Laszlo Lajtha (1892- 1963) was one of the greatest Hungarian composers of the first half of the twentieth century, and he also made important contributions to ethnomusicology, music pedagogy, and international cultural diplomacy. During his lifetime he was mentioned (predominantly in France) together with Bartók and Kodály, who were a decade older: 'Jes trois grands hongrois' - the three great Hungarians. Because of his opposition to communism, after 1948 his works were hardly ever played in Hungary.

In recent weeks, the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble has shared a remarkable and unique point of view over their social media accounts. The structure of the videos show archive footage and newly recorded routines under lockdown next to each other, on a shared screen. They wrote: “We would like to show our favourite recordings: how we reached certain moves under a certain influence.” We asked Gábor Mihályi, Ensemble Director of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, about dance, traditions, and the survival of past and present times.