Born: 1948, Budapest
University position: professor emeritus
Studies:
Being an exceptional talent, he was admitted to the Special School for Extraordinary Young Talents of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music at the early age of seven, where at first he was the student of Miklós Zsámboki, then, from 1959, of Ede Banda. Later he attended the master classes of Enrico Mainardi in Salzburg, Lucerne, and the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome, where, in 1962, he received his artist degree.
In 1965 and 1966, then in 1969 and 1972 he was invited to the master classes of Pablo Casals. From Albert Simon he had learnt performance and analysis.
Teaching activites:
He has been a teacher at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music since 1974.
Master classes:
Bartók Seminar of Szombathely, Prades, Florence, Accanthes, Semmering, Vienna, Manchester, Paris, Madrid, Seoul, Basel, Sapporo, etc.
Cello festivals:
Kronberg, Manchester, Liesthal
Major concerts:
He is one of the greatest cellists of our times. He gives very successful concerts around the world. His repertoire embrace almost the entire scope of music.
He gave his debut concert in 1957, at the age of nine. In the course of his career, he has given concerts in almost all the prestigious concert halls of the world. He has performed at the Marlborough Festival, in Lucerne, Rome, Munich, Prague, Salzburg, Vienna, Warsaw, Berlin, New York, as well as in Japan, China, North- and South America. His chamber music partners include Zoltán Kocsis, Dezső Ránki, Jenő Jandó, and István Lantos, among others. As the chamber music partner of András Schiff, he has performed in several North-American locations. Playing chamber music is another very important field of his artistic activities.
Besides giving concerts and teaching, he is also engaged in composing music. His repertoire spreads from the Baroque to the music of the 20th century, including the works of contemporary composers. Several of his albums has been released by leading publishers of the world. His album containing the complete cello pieces of Beethoven, recorded together with András Schiff, had won the Cannes Classical Award in 2005.
Recordings:
Mozart: Clarinet Trio, K498 "Kegelstatt" & Piano Trios K502 & K542, Elatus 2564-61733-2 (contributor)
1978: Franz Liszt: Chamber Music, Hungaroton HCD 11798 (contributor)
1978: Schubert: String Quintet in C major D 956 (Op. Posth. 163), String Quartet No.12 in C minor (Quartettsatz) D 703 - Bartók Quartet, New Budapest Quartet. CLD 4035 (contributor)
1978: Vivaldi: Cello Concertos E flat major, B minor, G major, Concerto in G minor for Two Cellos Contributes: László Mező, Franz Liszt Academy Symphonic Orchestra, Albert Simon. Hungaroton HCD 32283
1984: 3 Bach Gamba Sonatas, Radioton, contributes: Carlo Zecchi – live concert recording in Budapest, October 12, 1983.
1987: Liszt: Works for Harmonium. Angelus, Ave Maria, Ave maris stella, Salve Regina. Works for Cello and Piano. Romance oubliée, 2 Elégies, La lugubre gondola - Contribute: Zsuzsa Elekes, Imre Rohmann. Hungaroton HCD 12768
1988: Tchaikovsky: Variations on a rococo theme, Hungaroton SLPD, HCD 12868
1979: Bozay: String Quartet No.2, Op.21; Improvisations, No.2, Op.27; Malom Op.23 (String Quartet, No.2, Op.21; Improvisations, No.2, Op.27; The Mill Op.23), Hungaroton SLPX 12058, (contributor) LP
1989: Zene gordonkára és zongorára, (Music for Cello and Piano) – Contributes: Zoltán Kocsis. Hungaroton HCD 31140,
1990: The Instruments Of Classical Music Vol.6 - The Cello, Laserlight 15240 (contributor)
1990: The Instruments Of Classical Music Vol.6-10, Laserlight 15980 (contributor) 5 CDs
1991: Schubert: String Quartet in C major, Decca
1991: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Concertos, A minor, A major, B flat major, Contributes: Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, EMI Quint
1992: Romantic Moments Vol.5 – Mendelssohn, (Romantic Moments Vol.5 - Mendelssohn). Laserlight 14055, (contributor)
1993: Romantic Moments Vol.1-5, Laserlight 35865, (contributor)
1993: Tchaikovsky: Souvernir de Florance, Erato. Contribute: Keller String Quartet, Kim Kashkashian (Seon, Switzerland)
1994: Kurtág, György - Portraitkonzert - Salzburg, August 10, 1993. Col Legno WWE 31870, (contributor) 2 CDs
1994: Ligeti, György: Piano Concerto; Cello Concerto; Chamber Concerto Szombathely, 1990, Sony SK 58945 (contributor) conductor: Péter Eötvös, orchestra: Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt/M)
1994: Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor Op.104; Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations - Contributes: Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Iván Fischer. Hungaroton HCD 12868
1994: Kodály: Sonata for Cello and Piano; Sonata for Solo Cello; Trio-Serenade - Contribute: Jenő Jandó, Vilmos Tátrai, István Várkonyi, György Konrád. Hungaroton HCD 31046
1995: Kurtág: The Sayings of Péter Bornemisza Op.7; Four Songs to Poems by János Pilinszky Op.11; Eight Piano Pieces Op.3; Eight Duets for Violin and Cimbalom Op.4; Beads - chorus to poem by Attila József; Splinters Op.6/c, etc. - Contribute: Erika Sziklay, István Gáti, István Antal, Zoltán Kocsis, Lóránt Szücs, György Kurtág, Judit Hevesi, József Szalai, Savaria Vocal Ensemble, István Deáky. Hungaroton HCD 31290
1995: Brahms: 2 Sonatas for Cello and Piano - Contributes: Zoltán Kocsis. Hungaroton HCD 12123
1996: Beethoven: (Sonatas for Cello & Piano (Complete)), Hungaroton HCD 11928-29, contributes: Dezső Ránki
1996: Kurtág György: Musik für Streichinstrumente, ECM Records ECM 1598, (contributor)
1996: Zoltán Jeney: Alef - Hommage a Schönberg (1971-72); To Apollo (1978); Cantos para todos (1983); 12 Songs (1975-1983) - Contribute: Luisa Castellani, Ágnes Dobszay, Ilona Ferenczi, Ágnes Makk, Beáta Meszéna, Magda Tarkó, László Melis, András Soós, András Keller, László Hadady, Zoltán Kocsis, Zoltán Jeney, János Sáry, László Vidovszky, András Wilheim, Asko Chamber Ensemble, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Péter Eötvös. Hungaroton HCD 31653
1996: Mozart: Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Viola in E flat/Trio for Piano, Violin & Cello No 4 in E K542 and No 3 in B flat K502, Teldec 4509-99205-2.
1996: Miklós Perényi & Zoltán Kocsis in Concert (1989-1995), Hungaroton HCD 31673.
1996: Haydn: 2 Cello Concertos - Contributes: Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra. Hungaroton HCD 12121
1997: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.1 in C major, Op. 15, Triple Concerto Op. 56, Hungaroton HCD 4032, (contributor)
1997: Schubert: String Quintet in C major, D. 956, Quartettsatz (Movement for String Quartet) in C minor, D 703, Hungaroton CLD 4035 (contributor), Bartók String Quartet
1997: Schubert: Piano Trios, Teldec 0630-13151-2, own, 2 CDs
1998: Bozay, Attila: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1,2 Op. 33/a, b; Sonata for Violin and Piano Op. 34, Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 35, Hungaroton HCD 31789 (contributor)
1998:Mentsük meg a Zeneakadémiát! (Let's Save the Liszt Academy!), Hungaroton HCD 31841, (contributor)
1999: Eötvös, Péter: Psalm 151, Psy, Triangel, BIS Records BIS-CD-948 (contributor)
1999: Farkas, Ferenc: Works for Orchestra, Hungaroton HCD 31851 (contributor)
1999: Hungarian Cello Music, Hungaroton HCD 31835, own
1999: Dedicated to Eszter Perényi, Hungaroton HCD 31784 (contributor)
2000: Bozay plays Bozay Hungaroton HCD 31936 (contributor)
2001: Fifty Years of Hungaroton - String Players (1951-2001), Hungaroton HCD 32091-3 (contributor) 3 CDs
2001: Dávid, Gyula: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra; Sárai, Tibor: Spring Concerto; Mihály, András: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Hungaroton HCD 31989 (contributor)
2001: Soproni, József: Eklypsis per orchestra; Concertos for Cello and Orchestra Nos 1 & 2; Ovidii Metamorphoses. Hungaroton HCD 32024
2002: Bottesini, Giovanni: Works for Double Bass, Vol.4 - Double Concertos, Hungaroton HCD 32100, (contributor)
Complete edition / First recordings
2002: Szőllősy, András: III. Concerto, Tristia (Maros-sirató), Fabula Phaedri, Miserere, Töredékek (Fragments), Hungaroton HCD 31727 (contributor)
2003: Beethoven: Trio in B flat major for clarinet, cello and piano Op.11 + Brahms, Johannes: Trio in A minor for piano, clarinet and cello Op.114 - contribute: Zoltán Kocsis, Kálmán Berkes. Hungaroton HCD 12286
2003: Cello Encores, edited by Zoltán Kocsis, Works by Paganini, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Popper, Chopin, Granados, Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Kodály, Davidov, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov. Hungaroton HCD 12574
2003: Kodály, Zoltán: Works for Cello. Complete - Contribute: Dénes Várjon, Gábor Takács-Nagy. Hungaroton HCD 32196-98
2003: Beethoven: Complete Music for Piano and Violoncello, ECM Records ECM 1819, own, 2 CDs
2005: Bach: 6 Suites for Cello Solo BWV 1007-1012. HDVD 32421
Video discs:
1988: Schubert Trios, Metropolitan
1990: 2 Brahms Sonatas with Zoltán Kocsis, Metropolitan
1992: Brahms: Sonata in G minor, Op.25, Sonata in C minor, Op.90, András Schiff and Yuko Shiokawa, Metropolitan
Awards and honors:
1963. Pablo Casals Cello Competition, Budapest – 2nd Prize
1963. Pablo Casals Cello Competition, Budapest – 2nd Prize
1970: Franz Liszt Prize
1976: Meritorious Artist
1980: Kossuth Prize
1984: Excellent Artist
1987: Béla Bartók-Ditta Pásztory Prize
2002: Chevalier de l'orde des Arts et des Lettres
1980: Kossuth Prize
1984: Excellent Artist
1987: Béla Bartók-Ditta Pásztory Prize
2002: Chevalier de l'orde des Arts et des Lettres
2006: Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, Medium Cross (civilian category)
2007: Prima Primissima Prize
2007: Kossuth Prize
2013: Honorary citizen of the 2nd district of Budapest
2007: Kossuth Prize
2013: Honorary citizen of the 2nd district of Budapest
2014: Artist of Nation
2014: Homeland Prize