprofit that promotes underground music in Toledo. Admission is free; donations are accepted.
