I See Music in Color: Patrik Banga's new book launched at Khamoro

Mário Bihári and his iconic accordion conquered the local music scene long ago, captivating listeners from all walks of life. Writer, journalist, and Magnesia Litera award winner Patrik Banga boasts an equally impressive list of achievements. These two inspiring figures embarked on a journey together, which culminated in our meeting at the launch of the book I See Music in Color. In this unique book-length interview, Mário shares his life story with Patrik Banga—a narrative filled with intense moments, humorous anecdotes, and a lightness that stays with readers long after they close the book.

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"You come from the mountains, from the land of snow, from the sun that burns the clouds," the lyrics of a Zuzana Navarová song drift into the Thursday afternoon. The café beneath the canopy of trees in the heart of Žižkov gradually comes alive with the buzz of people gathered in small groups at tables, on benches, and on the steps. Those who couldn't find a seat flow back and forth in the general bustle. Clusters of people form and break apart, as if the entire Husinecká Street had poured out of their Žižkov apartments to honor Mário and Patrik on their big day.

What is it like to lose your sight in childhood? What kind of life stories does a blind Romani musician have to tell? How did he experience the nineties, a decade filled with police harassment and uncertainty, and where did he find the hope that things are as they should be? In the book's introduction, Patrik Banga admits that while he knew of Mário Bihári’s career, they hadn't met personally, despite being connected by Žižkov, a similar circle of friends, and music. However, the initial awkwardness of their first meeting at a pub was quickly replaced by a sense of mutual understanding.

"Mário is a hard worker, and when he does something, he wants to do it fully. Since I’m very much the same way, I was sure after our first meeting that this interview would be one of the most interesting ones I’ve done in the last twenty years," explains Patrik Banga.

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The café under the trees is shielded from the sun's rays by oak leaves swaying in the breeze. Media representatives with cameras in hand take their positions in the audience, and the moderator invites one of the book's godparents to the stage, where she stands next to Mário. He is already comfortably seated behind his accordion. "Every time we see each other, he tells me I look good," she laughs at Mário before beginning to read a selected passage about a glass eye.

The audience listens quietly, rewarding the humorous parts of the story with laughter. It was one of the lighter moments of the narrative. Before the performance by the band Bachtele Apsa, we still have the promised book launch, the occasion for today's gathering. The group of godparents is handed full mugs of beer, and one of the copies is symbolically christened with foam.

The rest of the evening fades into the colorful tones of music. Girls from a dance troupe in black skirts with gold trim and flowers in their hair dance to Balkan rhythms, and Mário is already surrounded by the musicians starting today's concert. The songs drift through the streets of Žižkov, the sun slowly sets, and laughter mingles with applause and more beer foam. In the audience, Patrik Banga signs copies of the book, which are slowly disappearing into the hands of those who arrived. The celebration of a story with a happy ending is slowly drawing to a close.

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The launch of the book I See Music in Color was held in collaboration with Albatros Media Publishing.

Photo © Albatros Media Publishing

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