Looking Back from Half Way is Mihály Borbély's most personal album to date – a sometimes intimate, sometimes revealing musical confession. The solo album, created entirely through improvisation, is also a refined summary that encompasses not only the musical ideas and inspirations that have long preoccupied Borbély, but also the imprints of his life experiences. This broad perspective is deepened by the multi-instrumentalist approach he has been pursuing for years: on the album we can hear soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, fujara, an overtone flute called the tilinkó, double flute, flute, kaval, tárogató, clarinet and bass clarinet. However, versatility is not only evident in the choice of instruments: the kaleidoscopic mix of genres that can best be described as contemporary ethno-jazz – or, as Borbély himself calls it, rural jazz – brings together elements of Gyimes folk music, the spirit of Béla Bartók both as a folk song collector and a composer, a homage to Steve Reich, and a tribute to Dave Liebman. The album spans a wide emotional and dynamic range from deep silence to bursts of shouting, and alongside the well known danceable, festive moods of folk music, the voice of personal grief often comes to the fore. Mihály Borbély will present the album live on the Opus stage, and András Dés will join him for a few songs to make the occasion even more special.