A wave of global culture will sweep through The Hague during the fifth annual Embassy Festival, taking place on Saturday 2 September on the picturesque Lange Voorhout. The Embassy of Hungary will be represented during the festival, with a stall and music performances. The Embassy Festival is supported by the Embassy of Hungary.

On the picture Dario Poli during The Peace, Justice and Security Foundation launch in The Hague. Photographer Kim Vermaat. The Thrilling Journey of Dario Poli: Multifaceted Artist, Warrior Poet & Influent Master of Equilibrium Marbella   15/6/17  Dario Poli Interview on Kamsyn.com The beauty of travel is that it allows for unplanned encounters in uncharted waters. It is also the occasion for bold yet refined gentlemen to meet and go beyond the usual trivial small talk. At the 18^th Anniversary Party of Essential Marbella (number 1 Magazine in Costa Del Sol, held in the wonderful VIP setting of Les Cubes) this is how Kamsyn met Dario Poli, Internationally famous Song-writer, Composer, Poet and Painter who worked with Stars such as Olivia Newton-John, Dave Allen, Julie Felix, Buddy Greco & Bruce Forsyth to name only a few. Dario is a multifaceted-artist with a phenomenal memory who quotes the works of    Tolstoy, Mozart and also Nostradamus – which was the subject of a book he wrote- without ever sounding pompous because as he says: “Memory is the foundation of Civilization. Without it, there can be no understanding, no lessons learnt or accumulation of knowledge. Yet today, it seems we’re heading towards a society that just wants to live in the eternal now” Dario was born from a Tuscan father, opera singer from which he inherited his passion for horses as he was raised in the tough neighborhoods of post-World War II Scotland. Dario reached international recognition thanks to the impact of his works such as his song “Marbella Marbella”. The song composed as an Ode to the city and he initiated the campaign to present a better image internationally, of Marbella and the Costa del Sol. « Marbella Marbella » became the anthem of the campaign. A Hit that sparked the renaissance of the Jewel of Costa Del Sol after the financial crisis of 2008. Dario has also Co-written the Musical Lady X and the Power of Destiny (based on the story of Princess Diana) The musical drama, originally composed as a celebration of England’s favourite princess, based on the late Diana Princess of Wales. For Dario it became a long mystical and spiritual journey, an exploration of Diana’s enigmatic character, her emotions, her motivations, and her fascination with the phenomenon of love. Dario’s meticulous research into every facet of her life has resulted in a work, which has great profundity and truth to life, while acknowledging the gaiety and brilliance of a beautiful, if flawed aristocrat. The Producer Richard Pine wrote « …the recording demonstrates…its emotional appeal, the immediate catchiness of its rhythms and lyrics, and the richness of the orchestral texture »… « The jewel at the heart of the musical remains that what it had been from the outset, a celebration of her life, beauty and demeanour ». Dario wrote; the moral of the story is simply that « what we say and do to other people effects and shapes their lives, whether for good or bad. Therefore, each individual has his or her own personal responsibility to manage their actions towards others ». He also other recorded compositions including Nostradamus 1999 and « Nostradamus » released by Plaza Records Ltd London. He composed « Corazon », for The Children for Peace a UNESCO recognized charity in Rome. Dario was invited in 2016 to compose a special anthem “ Ever Changing World” for the Inaugural Gala of the Peace, Justice and Security Foundation at the Peace Palace in The Hague where Sharon Stone gave an inspiring speech (music by Dario Poli, Lyrics David Mairs and Production David Redston). As a Humanist, Dario was moved by the attendees who shared their stories of War and Deprivation and their capacity to Carry On. He also met Dr Mary Atkin Cyber Criminologist advisor for Europol , Interpol, FBI and even the White House whose work inspired the famous TV series “CSI Cyber” as she congratulated him for his Anthem and signed him a personal copy of her new book “The Cyber Effect”.

After such International success, Dario sometimes recalls the hard-times of his childhood “being raised in Scotland after the War, as an Italian I had to fight for what I wanted and to gain the respect of those who still saw Italians as a threat. My father had been arrested during the war which turned him into a hard man. Still his army commander noticed he was an opera singer and asked him to perform in front of important dignitaries. The streets were tough and opportunities quasi-inexistent. This forged my character and taught me that it’s not enough to dream. As an Artist, if you don’t fight for what you want, you don’t deserve to have it”. « My father had been arrested during the war as an enemy alien and was shipped with hundreds of prisoners Italian and Jewish across U-boat infested Atlantic Ocean». Dario grew-up like the character of Mark Twain’s book “Huckleberry Finn” and worked hard since he was 5 to help his father at the potato crisp manufacturing factory he had set-up. Still he did not renounce on his artistic talents. When he reached 15 Dario painted his first mural in the restaurant of his father « The Apocalypse »; an impressive scene depicted on Formica which impressed a renowned Maestro from Florence who wished to take him in as an apprentice. However Dario’s father refused: “Since when do Italians need to learn Art? It’s all within you. Remember where you come from. Did Michelangelo or Da Vinci go to university? If you have something of real value within you, it will find way to come out… if not you will become like everyone else… Now go back to work ».

Still, Dario kept pursuing his dream as he learnt cello thanks to his neighbor Maestro Gasparini. Fond of numerology and his lucky number 19, Dario finally had his big break in Leicester where he had opened his first restaurant with all his savings. Dario would play guitar for his guests who would walk over from the Haymarket Theater across the street. One night, one visitor would change his life forever. Engelbert Humperdinck’s brother who happened to pass by invited Dario and his sister to perform in a competition on ATV Television which they won. Today, Dario is preparing “Amsterdam” a Musical about a lost work of Art in the city of Canals which is found by a group of street musicians in Marbella. For this impressive project Dario is working on uniting the Mayors of Marbella and Amsterdam as he teams up with Co-Writer David Mairs, Mugge Fischer and Ose del Sol. Also, Dario is working on finding a publisher for his new book “The Boatkeeper’s Daughter”. A novel based on the life of his father and his relationship to a girl who lived near the internment camp he was held in, on an island in the middle of the St-Laurence river in Montreal, Canada. One day, as his father was practicing his Opera singing, he saw the curtains move in a house above his camp. It was a young girl who became enamored by Dario’s father and would leave him love letters hidden beneath rocks on the other side of the fence. He would collect them meticulously yet they never met. Years after his father passing, Dario would find four of the surviving letters she wrote to him: an innocent yet desperate tale of such troubled times. She penned « mon petit rossignol en cage ». Dario found the secret to balance his time under the spotlight with other moments in the shade where he likes to reflect as he finds inspiration for his new projects. Only in Marbella do we encounter a 21^st century Renaissance man living a Warrior- Poet life: A true Master of Equilibrium. Sr. Emile Issa, Editor in Chief  www.kamsyn.com  Additional Sources:   Essential Magazine March 2015, Euroweeklynews.com 15-21 Sept 2016 / D’Elite Magazine ————–  About Dario: Dario Poli  Composer, artist, published author and illustrator including illustrated books on « Nostradamus » published by Studio Editions Ltd England, Random House Ltd, Karl Muller Verlag and Bison Books Ltd as well as numerous magazine articles.  Dario with his sister Delia as « Delia and Dario » (Two of a Kind) performed their singing talents on the International Cabaret and theatre circuit in many of premier venues both in the UK and abroad, working with a plethora of international stars, including TV, film and radio performances to their credit.  An Artist: « Dario Poli’s work attests to this through its own visionary quality and technical brilliance’. S. Capel. `Imagine a combination of Edvard Munch, Dali and William Blake.’ Paul Chave.  Sources:   Essential Magazine March 2015/ Euroweeklynews.com 15-21 Sept 2016 / D’Elite Magazine

From 29 may to 24 September 2017 the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam will be placing work by nineteen Hungarian avant-garde artists in the limelight. The exhibition from Fauvism to Surrealism: Jewish avant-garde artists from Hungary presents the innovative paintings of these artists from the first half of the 20th century, when the country was plagued by nationalism, communism, and war. Most of the artworks included have never been shown in the Netherlands before. The exhibition displays work by celebrated Hungarian artists such as Vilmos Huszár, Béla Czóbel, László Moholy-Nagy, and Lahos Tihanyi. Also on display will be Róbert Berény’s masterpiece, Self-Portrait with Top Hat. Some of the artists spent part of their working lives in the Netherlands. Huszár was one of the founding members of the movement De Stijl, a hundred years ago. Czóbel was involved with the Bergen School and produced the first known portrait of the poet Adriaan Roland Holst. László Moholy-Nagy also lived and worked in the Netherlands for few years. Some of his early works are on view here. Hungary provided a vibrant artistic milieu in the first half of the 20th century. The country was a magnet for artists from Eastern, Central and Western Europe, becoming a hub of countless artistic movements. Artists experimented with French Fauvism and Cubism, Italian Futurism, German Expressionism, and Soviet cinema and Constructivism. Growing Anti-Semitism At the same time, this was a turbulent period in Hungary. The country went through an upsurge of nationalism, the First World War, the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Second World War, and the early years of the Communist regime. Many artists came from Jewish backgrounds and from the early 1920s onwards they faced growing anti-Semitism. They shared a belief in progress and a desire for a just world, but all of them fell victim to the Holocaust in one way or another. The exhibition shows some ninety paintings that illustrate both the urge for experimentation and a range of different styles. For instance, we see Béla Kádár’s cubist landscapes, painted in the style of  Chagall, and images of Budapest’s night life by Armand Schönberger, painted in the style of Italian Futurism. The artworks also capture the atmosphere of the times. Lili Ország portrays the consequences of the Holocaust in dark, grim paintings. The works on display have been provided on loan by a range of museums and private individuals in Hungary and the Netherlands, including the Hungarian National Gallery and the Jewish Museum in Budapest. With this display of Hungarian art, the Jewish Historical Museum is continuing along the lines of earlier successful exhibitions of work by Jewish artists from Russia and avant-garde artists from Romania. Publication The exhibition From Fauvism to Surrealism will be accompanied by a book with the same title, published by Walburg Press. The book’s editor is Joël Cahen, who served as director of the Jewish Cultural Quarter until October 2015. Art gallery Simultaneously with this exhibition the museum will be displaying work by a contemporary Hungarian artist in its small art gallery (Kunstkabinet). False Testimony by Hajnal Németh is about the Tiszaeszlár Affair of 1882, sometimes referred to as the Hungarian equivalent of the Dreyfus Affair in France. A modern opera tells the tale of the false accusations made against Jews in connection with the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl. The photographs, which the artist produced in partnership with the historian Zoltán Kékesi, provide a subtle exposé of present-day anti-Semitism in Hungary.