Erika Sziklay passed away

Erika Sziklay was born on 4 March 1934 in Rákospalota. She was Géza László's and Magda Kapitánffy’s student between 1952 and 1957 at the Bartók Béla Secondary School of Music, then she studied with Prof. Oszkár Maleczky between 1957 and 1960 at the Liszt Academy. Between 1960 and 1990, she performed as a soloist of the Hungarian National Philharmonic, and she was a member of the Budapest Chamber Ensemble. She was a singing teacher at Jászberény Music School between 1959 and 1964, then a senior lecturer from 1964 and university professor from 1993 to 2004 at the Vocal Department of the Liszt Academy. Her students were, among others, Júlia Kukely, Ingrid Kertesi, Éva Bátori, Katalin Szendrényi, Eszter Bellai, Éva Szonda, Gabriella Felber, Zita Váradi, Tünde Szabóki, Attila Fekete, as well as Andrea Meláth, current Head of the Vocal Department at the Liszt Academy of Music.

In the sixties and seventies, she performed at the premiere of over ninety contemporary pieces; she sang compositions by Rudolf Maros, Attila Bozay, György Kurtág, Sándor Balassa and others. She was the first to perform masterpieces by Schönberg, Berg and Webern, and popularized pieces by Boulez, Dallapiccola and other significant international composers. She won the Grand Prix de disque in Paris at multiple occasions (Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Complete Works of Bartók: Twenty Hungarian Folk Songs from the Village; Kurtág: Péter Bornemisza’s Stories). For her work she received the Franz Liszt Prize in 1969, the Excellent Artist Award in 1975, the Bartók Commemorative Medal in 1981, the Liszt Commemorative Medal in 1986, the Bartók-Pásztory Prize in 1996, and the Liszt Commemorative Ring in 2000.

“Dearest Erika,

It is sad to realize that this is the last time I address you with these words… it is truly heart wrenching.

Ingrid and I wanted to visit you this week, but sadly we never got to do so. Perhaps we will meet again in another dimension.

We, who have been left behind, are tortured by remorse; we are bombarded by questions: Were we grateful enough to you after we had left your classroom? Did we thank you enough for your patience and kindness that you showed to your students? Did we hold your hand strong enough when you were left alone?

‘My dear, that’s all right, just do your job and always sing with a jingle in your voice!", you would probably say; I can still hear your voice and see your face before me.

The walls of Room 24 have absorbed all those memories, all the secrets and emotional waves of professional education. Renovation did not change anything; as you taught, these things cannot be covered or painted over, they will not be forgotten.

You did not only taught us technique, but also how to tackle life. You gave us so much sage advice that directly saved us from the pitfalls of our profession.

We stand in awe of your amazing ability to teach us just what we needed. Although you never sang opera on stage, you were still able to provide technical and dramaturgical analysis of arias and ensembles in opera with great wisdom. Your explanations were always clear and logical, and your accompaniment on the piano was beautiful when we sang.

You will always be a part of us, part of what we have become, dear Erika. Words cannot express our appreciation and gratitude.

You live on in us!...

Rest in peace.”

Andrea Meláth