Viktória Herencsár / Viktoria Herencsar

Viktoria Herenscar is one of the world's acknowledged masters of the cimbalom, a stringed instrument whose haunting sound is associated with the traditional music of Eastern countries such as her native Hungary. This country has also been known for much great classical music, much of which bears the strong influence of Hungarian traditional music as well. This ongoing process resulted in a brilliant musical feature for this artist when Hungarian composer Zoltán Pongrácz created his "Concertino for the Hungarian Cimbalom" with Herencsar in mind. Another superb performance in the same vein is the "Two Ungarescas" of Ferenc Farkas, which combines her instrument with another Eastern favorite, the clarinet-like tarogot.

Although in the same instrument family as the hammered dulcimer, the cimbalom is much larger, with more strings and a great deal more flexibility harmonically. Herencsar's recorded output has increased significantly since the late '90s. Her out-of-print album Cimbalom Magic was reissued on compact disc in 1998 while a new disc was also published the same year, the latter featuring Hungarian dance music from the 16th century to modern times. She teaches in a variety of settings, including the annual International Music Camp held in Balassagyarmat, Hungary. The Cimbalom World Association could hardly do without her, it seems. In fact, she's the person one writes to join.