Pannon Philharmonic

You were born in Budapest, grew up in Venezuela, and study in Pécs. Which one is the right one?
I lived and studied in Paris as well, but I feel the Hungarian capital much more liveable. But I do not have time to spend weeks anywhere; I am always on the go. And about me being in Pécs is a special story. Overall, I think the artist's life is such that it can not be tied to a particular city. The friends, the cultural life may decide, where you feel really well.

You have been studying in Pécs for several years now, but in a rather specific form: you sometimes give master classes for university students.
First of all, I would add that at the end of May, I will have my master diploma concert at the Kodály Centre. The program includes Franz Schubert's String Quintet in C major; and I will play together with such artists as Zoltán Bánfalvi violinist, a professor of the Music Institute of the University of Pécs, Péter Bársony violist, whom we organized a master course in Tihany last year with, and two cellists, István Várdai from Pécs, who is my good friend and Tibor Bogányi, chief conductor of the Pannon Philharmonic. And the Brahms’s Violin Concerto will be featuring the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kálmán Berkes. After that, I will be entitled to teach "officially", as well. I also emphasize that an artist studies all his life long. In Paris, I had a chance to gain a very thorough knowledge of working with the instrument and I try to pass that over. However, in Hungary, a degree is required for teaching. I started my studies at the Academy of Music, but I felt that I had not received the instrumental training, what I needed, so I got to Paris. There, however, as a private student of Edward Wilson, I learned such technical skills he had got from Yehudi Menuhin, Nathan Milstein and Henryk Szeryng. But he could not attach a diploma to my knowledge. That is what I am now trying to get in Pécs this way.

You are touring the world, as a violinist. What kind of a station has the capital of Baranya County in this great „Globetrotting”?
These periods in Pecs are refreshing; it is good to calm down a bit from a big rush. Otherwise, I do have here creative deeds, as well; with the pianist Klára Würtz, we have just recorded a CD of Beethoven ten sonatas at the Franz Liszt Concert Hall of the Musicology Institute of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pécs. In the summer, I and my friends will lead our master class here with the support of the university; and from the fall, I will go back to teach.

What was it like for the first time to stand on a stage with your wonder instrument?
I got the Stradivarius in 2004 from the Stradivarius Company in Chicago, but I had had a chance to play similar master-class instruments before that, a Guarneri, an Amati. Therefore, it was not hard to find common ground with this violin. I like to play it because it does not tolerate the lack of precision, requires a permanently high standard, and incredibly expanded the tone and intensity of my play.

You step onto a stage and play difficult passages of virtuoso pieces more than half an hour long. What is the greatest task for you during the preparation?
At his level, the preparation does not mean to learn technical solutions, but to understand the composer's musical language, and to see their work, as they themselves, when they created it. For example: to understand a concerto, I usually listen to the composer’s all symphonies, piano pieces, or string quartets.

Is always your favourite work you are actually playing?
Yes, because I try to dig deeper into the composer's world. And next time, if the same piece should be done again, it would starts all over again, just from a little higher level.

You won international competitions at a very young age, and then came a long pause. But at the age of thirty, you have ventured into the Paganini Competition in Moscow; you also brought home the “Oscar Prize” for violinists, though.
I have proved a bit of something to my colleagues, because I stopped at a young age sq that I was only third in Brussels. I note also that the competitions are now not as important as they were before, but it is good if the organizers know where we are. Today, for the career-building, marketing and management are much more important. For me, the professional relationships are really motivating; that I could make music together with people who are recognized because of knowing something. On the other hand, what I represent musically as an individual could be able to perform at a similar level with partners too. For example, a lot of stairs ought to be mount to the Berlin Philharmonic’s level. I believe that I go in the right direction; and I move forward.