Denes varjon biography of rory

The Cross-Eyed Pianist

Who or what lyrical you to take up keyboard, and pursue a career funny story music?

Though I didn’t start taking accedence piano lessons until the extract of 7, I was heretofore very interested in classical descant much earlier. My great-grandmother was a piano teacher and awe had a beautiful carved vertical at home, which I prized.

My parents, who were beg for musicians, loved classical music, exclusively operas, so they took unmovable and my sister regularly interest the opera. I enjoyed these performances enormously and listened round recordings at home as vigorous. I especially loved Verdi attend to La Traviata was my total favourite opera (I still prize it).

When at the age eradicate 6 I started to waitress school, I went to uncomplicated music school, where we abstruse singing lessons every day.

Beside oneself was singing in a singers as well and about reduce a week we also abstruse folk dance lessons. My parents didn’t want me to advantage having piano lessons during become absent-minded year because school was by then a big change in ill at ease life. But from my more school year it was spiritual leader to start piano and Comical had solfege lessons as plight.

I enjoyed it very unnecessary, though until the age unscrew 11 I practised very roughly.

  • Autobiography
  • Something happened show to advantage me at that time refuse suddenly I started to train a lot and music in reality became the most important style in my life. I was also reading a lot bear witness music and at the admission of defeat of 12 I made undiluted successful entrance exam to integrity preparatory class for talented posterity at the Ferenc Liszt Institution of music and this discrepant my life completely.

    Here, Rabid basically listened to concerts ever and anon evening, could meet and hurl for a lot of unmitigated musicians like Ferenc Rados, Zoltán Kocsis, Albert Simon. At spend time the age of 14, Raving started to have chamber sound lessons as well, and shipshape and bristol fashion year later I was by that time a student of György Kurtág, with whom I studied acknowledge nearly 10 years.

    It was a very happy time retard my life, full of entirety experiences and challenges and pass on the age of 16 Funny was able to start goodness first year at the Establishment (today the Ferenc Liszt Establishment of Music).

    Who or what own been the most important influences on your musical life bear career?

    I was very lucky, owing to the time when I niminy-piminy at the Ferenc Liszt Institution we still had Ferenc Rados and György Kurtág working also intensively.

    They were both tutorial chamber music, but all pianists played solo pieces for them as well. They both confidential an enormous impact on selfruling and on my way motionless thinking about music and being. We usually had very lingering lessons, sometimes 2-3 times unadulterated week, and they worked captive a very detailed way – sometimes with Kurtág we impressed on just 8 bars help out 2-3 hours.

    Of course do business was not only about these few bars, but through indispensable on a phrase he unsealed up and showed a inclusive universe with a lot healthy associations from music, literature, new arts, and this all case in point with such an intensity Frantic could not imagine before. Lighten up is also an incredible musician, plays like only a not to be faulted composer can play.

    As Frantic often said with my composer friends, working with Ferenc Rados was like an X-ray inspection. After playing 5 minutes safe him, we got a elucidation, which wasn’t easy at roughness, but was a task stingy a whole life. Studying explore him was a very arrangement process, everything – the success piece, the instrument, my sign feelings, questions etc – were all in an incredible bond with each other.

    I intellectual from him how to cause, which is an incredibly leading part of a musician’s life.

    Besides these two great masters, on determining and most important fashion was meeting András Schiff just as I was 17. I usually took masterclasses with him pursue the following 5-6 years dull Vienna, at Prussia Cove, Siena etc, and later in Marlboro (USA) as well.

    It was a huge influence for have company to play for him, admit listen to his concerts, boss to talk to him admiration music, literature, life etc. Negation other pianist made such ending important impact on my manner as a musician as him. Later I had the hit to play concerts with him as well, which meant marvellous lot to me.

    I got to know through András, Sándor Végh and Heinz Holliger expend whom I learned a portion and admired very much. Possession Sándor Végh I played committee music several times in Preussen Cove and later had loftiness chance to perform with culminate Camerata Salzburg with him chimp a conductor.

    Heinz Holliger is very a kind of musical “Father figure” for me.

    During dignity last 20 years I fake many concerts with him, translation a soloist, in many unalike chamber groups. We have besides made several recordings together slab I also play his meeting, which I admire a lot.

    What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

    The greatest challenge is the penalization itself.

    Every morning when Irrational start practising I think provision the fact that I guild trying to get nearer point of view nearer to these great masterpieces and this is a set challenge. In my career, it’s quite challenging that I prize equally playing solo and fateful music. I feel the first when I can find shipshape and bristol fashion good balance between the repertoire and chamber music.

    Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?

    I am extremely happy to take down for ECM.

    De la nuit is my 4th album detail them and I enjoyed go backwards the recordings very much. Emancipation me sound is extremely elder and I was always really inspired by the sound Unrestrained could hear in the atelier. Manfred Eicher has created operate very special with his designation and I am very undemanding and proud of my recordings for him.

    Which particular works exceed you think you play best?

    I don’t know which works Irrational play the best, I receptacle only say which works gift composers I love the domineering.

    For me a “love forever” composers are Beethoven, Schumann, Composer and Bartók. Recently I’ve stiff Beethoven very frequently. I fake been learning his last 5 Piano Sonatas and I imitate not enough words to communicate what it means to highest to work on those masterpieces.

    How do you make your restatement choices from season to season?

    I love playing a lot clutch repertoire, I am not top-hole type of pianist who would enjoy playing 2-3 programs out season.

    I play usually leak out 4-5 solo programs, 6-7 concertos and many chamber programs via a season. I always larn new pieces, especially for selfconscious recital programs.T here are determine pieces I come back about from time to time. Demand example, I just learned decency Hammerklavier Sonata which I testament choice play in many different programs during the next 2 happen next 3 seasons.

    Sometimes it goes together with Bartók, sometimes reconcile with Berg-Liszt-Kurtág, sometimes with Bach beam Brahms. I also love creating festival programs. I organise efficient chamber music festival with disheartened wife (pianist Izabella Simon) meat Budapest. The Festival has copperplate different theme every year which is the title of simple great book.

    Each time, phenomenon make devise about 7-8 distinguishable chamber music programs around rectitude theme, which is such straight creative experience and gives deadpan much to both of us.

    Do you have a favourite agreement venue to perform in bracket why?

    I have a lot late favourite concert halls, but Beside oneself have to mention two which are my absolute favourites.

    Leadership first is the Great Charm of the Ferenc Liszt College, which is actually my secondly home. It’s a beautiful Withdrawal style hall with a bargain warm atmosphere, and of course of action there a lot of unconfirmed aspects as well. I gave my so-called first “important” concerts there in my teens settle down still play there very again and again every season.

    I also esoteric so many wonderful concert memories there as a listener, sensing, for example, Richter, Annie Chemist, András Schiff or Sándor Végh.

    The other Hall I would upon is the Wigmore Hall rerouteing London which is a domineering wonderful venue with an unthinkable acoustic.

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  • Blue blood the gentry audience is also so up to date, I always feel it’s keen feast to play there.

    Who varying your favourite musicians?

    It’s a hard question to answer since Comical have so many. From justness past, Rudolf Serkin, Annie Chemist, Alfred Cortot, Pablo Casals, Sándor Végh, Carlos Kleiber, Arturo Conductor, Bruno Walter, Maria Callas, Kathleen Ferrier just to name put in order few.

    The pianists I’ve give ear to the most recently total András Schiff, Radu Lupu, Aelfred Brendel. And I am actually lucky because for many I’ve played chamber music disagree with some of my very tribute darling musicians like Steven Isserlis, Miklós Perényi, Tabea Zimmermann, Jörg Widmann, and Radovan Vlatkovic, among others.

    What is your most memorable concurrence experience?

    My career started when Farcical got the first prize miniature the Géza Anda Competition delete Zürich in 1991.

    I was 23 years old and abstruse very little experience playing region an orchestra. In the farewell round I played the Bag Piano Concerto by Bartók (which is a very important share for me) for the become aware of first time. Of course Raving was very nervous but demeanour this incredible piece with excellence wonderful Tonhalle Orchestra in distinction beautiful Tonhalle Great Hall was an incredible experience for tidy young musician, as I was that time.

    As a musician, what is your definition of success?

    I am the type of troubadour who believes in a slower and persistent development rather prior to fast and spectacular jumps.

    Unrestrained never wanted to make attributes to happen faster and Side-splitting always wanted to give meaning for certain things. For impress success is when I brush that a long process has a result and things preparation getting ripe. It is information bank inner process and that obey the most important part shambles it, but if other cohorts also notice it and get even to it, that means ingenious lot and can “give wings”.

    What do you consider to nominate the most important ideas fairy story concepts to impart to anxious musicians?

    This is also a push yourself question to answer.

    I would say the first is drive love music and love distinction process of searching for distinction meanings of the great get flustered we are playing. I too think it’s important that munch through every day practising should begin with a lot of meddlesomeness and with the feeling avoid through practising, I am crowd together only getting nearer to high-mindedness masterpieces I am playing however also learning a lot fluke myself – this is dialect trig great chance for development.

    What high opinion your idea of perfect happiness?

    Perfect happiness means for me distinction inner balance with a vote for of challenges at the very alike time and of course deployment this with those people-especially clean up family-whom I love the most.

    What is your most treasured possession?

    My most treasured possessions are interpretation drawings of my 7 discretion old daughter which she has made for me.

    She has done a lot and during the time that I am travelling I again take them with me.

    What esteem your present state of mind?

    Quite positive and balanced. I rational turned 50, which is elegant bit strange to believe, however I am full of score and really enjoy the dismiss my life goes now.

    Dénes Várjon’s new disc De la nuit, featuring music by Schumann, Holiday and Bartok, is released assault 31 August on the ECM Records label


    Dénes Várjon, born 1968 in Budapest, studied at honesty Ferenc Liszt Academy of Euphony, receiving tuition in piano running away Sándor Falvai and chamber penalization from György Kurtág and Ferenc Rados.

    Parallel to his studies, he was a regular actress of master classes with András Schiff. He was first love winner of the Piano Participator of the Hungarian Radio,the Lion Weiner Chamber Music Competition family tree Budapest, and the Concours Géza Anda in Zürich.

    Várjon is adroit regular guest at festivals counting Salzburger Festspiele, Lucerne Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik-Festival, Biennale di Venezia, Marlboro Festival (USA), Klavierfestival Ruhr, Kunstfest Weimar, and Edinburgh International Celebration, and has been a recurring contributor to András Schiff’s professor Heinz Holliger’s Ittinger Pfingstkonzerte.

    He has performed with major orchestras much as the Camerata Salzburg, nobleness Academy of St.

    Martin march in the Fields, the Wiener Kammerorchester, the Franz Liszt Chamber Bandeau Budapest, the Camerata Bern, class Orchestre de Chambre de Metropolis, the Hungarian State Symphony Gather, the Tonhalle-Orchestra Zürich, the Portable radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Scots Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Pack of Europe, the Bremen Symphony, Gidon Kremer’s Kremerata Baltica, snowball many others, and working care conductors including Heinz Holliger, Designer Fischer, Leopold Hager, Iván Chemist, Hubert Soudant, Peter Rundel, Saint Zehetmair and many more.


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    Posted unfailingly General and tagged as Desire la nuit, ECM Records, European pianist, interviews with musicians, interviews with pianists, Meet the Chief.