Bartók-Pásztory prize awarded to Zsófia Tallér and Várjon Dénes

"Zsófia Tallér certainly has a flair for drama, which is not only manifested in her personality but also in her works” – as was pointed out by one of the members of the award panel, the composer, Gyula Fekete, Head of the Composition Department and the Vice-President of the Liszt Academy at the award ceremony.  He also added that her significant compositions of the past few years had deservedly claimed the attention of the profession.

In his laudation speech, Mr Fekete noted that Ms Tallér „is not prepared to make compromises and will not concede to incompletion.  She does her work and create her compositions with full energy." He suggested that Ms Tallér’s works are sensitive, humane, lovable, yet, should her sense of justice prompt her to express things that are not lovable, she is ready not to be loved and is ready to take upon herself all the implications involved in this role. Mr Fekete also remarked that "consistent motifs, the pure treatment of harmony and inexhaustible imagination in her tunes as well as the clear presentation of musical characters mark her works."

Dénes Várjon and Zsófia Tallér (Photo: Liszt Academy / István Bielik)

„The music-savvy audience regards Dénes Várjon as the successor of Géza Anda, whose legacy lives on in him, both as a musician and as a Hungarian.”- as  the cellist and professor emeritus of the Liszt Academy, János Devich put it. He added that „Mr Várjon carries this severe but solemn burden with pride and performs this service with great excellence.”  He also pointed out that „Mr Várjon, now in his best years, has reached the peak of his career, and his path has made it possible that he is now considered as one of the greatest musicians.”

At the ceremony, the President of the Liszt Academy, Dr. Andrea Vigh, read out a passage written by Ditta Pásztory that concentrated on the award; she then recalled that the prize was annually presented at the Liszt Academy to commemorate Béla Bartók’s birthday. 

Ms Vigh also added that the year of 2016 had been officially declared „The Year of Bartók” by the government and was to be celebrated with a vast array of events organised in the composer’s memory, which is the Liszt Academy’s mission, duty and responsibility, as the message and credo of this exceptional composer, one of the great „sons” of the institution is globally known and recognised.” Furthermore, the President announced that from March 2017 onward, the Liszt Academy would host an international Bartók competition subsidised by the Hungarian state. As she put it, the highly prestigious, uniquely structured biannual contest would focus on a different instrument category each time: in 2017, the competition would be centred around the violin, while later, the piano, string quartets and chamber music would be in the foreground. Dr Andrea Vigh also claimed that this contest would guarantee a continuous international presence and would show Bartók’s work in its completeness in a unique Hungarian way.

The Bartók-Pásztory prize was founded in 1984 in compliance with the will of the composer’s second wife, Ditta Pásztory.  The awards are funded by some of the royalties paid for Bartók’s works. On the composer’s birthday - according to Ditta Pásztory’s will-  the prize is granted by the panel of a group of the renowned teachers of the Liszt Academy to composers, musical performers and ensembles who - with their activity - have significantly contributed to the field of music in Hungary as well as to the maintenance of Béla Bartók’s heritage.

dr. Andrea Vigh (Photo: Liszt Academy / István Bielik)

Following the award ceremony, the Managing Director of Editio Musica Budapest presented the new facsimile edition of the Cantata profana, whose memorial publication for Béla Bartók’s 135th birthday was jointly funded by the Federation to Maintain Jewish Culture in Hungary and the Prime Minister’s Office.  This new edition contains the original Romanian text in the copy of Bartók’s penmanship, parts of the piano arrangement of the Cantata Profana, László Réber’s engravings, the English-language translation of György Kroó’s musicology study, Bartók’s translation of the colindas (Romanian Christmas Carols), but the volume also includes the brief bilingual tribute to György Kroó and László Réber’s work.

The new edition of the Cantata Profana is not yet on the market; the newly published volumes are donated to academic institutions and libraries in Hungary and abroad.

Congratulations to the award winners!

MTI / Liszt Academy