Oláh Patrik Gergő

Hungary

23 May 1998

Jinx!

"Do witches exist? The answers to this question are really divisive. Whether we believe in them or not, they are an integral part of many cultures. At the core of Romany beliefs are witches’ spells, curses and various charms. Although women play a mostly secondary role in Romany communities, Gypsy witches command great respect, which is associated with a certain fear. How does a witch exercise her supernatural powers on an unsuspecting victim? My work Jinx attempts to find the answer to this question. The violin embodies the prey and the piano the witch. In this piece, I present a subversion of the hierarchical relationship between the first violinist and the Gypsy orchestra (piano), a system well-known from Gypsy improvisational music."