Liszt Academy professor wins award at prestigious German composition competition

144 applications were received for the anonymous competition from 33 countries. The requirement was to submit compositions written for string instruments, ranging from orchestra pieces to solo pieces, and works that have already been performed were also eligible, Máté Balogh told us. He submitted a string quarted with a German theme that he had already finished. He added that he had been unaware that Mannheim was next to the Rhine, so he realized this special connection in hindsight. With his composition, the young composer received a shared third prize, alongside Marten Josjö from Sweden.

As he explained, his work is in fact an homage to Wagner, referring to the first part of the opera The Treasure of the Rhine. The cello symbolizes Albericht the dwarf, the violins and the viola the three mermaids, and at the beginning and end of the work the trickling sounds of the Rhine can be heard.

The piece was performed by the Classicus Quartet (József Rácz, Réka Baksai, Péter Tornyai, Tamás Zétényi) at the Budapest Music Center in 2019, and now, thanks to the competition result, German publisher Impronta Edition is publishing its score. Máté Balogh says that this is his first sheet music published abroad. As he reveals, he is extremely grateful to the Classicus Quartet because the piece was composed at their request, and if they had not made a professional recording of it, he could not have won this competition prize.

About the changes the epidemic has brought him, he says he has had more time to compose, but regrets that his works have been less frequently performed due to the fewer concerts. “Interestingly, there are far more people on the internet watching a contemporary music concert than live. Still, I miss being able to go out on stage during a performance, to bow in front of the audience,” he added.