Bachtale Apsa

The leader and founder of the band Bachtale Apsa is the well-known musician Mário Bihári, who ranks among our finest Romani performers.

The name Bachtale Apsa, translated as “Tears of Happiness,” expresses the variety of moods and emotions that Romani music has evoked in listeners since time immemorial. The band’s music bears influences from all traditional Romani styles. It contains roots of Balkan, Hungarian, Spanish, Russian, and Slovak Roma. There are also pieces in the so-called Sinti jazz style and, of course, classic csárdás. Excellent vocals and brilliant musicianship in driving rhythms are the qualities that make the band a Romani musical classic in the best sense. At its core are Mário Bihári’s virtuosic accordion and piano. He is accompanied by guitarist and outstanding singer Petr Horváth. The excellent violinist and bassist in one, Adam Pospíšil, and Standa Vít, drummer and percussionist, provide the band with a precise rhythmic foundation. Bachtale Apsa’s music is further adorned with characteristic vocals to which all members of the band contribute.

Mário Bihári is an exceptional Romani singer, pianist, accordionist, and clarinetist. He gained renown especially through his long-term collaboration with singer Zuzana Navarová in the band KOA, but in recent years he has established himself as an independent musical personality who shines particularly in the field of Romani music. Blind since the age of eight, he completed primary school in Levoča, Slovakia, and then studied at the Jan Deyl Conservatory in Prague. In 1998 he became a member of Zuzana Navarová’s group KOA. In 1999 the album Skleněná vrba was released, followed by the live Zelené album (2000). After Ivan Gutiérrez’s departure, Mário began contributing his own songs to the band’s work. The gold record Barvy všecky (2001) and the subsequent Jako šánti déví (2003) contain roughly a quarter of his compositions. After Zuzana Navarová’s death in December 2004, Mário became the principal author of KOA, which released the album KOA in 2006 and, two years later, the record Dobře nám, on which Bihári’s compositions again make up more than 50% of the repertoire.

Mário Bihári – accordion, keyboards, vocals; Petr Horváth – guitar, vocals; Adam Pospíšil – bass guitar, violin; Standa Vít – drums, cajón, congas.

Admission: seating CZK 600, standing CZK 350. There is no need to reserve a seat when purchasing a seating ticket. To reserve a specific seat, please write your request in the note when purchasing the ticket. Fulfillment of the request cannot be guaranteed.

Band website: bandzone.cz