The memory of György Cziffra, one of the most prominent Hungarian performers of the 20th century, will be commemorated on the piano virtuoso's hundredth birthday, on November 5, 2021, in the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall of the Müpa as a highlight of the György Cziffra Memorial Year. Péter Eötvös composed a new work entitled Cziffra Psodia for the gala concert: János Balázs will present the author's first piano concerto with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the French Radio under the baton of the outstanding Finnish conductor Mikko Franck. Among the world-famous musicians inspired by György Cziffra, this year we can also welcome the champion of bravery and endurance, the Russian pianist Gyenyisz Matsuyev, who will give a solo evening at the Müpa on November 4.
Source: MÜPA
György Cziffra found a new home in France in the second half of the fifties and developed an intense relationship with the music scene there.
PÉTER EÖTVÖS RECOMMENDED THE WORK TITLE CZIFFRA PSODIA TO JÁNOS BALÁZS, WHO WILL ALSO PERFORM ONE OF CZIFFRA'S MEMORABLE REPERTOIRE PIECES, THE IMPRESSIVELY ELEGANT HUNGARIAN FANTASY OF FERENC LISZT, AT THE GALA CONCERT ON NOVEMBER 5.
The dulcimer also plays a role in the Eötvös concert, which this time is played by Miklós Lukács, one of the most prominent virtuosos of this typically Hungarian instrument alive today. The evening's program - in the second part of which César Franck's Symphony in D minor will be played - will be conducted by Mikko Franck, one of the most prominent representatives of the world-famous Finnish conducting school marked by Jorma Panula. The performers will also present the program of the concert in Paris on November 7.
Source: Origo.hu/Andrea Felvégi
The internationally recognized composer of the Hungarian contemporary music scene, Péter Eötvös, first met György Cziffra when he was a child. The pianist was sentenced to forced labor in 1950 for his unsuccessful attempt to defect; physical work in a stone quarry and construction site caused permanent damage to his hands. Péter Eötvös' mother, Cziffra, a former student at the Academy of Music, was one of those who supported the pianist after his release in 1953. Cziffra started performing again in a Budapest press room, where the later composer heard him for the first time - as a nine-year-old boy.
ACCORDING TO THE RECOLLECTIONS OF PÉTER EÖTVÖS, THE PIANIST'S PLAY WAS EFFECTIVE, DESPITE THE CONDITION OF HIS HANDS.
The two families remained in touch even after György Cziffra left Hungary. In his piano concerto entitled Cziffra Psodia, the composer wanted to depict the moments of the legendary pianist's life with the tools of music.
The French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra was founded between the two world wars in 1937 and has been led by conductors such as Gilbert Amy, Marek Janowski and Myung-Whun Chung over the past decades. The orchestra's current music director, Mikko Franck, born in 1979, is one of the most distinguished graduates of the Finnish conducting school associated with the professor of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Jorma Panula; He has been at the head of the French team since 2015.
Source and image: origo.hu
