Hungarian Quartet Returns Next Week

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30541, 9 September 1964, Page 10

Hungarian Quartet Returns Next Week

One of the biggest “names” in chamber music, the Hungarian Quartet, will return to Christchurch this month to give two concerts for the Christchurch Chamber Music Society.

The quartet, was formed in Budapest in 1935, won fame early, and by 1938 had performed in every capital in Europe. Early in its career, the quartet settled in Holland, and although during the war years it was banned from the concert stage, it was able to expand its repertoire and perfect its art. In 1945 the quartet began touring again and travelled through Europe and the Americas with its celebrated performance of Beethoven’s 16 quartets. In 1950 the quartet became the quartet-in-residence of the University of Southern California, adopting Los Angeles as its home, but still continuing to tour the world.

The members of the quartet are Zoltan Szekely, first violin, Michael Kuttner, second violin, Denes Koromzay,

viola, and Gabriel Magyar, 'cello. Szekely and Koromzay have been with the quartet since its inception, while Kuttner and Magyar have taken the places of the other original members, Alexandre Moskowsky and Vilrnos Palotai. Koromzay, after a short career as a violinist, took up the viola when the quartet was formed. During the war he was first violist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Kuttner was a member of the pre-war Westminster Quartet and as he had also Studied under Hubay at Budapest was an . obvious choice for the quartet. He has a reputation in New York as a conductor of symphony and opera. Magyar was a pupil of Weiner, Friss and Kodaly at the Royal Hungarian Conservatory and was professor of cello at the University of Oklahoma before joining the quartet.. The quartet will plav in the Civic Theatre next Monday and on Tuesday, September 22. The quartet is also playing in Nelson this Saturday and in Timaru on September 23. The quartet previously visited New Zealand in 1962.