Tamás Vásáry
Encyclopedia
Tamás Vásáry (ˈtɒmaːʃ ˈvaːʃaːri) (born 11 August 1933, Debrecen
, Hungary
) is a celebrated Hungarian concert pianist.
's Piano Concerto in D major, K.107
in the city of his birth, where he gave a solo recital the following year. He then began to concertize regularly as a child prodigy. It was at this time that he was introduced to Ernő Dohnányi
, the leading figure of musical life in Hungary, who made a unique exception by offering to accept the gifted youth as a pupil in spite of his age. Vásáry studied only a short time under his tutelage, however, as Dohnányi soon left Hungary.
He also studied with Józef Gát at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
in Budapest
, and was later assistant there to Zoltán Kodály
, who made him a gift of a Steinway
piano.
At the age of 14 Vásáry won first prize in the Franz Liszt
competition at the Academy of Music in Budapest, in 1948. He left Hungary in 1956 and settled in Switzerland
. He made his débuts in the major cities of the West in 1960 and 1961. He has subsequently resided in London
, England
. He has made many recordings for Deutsche Grammophon
, particularly of the Romantic repertoire, especially Frédéric Chopin
.
As a conductor, Vásáry served as joint artistic director of the Northern Sinfonia
from 1979 to 1982, sharing the post with Iván Fischer
. With the Northern Sinfonia, Vásáry recorded the Chopin piano concertos, directing from the keyboard. Vásáry was later Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
, from 1989 to 1997. He has guest conducted many of the principal British orchestras as well as appearing regularly in the United States and elsewhere as pianist and conductor.
, Deutsche Grammophon
, Chandos Records
, Academy Sound and Vision, Collins Classic and Hungaroton
. He has recorded over 20 albums of the music of Liszt, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and Mozart with Deutsche Grammophon. In 1991 his recording of works by Liszt released by the Academy of Sound and Vision won the Grand Prize in Hungary, and his recording of Dohnányi's violin concerto released by Hungaroton won the Midem Prize. As a conductor, he has also recorded the complete Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms symphonies with Hungaroton.
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
) is a celebrated Hungarian concert pianist.
Biography and career
Vásáry made his debut at the age of 8, performing MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Piano Concerto in D major, K.107
Piano Concertos K. 107 (Mozart)
The Piano Concertos, K. 107 are three keyboard concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on sonatas by Johann Christian Bach. These sonatas are from Christian Bach's Op. 5; Mozart turned Sonata no. 2 in D, Sonata no. 3 in G, and Sonata no. 4 in E flat from this set into the three concertos of K...
in the city of his birth, where he gave a solo recital the following year. He then began to concertize regularly as a child prodigy. It was at this time that he was introduced to Ernő Dohnányi
Erno Dohnányi
Ernő Dohnányi was a Hungarian conductor, composer, and pianist. He used the German form of his name Ernst von Dohnányi for most of his published compositions....
, the leading figure of musical life in Hungary, who made a unique exception by offering to accept the gifted youth as a pupil in spite of his age. Vásáry studied only a short time under his tutelage, however, as Dohnányi soon left Hungary.
He also studied with Józef Gát at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
The Franz Liszt Academy of Music is a concert hall and music conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875...
in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, and was later assistant there to Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
, who made him a gift of a Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
piano.
At the age of 14 Vásáry won first prize in the Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
competition at the Academy of Music in Budapest, in 1948. He left Hungary in 1956 and settled in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He made his débuts in the major cities of the West in 1960 and 1961. He has subsequently resided in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He has made many recordings for Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
, particularly of the Romantic repertoire, especially Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
.
As a conductor, Vásáry served as joint artistic director of the Northern Sinfonia
Northern Sinfonia
The Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave the bulk of its concerts at the City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2004, the orchestra has been resident at The...
from 1979 to 1982, sharing the post with Iván Fischer
Iván Fischer
Iván Fischer is a Hungarian conductor and composer. Born in Budapest into a Jewish musical family, Fischer initially studied piano, violin, cello and composition in Budapest...
. With the Northern Sinfonia, Vásáry recorded the Chopin piano concertos, directing from the keyboard. Vásáry was later Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Bournemouth Sinfonietta
The Bournemouth Sinfonietta was a chamber orchestra founded in 1968 as an off-shoot of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.-Formation:The orchestra was initially conducted by George Hurst, who acted as artistic adviser, and Nicholas Braithwaite, in order to perform the classical repertoire in the...
, from 1989 to 1997. He has guest conducted many of the principal British orchestras as well as appearing regularly in the United States and elsewhere as pianist and conductor.
Recordings
Vásáry has recorded under six different labels: SupraphonSupraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
, Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
, Chandos Records
Chandos Records
Chandos Records is an independent classical music recording company based in Colchester, Essex, in the United Kingdom, founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.- Background :...
, Academy Sound and Vision, Collins Classic and Hungaroton
Hungaroton
Hungaroton was the one and only record and music publisher company in Hungary for about 40 years.Hungaroton was founded in 1951, since then, its only competitors in the Hungarian music market were record labels like Melodiya, Supraphon and Eterna from other socialist countries. Previously called...
. He has recorded over 20 albums of the music of Liszt, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and Mozart with Deutsche Grammophon. In 1991 his recording of works by Liszt released by the Academy of Sound and Vision won the Grand Prize in Hungary, and his recording of Dohnányi's violin concerto released by Hungaroton won the Midem Prize. As a conductor, he has also recorded the complete Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms symphonies with Hungaroton.