| Description | Price |
| 4 piece band | £1000 (GBP) |
| 5 piece band | £1200 (GBP) |
| 6 piece band | £1400 (GBP) |
| PA hire | £200 (GBP) |
'Guaranteed to result in limb movement, a delightful fusion of fiddles and clarinet, furiously creating a wonderful atmosphere that demands a physical response' - Folk Roots
Time Out London - Critics Choice.
'One of the hidden treasures of London' - Folk Roots
“We were absolutely delighted with Beskydy’s commitment, talent, and performance. They learned a piece specifically for my daughter’s wedding march, and their repertoire perfectly matched our guest list for a Jewish wedding which was also attended by family from the Balkans”. Dana and Stuart Urban.
Our music could be described as East-West folk with dance. The songs tell of cultural customs, laments and desires and can be comically philosophical in celebrating the enjoyment of life despite its trials and tribulations. Our performances, whether in front of a large or small audience is, like the music, inclusive and shared with the audience, who, whenever possible, take to the floor for the infectious dance numbers.
From traditional dance music to songs, Beskydy creates magic and presence with their exceptional musical ability. Voice, strings, clarinet, percussion and accordion define the distinctive Beskydy sound. They are an inspiring 'must see' for traditional folk music lovers.
The music of Beskydy has its roots in the dance rhythms and songs of Moravia, Bohemia and Slovakia, through whose lands the Beskydy mountains run hence the name. Beskydy's repertoire embraces the music of the Hungarian plains, the Danube basin and all the way down to the Black Sea, the souks and coffee-houses of Istanbul and across the sea to the bordellos of Odessa. Across these ancient trade routes, Jews, Gypsies, Ottomans, Celts and Magyars travelled carrying songs which endlessly re-invented themselves and crossed all political boundaries. Their music is Beskydy's inspiration.
Beskydy have performed at amongst other venues; The Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank, Union Chapel, Arts Centres, Womad, Hackney Empire and have played several cafe series concerts at The Royal Albert Hall, provided Foyer Music at The National Theatre and The Royal Festival Hall.
They have toured, played numerous festivals and were greatly privileged to perform on Loose Ends for the late Ned Sherrin. They were commissioned by the Victoria & Albert Museum along with The Real Tuesday Weld for their 'Propaganda from the State of Love' show. They have also been awarded 'Critics Choice: Live Performance' in Time Out Magazine.
Quotes.
'You are a truly inspirational, exciting band and what a diva in Joanna! You made our wedding both soulful and raucous, everything we could have wished for and more - everyone dancing, couldn't have got better - thank you Beskydy' Ingo, London.
'Thanks guys, I've employed many acts for our corporate events but you guys rock, never witnessed so many people paying attention! Will be booking you again soon.' Frank, Staropramen London.
'Thanks to you my summer party went off with a bang!! You were superb and the dances led by Joanna got everyone moving. You are terrific and I highly recommend you, thanks' Judith, West Sussex.
'I also forgot to say how much I enjoyed your gig. My daughter and I are now listening to your CD that I've had for years. She loves it!
Can't wait for your next gig....Gina x'
= areas covered (up to 100 miles)Jovano Jovanke - Macedonia
Ararim - Turkey
Tropanka - Bugaria
Slovak Waltzes
Khossid Wedding dance - Hungarian/Jewish
Dyž sem šel z Hradišťa - Czech
Odessa bulgarish - klezmer
Freylekh (Sherele) - Klezmer
Makedonsko Devojce - Macedonia
Khosn, kale mazeltov - Klezmer
To Ta Helpa - Slovak
Zapevala - Serbia
Susta - Greece
Karagouna - Greece
Ritka Magyar/Hongu - Hungary
Pidmanula - Ukraine
1-2 parking spaces
Power
Food and drink
Acoustic - 15 minutes set up
Amplified - 30-60 minutes
Performance times variable but typically 2 x 45 or 2 x 60 minute sets
“We were absolutely delighted with Beskydy’s commitment, talent, and performance. They learned a piece specifically for my daughter’s wedding march, and their repertoire perfectly matched our guest list for a Jewish wedding which was also attended by family from the Balkans”
Dana and Stuart Urban (Private Wedding) 10/10
The wonderful musicians that make up the Beskydy band played at our wedding. A big day for us and they did not disappoint! They are easy to deal with and were very flexible on the day, and not mention, played amazing music! Truly recommend them!
Thomas and Sarah (Wedding) 10/10
Didn't know what to expect and was completely blown away by these guys, great musicianship, passion and performance - absolutely superb!!
Louis 10/10
One of the hidden treasures of London is the range of talent that exists on the folk and acoustic scene that rarely get the acclaim they deserve. Three London based bands that excel at performing Eastern European/Balkan Music are Szapora, Mukka and Beskydy, each of whom are worth looking out for. Nine strong Beskydy perform songs and tunes from across Eastern Europe and beyond, in fact looking at the sources on their cd listing is almost like a tour around that part of Europe, from Macedonia to Hungary via Galicia and Bulgaria and taking a detour through Slovakia. The bands name itself comes from the range of mountains that run through the centre of former Czechoslovakia which according to the band has heavily influenced their musical choices whilst they turn their hand to music from a range of sources (excellantly). The first track is a Macedonian song, Jovano, Jovanke (click here to hear the song) and the range of Joanna Fosters vocal skills are further displayed in the three Slovakian songs that make up track 4, from the slow Janosik to the more up beat cheery Anicka Dusicka and A Ja Taka Dzivocka although Foster and the band manage to intertwine the tunes with sufficient skill so the songs merge as one. Again Track 9 is a duet with Accordian player, Peter Murphy, joining Foster on the Macedonian song Iz Dolu, along with some damned fine fiddling. The range of Beskydys musical skills are illustrated well by the instrumental tracks ranging from the delightful Slovakian Waltzes (Track 5) to the slightly more manic Tropanka from Bulgaria (track 10) and onto the ordered upbeat and furious synthesis between sax, fiddle and accordian that is Tantz, Tantz Yiddelekh (a wonderful Galician Jewish tune), yet again garunteed to result in limb movement, a delightful fusion of fiddles and saxaphone, furiously creating a wonderful atmosphere one that demands a physical response. One very minor complaint is the sleeve of the CD, it would be nice (or do I just lead a very shallow empty life) to have some information/lyrics or even translations of the songs, something about the origins of the tracks. That said its more than possible for bands with large bank accounts to produce nice extensive sleeves but not so easy for bands whose talents lie in their music rather than some slick marketing agencies. It would be impossible to identify one part of this cd that could be said to stand out more than the rest. The band have produced an album that is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish - the question that comes to the fore when listening to this is when is the follow up going to be available?
Folk and Roots (Folk and Roots) 10/10
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