These three figures of turn-of-the-century music, Ravel, Franck and Debussy, do not prompt listeners to hear their works from afar. Their music winds it's way into the innermost channels of human imagination, and through the sound, listeners may feel that they are the protagonists in this shared artistic experience. Pianist Balázs Fülei holds the Liszt Ferenc Prize, the Artisjus Prize and the Junior Prima Prize. His repertoire includes over thirty pia-no concertos, including all the concertos of Beethoven, Liszt, Brahms, and Bartók. He is an associate professor and head of department at the Academy of Music, Budapest, and gives masterclasses worldwide. He is the founder and artistic director of the Echo Summer Academy, which is held annually in the Károlyi Mansion in Fehérvárcsurgó.
Debussy, Fauré & Ravel: The French Album / Simon, Varjón
Hungaroton
CD · 1 disc
$26.99Dec 23, 2022
For us, piano duets are a particularly special form of musical expression, somewhere between solo playing and chamber music. If the two-headed dragon of fairytales were to exist, he would probably feel something like a duo playing piano duets. Two performers on one instrument, who have to function as a complete unit. Every musical thought and idea, every feeling and motion must immediately be transformed into a shared intention. Meanwhile other obstacles to be overcome include a slightly awkward position at the keyboard, and the fact that only one player uses the pedals of the piano. And yet playing duets is such an incredible source of inspiration, the benefit is reaped in all other genres of music-making. Great masters composed extremely generously for this combination. Starting with the masterpieces of Mozart up to the present day, piano duets have a rich, varied repertoire at their fingertips. (Izabella Simon, Dénes Várjon)
J. Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ / Tóth-Vajna
Hungaroton
CD · 1 disc
$13.49$26.99Save 50%Dec 23, 2022
The genesis of the oratorio The Seven Last Words of Christ is one of the most exciting stories in music history. In 1786, Haydn (who by then was already a famous composer throughout Europe) was commissioned by José Saluz de Santamaria, a priest from Cadiz, to write a piece of purely instrumental music for Holy Week. The maestro himself considered the piece to be one of his finest achievements. The instrument on this recording is a copy of an instrument made in 1805 by Viennese fortepiano maker Anton Walter.
Entitled Vienna Evenings, this recording contains music linked to the imperial city and the piano, and to the enviable bourgeois musical culture of these time periods. The album features Schubert's piano pieces, the waltzes of Liszt and Schubert, and the waltzes of Johann Strauss re-imagined for the piano. Gábor Farkas received his MA and doctorate at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Zoltán Kocsis was his master-teacher. After the academy he studied at the International Piano Academy, Lake Como, Italy, with William Grant Naboré. In 2015 he won the Grand Prix of the competition announced by the New York Concert Artist & Associates, as a result of which he could debut in Carnegie Hall in 2016.
Schubert on Violin: Works for Violin & Piano / Pusker, Fejérvári
Hungaroton
CD · 1 disc
$26.99Apr 15, 2022
The backbones of the present recording are Schubert’s two late violin-piano compositions: the Rondo in B minor and the Fantasia in C major, both commissioned by virtuoso Czech violinist Josef Slavík. Particularly interesting is the fact, that the violin-piano paraphrase of the song Sei mir gegrüsst is performed twice: once as a variation section of the Fantasia, once in H. Sitt's arrangement. Violinist Júlia Pusker is an established young musician who made it into the final of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2019. Her partner here is Zoltán Fejérvári, Junior Prima Prize-winning pianist, winner of the 2017 Montreal International Piano Competition.
Zsigmond Moricz is one of Hungary’s greatest modern novelists. Be Faithful Unto Death is the moving story of a precocious schoolboy who is growing up in a boarding school in the city of Debrecen. When he is falsely accused of stealing a winning lottery ticket, he undergoes and grows from a series of torments. First published in 1921, the novel is full of impeccable writing and vivid detail. It is this writing that creates a feeling of universal experience in this story, which has been widely read and studied even outside of Hungary. On this release, the original translation is heard in audiobook form, read by Mari Jaszai Award-winning actor and director Alfoldi Robert.
Stolen Time / Judit Rajk, Cedrone, Budapest Strings
Hungaroton
CD · 1 disc
$20.99May 14, 2021
This album features a small part of Judit Rajk’s rich repertoire, Hungarian compositions of the 20th and 21st centuries, starting with Zoltán Kodály’s folksong arrangements, through Barnabás Dukay’s large-scale monody, Zoltán Jeney’s brief, resigned lament, to the sensitive song on the death of children by Máté Balogh. Although the bases of the works in this recording differ, they share one point in common: they use a small slice of the past in a daring and unique manner, whether it is actually used or merely as an element of inspiration. The challenge for the performer is to decide how to enrich this “past”, this time of tradition, with her own tempo.
By the early 19th century, Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) had already become watchwords amongst classical composers and in the classical music world. Their compositions were widely known and highly appreciated from the onset of their careers and are worshipped among the best, even today. The quartets featured on the present album stand out even from the rich output of chamber music works of these two masters: they are characterized by exuberant energy, diverse colors and are full of imaginative musical ideas.
Szabadnak születtél is the title of the new album from Zsuzsa Koncz, one of the most famous Hungarian pop singers in the world. Zsuzsa Koncz's career began after her performance in a 1962 talent show. Since then she has performed with various bands and musicians, most notably Illes and Janos Brody. She went on several successful tours abroad during the 1970s, with performances in France, West Germany, the United States, and Japan. She is known for her lyrics which were sometimes highly critical of Hungary's pre-1990 political system. She is the recipient of the 1977 Liszt Prize, the 2001 Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur, and the 2008 Kossuth Prize.
“The aim of this recording is not just to be a musicological curiosity, but to arouse the audience’s awareness of pieces and composers who have not yet been recorded, or are played less frequently; to inspire my colleagues to practice and master the special techniques in these works, and to show the way for interpretations of the works of Hungarian and Transylvanian composers, an interpretation which as well as the traditions of the Hungarian string school, draws “only from clear mountain springs” through personal relationships.” (Ildikó Szabó) Acclaimed for her musical intellect and imagination coupled with technical virtuosity, Ildiko? Szabo? is a laureate of the Pablo Casals International Cello Competition where she was the winner of the 2nd Prize, the Audience Award, and 7 Special Prizes. She is also a top prize winner of the German Music Competition, TONALi, Popper International Competition, Janigro International Competition and Liezen International Competition.
Rivka Golani is one of the leading virtuoso violists of modern times. Her mastery of the instrument combined with superb musicianship has been a source of inspiration to many players and composers. More than 300 pieces have been written for her, including over 80 concertos to date - with several more in the pipeline. She has performed as soloist with many orchestras throughout the world including the Boston Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Hong Kong Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan, Montreal Symphony and the Toronto Symphony. The BBC Music Magazine included her in it's list of the 200 most important instrumentalists and the five most important violists currently concertizing. As a teacher, Golani draws students from around the world to her master classes. She holds a professorship at Trinity College of Music in London and has also taught at Birmingham Conservatoire, the University of Toronto, and London's Royal Academy of Music.
With the selection of this album, enthusiasts of Baroque music have an insight into the highly particular and individual style of Jean-Jacques-Baptiste Anet, a French violinist- composer, now hardly known but in his time considered to be one of the greatest violinists. He was born in Paris. He studied with Arcangelo Corelli for four years in Rome. Afterwards, he returned to Paris about 1700, and was met with the greatest success. There can be little doubt that by his example the principles of the great Italian school of violin-playing were first introduced into France. Probably owing to the jealousy of his French colleagues Anet soon left Paris again, and is said to have spent the rest of his life as conductor of the private band of a nobleman in Poland. He published three sets of sonatas for the violin. This release showcases sonatas for violin and basso-continuo.
This two-album collection featuring some of the best known and most successful songs of her career comes from perhaps the greatest Hungarian pop legend. Zsuzsa Koncz's career started after her performance in the Ki mit tud? talent show of 1962. She has been performing with various bands and musicians over the years, most notably Illés and János Bródy. In the 1970s, she made several successful tours abroad, mainly in Eastern Bloc countries as well as in West Germany (sometimes under the names Shusha Koncz and Jana Koncz in German-speaking countries), but also in France, the U.S., and Japan. She remains extremely popular in Hungary, with some of her songs now part of Hungarian folklore, among them: 'A Kárpáthyék lánya', 'Ha én rózsa volnék', and 'Valahol egy lány.'
This new release features Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's most successful novel about loneliness, friendship, love and sorrow, read in Hungarian by Robert Alföld. The Little Prince was first published in English and French in the US by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943, and posthumously in France following the liberation of France as Saint-Exupéry's works had been banned by the Vichy Regime. The story follows a young prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite it's style as a children's book, The Little Prince makes several observations about life and human nature. The Little Prince became Saint-Exupéry's most successful work, selling an estimated 140 million copies worldwide which makes it one of the best-selling and most translated books ever published.
For music lovers, some numbers are inextricably linked to a particular composer or genre: with Beethoven, it is 32, the number of piano sonatas with opus numbers. Three sonatas in minor keys have been selected from opuses comprising several independent works by Tamás Érdi, of whose playing Zoltán Kocsis said: "His touch on the keyboard is far more sensitive than that of sighted people. In his playing, in certain dynamic ranges there is a sensitivity that for us is simply not possible. I would go so far as to say that this ability could be gauged as Chopinesque." Pianist Tamás Érdi lost his eyesight as a result of an oxygen overdose in a defective incubator. His interest in music was discovered at a very young age. His teachers use a unique method called "the structural method" to teach Tamás play the piano, whereby he virtually "recomposes" the music he is introduced to.
This new release compiles the very best recordings from Hofi Geza, Hungarian actor and comedian. The most popular Hungarian parodist, he had a strong influence on the culture of Hungarian cabaret. Hofi Géza was for many years the highlight of Hungarian cabaret. He never followed any pattern or trend; he was always following his own trail. His unique performances made him the most popular comedian of his time in Hungary. His death created an enormous vacuum in Hungarian comedy, and it is a common consensus among people who witnessed his performances that there may never be another comedian like him. His style as a comedian was unique. It couldn't exactly be categorized as stand-up comedy, though it didn't fit any other category either. There are no current comedians in Hungary who would try to emulate his style-his legacy on Hungarian humor is somewhat analogous to that of Beethoven's on German music in the 1800s. His theatre shows were sold out many months in advance, and there was rarely an empty seat in the house.
There is only a small number of orchestral pieces in Johann Sebastian Bach's oeuvre- which is surprising considering that the composer worked with excellent ensembles in both of his positions- as "Konzermeister" and Kapellmeister" - in Kothen and Weimar during the period between 1708 and 1723. This is particularly true of concertos where there is a high number of transcriptions, rearranged predominantly for harpsichord. Capella Savaria, Hungary's oldest period instrument ensemble, presents four of these on this album. The Capella Savaria (Szombathely) was founded in 1981 by Pál Németh. Their aim is to play 17th and 18th century music using the documents of the period. The play on authentic instruments with copies of bows of the epoch, studying the instrumental tutors of the Baroque era, referring to articulation, embellishment and, in wider sense, the characteristic sound of the whole period. The basis of the ensemble is strings, which are joined by other instruments as required.
The piano-ballade is Chopin's invention, and, at the same time, the most individual and poetic genre of romantic piano literature, the purest manifestation of the romantic aesthetic. The four Ballades, conceived at the peak of his compositional career, are telling their tales in quite unique formal designs, all different from one another. Chopin's free improvisations, (improvisations: "impromptu") were seemingly "piano pieces" without genre; individual pieces for performance, longer than the nocturnes but shorter than the ballades or scherzos. "His compositions were all but pale shadows of his improvisations,' wrote Georges Sand. The highly-regarded Hungarian-born pianist Gábor Farkas has, in the decade since winning the International Liszt Piano Competition in Weimar alongside the coveted Audience Prize in the same competition in 2009, come to be recognized internationally as a wholly exceptional artist.
Mozart: The Complete Piano Trios / Gulyas, Szabadi, Onczay, Szucs
Hungaroton
CD · 3 discs
$26.99$37.99Save 30%Nov 16, 2018
Mozart’s first three full-fledged piano trios were composed in his most prolific period: in the summer and autumn of 1786. At that time he had spent five years in Vienna, and the aristocratic circles were beginning to recognize his extraordinary genius. He gave solo piano recitals, worked as a conductor on a regular basis, rehearsed his own compositions, received private students, and was involved in the social life of the imperial capital. Two years later Mozart added three new grandiose piano trios to the repertory of the chamber music genre. They are preceded by two pieces: the first is one of the composer’s early chamber works, followed by a piece compiled by Abbé Stadler from various musical fragments and entitled Three movements for piano trio. Pianist Marta Gulyas holds the Liszt Prize, and has been a teacher at the Liszt Academy since 1978 and a professor at the Madrid Royal Conservatory since 1991. Two time MIDEM award-winner violinist Vilmos Szabadi works as an associate professor at the Liszt Academy of Music as the Head of Violin Department. As a leading violoncellist of his generation Csaba Onczay has been awarded several prestigious prizes including the Liszt Prize, the Meritorious Artist Award, and the Kossuth Prize. He currently teaches at the Liszt Academy as a professor emeritus. Viola player Mate Szucs performs with renowned musicians and ensembles across the world, and has taught viola at the Karajan Academy of the orchestra since 2013. He has been teaching at the Liszt Academy since 2015.
Brahm's viola sonatas, composed in the last few years of his life, have become cornerstones of that instrument's repertoire. They are what we regard as "the" genuine romantic viola sonata reflecting the late Brahms' substantial and richly emotional musical world. The Two Songs with viola and piano pay tribute to the friendship between the composer and the celebrated violinist, Joseph Joachim. Besides viola player Péter Bársony this recording features the fabulous pianist Péter Frankl and the opera-singer, popular with the audiences of the most reputed concert halls, Ildikó Komlósi. Péter Bársony is a professor at Franz Liszt Academy of Music and Kunstuniversitat Graz. He regularly gives concerts all over the globe, both as a soloist and in chamber music partnerships.
Hungarian period instrument orchestra Capella Savaria has been hailed by the Canadian Opus Magazine as “one of Europe’s best ensembles”. Their new release offers an insight into Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto œuvre consisting of over 500 fascinating compositions. Besides the undoubtedly most substantial (and popular) pieces, the album also has a selection of concertos for flute and bassoon occasionally evoking the atmosphere of Vivaldi’s most renowned composition, The Four Seasons. Founded in 1981, in Szombathely, Capella Savaria has earned its fame as the first period instrument chamber orchestra of Hungary. Its innovative efforts created quite a sensation at the time in musical circles. The ensemble’s objectives were, from the onset, to play Baroque and Classical music in an authentic way by relying on genuine documents of the period. The founding artistic director was Pal Nemeth, followed by Zsolt Kallo who has been directing the ensemble since 1999. The members play authentic 18th century instruments or their copies.
J. S. Bach’s sonatas for violin and harpsichord and his solo partitas for violin and flute are presented on this recording on solo cello or on cello and organ. The transcriptions were made by Ditta Rohmann and László Fassang. The two instruments are a special feature of the recording: the cellist plays every piece on violoncello piccolo, a five-string cello often used in Bach’s time, while the Thuringian style organ of the Cegléd Lutheran church was modeled on instruments the master had used in his time. Ditta Rohmann is a versatile musician, whom we may encounter as a soloist in great concert halls as well as improvising with world music ensembles or playing a major role in joine productions with dancers, as a chamber musician, and most recently as an actress. She currently teaches private students and leads masterclasses. As the prizewinner of the most prestigious organ competitions in the world, Laszlo Fassang is one of the most versatile organists of his generation. He received his degrees with distinction from the Liszt Academy of Music and the Paris Conservatory. Prominent among his prizes are the golden medal for improvisation at the 2002 Calgary competition and the grand prix for interpretation and audience prize at the 2004 organ competition in Chartres.
After their album entitled Singing Cello, this recording released by Istvan Vardai and Julien Quentin offers a compilation of popular cello pieces of the 19th and 20th century, performed on the famous Stradivari cello referred as '1673 Strad', earlier used by Jaqueline du Pre´ and Lynn Harrell. The cellos manufactured by the renowned Italian instrument-maker have, somewhat surprisingly, an even better reputation than his violins. Out of the 65 items remaining, the '1673 Strad' was made relatively early, being the only Stradivari cello dating back to this year. Istvan Vardai was born in 1985. He studied with Laszlo Mezo at the Liszt Academy of Music and with Reinhard Latzko at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Veinna. Since his debut concert in 1997, he has performed all over the world and has won numerous accolaides. French pianist Julien Quintin has established himself as a versatile and sensitive musician, exhibiting great maturity and poise. His remarkable depth of musicianship and distinct clarity of sound coupled with flawless technique, make him an artist in demand as both soloist and chamber musician.
For the first volume of this series of seven albums, Gergely Ittzes has selected seven sonatas representative of the flute music of the 18th century. The works are played on modern flute but informed by authentic performance practice. Original obligato keyboard parts are played on piano while continuo realizations are performed on harpsichord. The players have aimed at an analytic, though spontaneous, rendition. Gergely Ittzes won several prizes and awards including the Aleksander Tansman International Competition of Musical Personalities. Alex Szilasi and Anthony Newman join Ittzes on the keyboards.
The name Arcangelo Corelli still rings familiar even 300 years after his death. Of his pupils, however, who knew him and could pass on his style first hand, we have very little information. On this recording, in addition to a sonata by the Master, we have selected compositions by these excellent violinists, who were celebrated virtuosi in their time. Apart from the Corelli piece, all the others are world premiere recordings.
The pedal harp was presented in 1749 in a concert spiritual in Paris with unexpected, sensational success. Contrary to the earlier rattling, clattering harps equipped with a "manual switch", the semitones on the newly invented harp could be changed by foot, almost inaudibly. Experiments continued to be carried out for decades after, but this harp of single-action pedals completely changed the fate of the instrument. From the first great classical era of the harp, that being the second half of the 18th c., comes this presents selection of works for harp. Csilla Gulyás is a regular and oft-heard performer on the Hungarian musical scene; Classical Sonatas for Harp is her fourth Hungaroton recording.
J.S. Bach’s concertos are regular and frequent concert repertoire. These slightly more than two-dozen concerti, composed for orchestra, nevertheless constitute only a fraction of Bach’s works. On this recording, the Capella Savaria, featuring Liszt Prize-holder soloist Zsolt Kalló, perform reconstructed versions of two of these lost violin concerti, supplemented by two surviving violin concertos. The Capella Savaria has earned its fame as the first period-instrument chamber orchestra in Hungary. “One of Europe’s best ensembles.” (Opus Magazine, Canada)
