Tamás Vásáry | |
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.jpg) Vásáry in 2015 | |
| Born | (1933-08-11)11 August 1933 |
| Died | 5 February 2026(2026-02-05) (aged 92) Budapest, Hungary |
| Education | Franz Liszt Academy of Music |
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Tamás Vásáry (Hungarian pronunciation:[ˈtɒmaːʃˈvaːʃaːri]; 11 August 1933 – 5 February 2026) was a Hungarian concert pianist and conductor who made an international career, living in Switzerland from 1956 and later in London from 1970. He was known for interpreting music of the Romantic era, especially byChopin,Liszt andSchumann.
He began as a child prodigy, playing anearly Mozart Concerto at age eight and studying at theFranz Liszt Academy of Music from age twelve. He taught there as an assistant toZoltán Kodály. He was a finalist of both theV International Chopin Piano Competition and theLong-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in 1955, and of theQueen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1956. Due to political unrest, he left Hungary for Switzerland in 1956, recording forDeutsche Grammophon and playing concerts, in the United States from 1961 and regularly at European festivals. He moved to London in 1970 where he began to conduct, becoming joint principal conductor of theNorthern Sinfonia and principal conductor of theBournemouth Sinfonietta. In 1993, he became principal conductor of theHungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Vásáry was born inDebrecen on 11 August 1933.[1][2][3] He was a child prodigy, and was accepted to the Debrecen Conservatory after playing Liszt'sHungarian Rhapsody No. 2.[4] He trained with Margit Höchtle, a student ofÁrpád Szendy.[2] He made his stage debut at age eight, performing one of Mozart'searly piano concertos in his home town, where he gave a solo recital the following year,[1][2] focused on music byChopin.[1] He then began to play concerts regularly. He was introduced toErnő Dohnányi, who offered to accept him as a student.[3][5]
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After World War II, the family moved to Budapest where his father, József Vásáry (1890-1975), became secretary of state[3] inImre Nagy's cabinet.[6] Vásáry studied withJózsef Gát [hu] andLajos Hernádi [hu] at theFranz Liszt Academy of Music,[2] advised also byZoltán Kodály and Dohnanyi.[7] Aged 14, he won the Academy's Franz Liszt Competition.[7][8][9] During political unrest, his father was dismissed from office, and the family restricted to house arrest in the country from 1951.[7] Vásáry contributed to the family income by playing as an accompanist forkabarett and operetta recitals; he belonged to severaljazz groups.[3] He studied until 1953 and then served as an assistant to Kodály at the Academy.[2] He performed internationally in Moscow and Eastern Europe.[5] He played Mozart'sConcerto for Two Pianos, K. 365, in Budapest in 1953 withAnnie Fischer, of whom he said that she "evoked for me the poetry of music".[1] He was a finalist of theV International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1955, also of theLong-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in Paris the same year.[2][8] He was a finalist in theQueen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1956,[1][6][9] whereVladimir Ashkenazy,Cécile Ousset andLazar Berman also competed.[1] At the event he also managed to contact the royal family to intercede for the release of his father.[6]
When Vásáry's father was released, the family left Hungary in 1956, settling in Switzerland.[6] He was a competition finalist again in Rio de Janeiro in 1957.[2][8] He made his debuts in the major cities of the West from 1960,[9] after a successful concert at theRoyal Festival Hall in London.[8] At his first performance with theBBC Proms in 1961, he played Liszt'sPiano Concerto No. 1 with theBBC Symphony Orchestra conducted byJohn Pritchard. The same year, he celebrated the composer's sesquicentennial with a sold-out recital at the Royal Festival Hall. That year saw his debut performance in the United States, where he played Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 with theCleveland Orchestra conducted byGeorge Szell. He made hisCarnegie Hall debut the following year, playing J. S. Bach'sGoldberg Variations and Beethoven'sHammerklavier Sonata.[1][6] He played regularly at festivals such as theHolland Festival, theSalzburg Festival,[6] theEdinburgh Music Festival, theAldeburgh Festival and theTanglewood Music Festival.[5] At the 1968 BBC Proms, he performed both Chopin'sPiano Concerto No. 2 and Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 with theBBC Symphony Orchestra conducted byJames Loughran.[1] He recorded forDeutsche Grammophon, focused on theRomantic period, such as works by Chopin, Liszt,Schumann,Debussy andRachmaninoff.[3][5]
In 1970, Vásáry moved to London and began to work also as a conductor. He returned to Budapest for concerts again from 1972, also teaching master classes at the Academy.[6] He served as artistic director of theNorthern Sinfonia from 1979 to 1982,[1][2][6] sharing the post withIván Fischer.[1] With the Northern Sinfonia, he recorded Chopin'sPiano Concertos, playing and conducting.[5][10] Vásáry was principal conductor of theBournemouth Sinfonietta from 1989 to 1997.[1][2] They played music from the 20th century, includingStravinsky andJames MacMillan.[1][6] He conducted several Mozart operas,Il Re Pastore at the Aldeburgh Festival,Le nozze di Figaro at both theSadler's Wells Theatre in London and in Cambridge, andDon Giovanni in Seville.[5]
Vásáry was chief conductor of theHungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra[1] from 1993[2] to 2004,[8][9] becoming then honorary chief musical director for life.[5] He conducted in Budapest operas including Mozart'sDie Zauberflöte, Verdi'sRigoletto and Gluck'sOrfeo ed Euridice.[5] He founded in his hometown the Zoltán Kodály World Youth Orchestra in 2006, a summer meeting of gifted young musicians.[1] He conducted many leading British and international orchestras and appeared regularly as pianist and conductor in Europe and the United States.[5]
Harold C. Schonberg wrote "The pleasing thing about his performance, aside from his well-groomed pianism — we all expect complete technicians these days, and generally get them — was its sensitivity. Mr. Vasary gave a big performance without banging or indulging in empty rhetoric." Tim Page called Vásáry's recording of Schumann'sScenes From Childhood "marvelously variegated".[4]
In 1967, Vásáry married Ildikó Kutasi-Kovács, the widow of his best friend. She had grown up in Brazil and been a child actress. She worked at theUniversity College London as acultural anthropologist. The couple had no children. They regularly attended opera at theRoyal Opera House and theGlyndebourne Festival. She died from cancer in 1994 at the age of 47.[1]
Vásáry died in Budapest on 5 February 2026, at the age of 92.[1][6][11]
He toldThe Baltimore Sun: "Everyone is a creator and has wonderful dreams and fantasies. If you can resonate to any great work of art, then you have it in you. But we strive too much for material goods, and we are atrophying our imaginations. I see children who are like dry, old people. If you cannot have emotions, then everything is useless.”[4]
Vásáry recorded for labelsSupraphon,Deutsche Grammophon,Chandos Records,Academy Sound and Vision, Collins Classic andHungaroton. He recorded a Liszt recital in Hamburg in 1957,[7] and a reviewer fromGramophone wrote: "There are several places where this unknown, unheralded young pianist clearly possesses three hands ... There is a tingling sensitivity, a real feeling for the control of the iridescent tone-colours and gigantic volume range his fingers can evoke."[1] He recorded both Liszt Concertos in 1959, described as "devoid of bombast", and again in 1960 whenRoger Fiske wrote forGramophone: "Vásáry is one of those pianists who command your attention the whole time. There is no trace of superficiality here, and a great deal of sincerity." He recorded almost the complete music by Chopin for Deutsche Grammophon, both for solo piano and the Piano Concertos. He recorded the concertos again with the Northern Sinfonia of England.[7]
Vásáry recorded Mozart'sPiano Concerto Nos. 14, K. 449, and26, K. 537, conducting theBerliner Philharmoniker from the piano[6] in 1979.[7] In 1991, he recorded works by Liszt released by the Academy of Sound and Vision.[5][12] His 1998 recording of conducting Dohnányi's Violin Concerto released by Hungaroton[13] won theMidem Prize.[5][14] In 2006 he recorded bothPiano Concertos by Brahms with his friendPeter Frankl as the pianist and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.[1]
Books by Vásáry include:[5]
Vásáry was honoured with Hungary's highest awards for musicians, including:
He was an honorary member of both theRoyal Academy of Music and theRoyal College of Music, and was aChevalier des Arts et des Lettres.[8][11]
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| Preceded by | Artistic Director, Northern Sinfonia 1979–1982 (withIván Fischer) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Bournemouth Sinfonietta 1989–1997 | Succeeded by Alexander Polianichko |
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