Melody at his fingertips
|
He is a renowned soloist but playing in an orchestra is more challenging for celebrated Hungarian pianist Karoly Mocsari.
|
Karoly Mocsari
`My mother says I started singing even before I began to speak. In fact, it seems I was talking in songs,' recounts Károly Mocsári, the world-renowned Hungarian pianist who enthralled the Delhi audience recently at the India International Centre with his piano recital. The event was held as a part of the Hungarian Cultural Festival in India, dedicated to the memory of Béla Bartók, the musical genius of Hungary.
The event was, as Imre Lázár, director of the Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, Delhi, rightly put it, "a meeting of two great musical minds."
Asked about his early training in music, Mocsári with his uncanny humour replied, "When I was six or eight, I was put into a music school." Queried about his choice of the piano, he added, tongue -in-cheek, "I first tried the violin. But the violin teacher had a beard. So I switched over to the piano". But the apparent loss for the world of the violin, due to the young boy's fear, has indeed become the gain of the piano lovers of the world.
Tribute to Bartok
Mocsári graduated from Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.
Regarded as a leading performer of Bartók and Liszt, piano works by the music fraternity of the world, he launched his international career almost two decades ago. Leaving no one in doubt about his mastery over the medium, Mocsári had the audience in raptures by playing Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Bartók, and Liszt to unbelievable levels of perfection. Taking pride in the Hungarian musical tradition, he added, "If you are a Hungarian musician, you have to play Bartók. He has a place in the legion of musical greats. Like Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms."
He reminded everyone that his own recital was yet another tribute to the great composer on his 125th birth anniversary. On the relation between the music and a nation's identity, he waxed eloquent,
"Hungarian music is unique. To play it you have to be a Hungarian. I believe this is certainly not the case with, say, Czech, German, or French music."
He endorsed the viewpoint of music critics that Bartók's music has a prominent folk component.
"Yes, it is true that Hungarian music has its roots in the folk tradition." Commenting further on the contributions of Bartók to Western classical music he added, "The full tone scale is the living legacy of Bartók. His music was very precise. Perhaps no other composer with the exception of Beethoven and Bach had this quality."
He has been the guest soloist of many major orchestras: Manchester Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Radio Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra. He has given solo recitals in over 30 countries, in the leading concert halls. However, he believes that as a pianist, it is more challenging for him to play in an orchestra.
Dwelling on his future projects, he confides, "Together with my pianist partner Ákos Hernádi, I am planning a dual concert. We will be playing the `Miraculous Mandarin', the eponymous piece of Bartók."
This incredible pianist divides his time between Paris and Budapest.
He gives piano lessons in his spare time. Noting his admiration for the Indian audience, he confessed. "I am not well informed about Indian music. However, I hope to learn more about it."
As a parting word, he added, "I am sure I will come here again." Music lovers would wish the same for this young musical genius.
SANJAY KUMAR
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
