Balint Vazsonyi

Balint Vazsonyi (7 March 1936 - 17 January 2003) is a Hungarian pianist, international recitalist, soloist with leading orchestras, and political journalist. He made performance history in playing chronological cycles of all 32 piano sonatas by Beethoven over two days in New York, Boston, and London. During the last 6 years of his life, he became a commentator in Washington, DC on the state of American politics.

Early Studies

From 1945-56 Balint Vazsonyi attended the Franz Liszt Academy of Music from which he earned an Artist Diploma. He made his "debut" in Budapest (at age 12) with the F Minor Concerto of J.S.Bach.

In 1956-59 after the failed Hungarian Revolution, on 15 December 1956 Vazsonyi fled Budapest on foot for Austria, where he became pianist in the refugee Philharmonia Hungarica under conductor Antal Dorati. He studied at the Vienna Music Academy with Professor Richard Hauser from 1957-58 and made his Western debut in the Grosser Musikvereinssaal in January 1958 as soloist with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under conductor Volkmar Andreae.

In 1959-60, upon receiving a scholarship to study with Erno Dohnanyi at the School of Music Florida State University, Vazsonyi moved to the United States, in 1960 earning a Master of Music degree. Being the last pupil of the master, Vazsonyi became the last link in a tradition that stretches back to Franz Liszt. At FSU, he met another Dohnanyi student, Barbara Whittington, whom he married on February 26, 1960.

Early career

In 1960-62 Vazsonyi resided in Zurich, Switzerland and in Wiesbaden, Germany, concertizing and recording in Europe.

From 1962-64 he became Pianist-in-Residence at the newly-formed Interlochen Arts Academy where his son Nicholas Vazsonyi was born in 1963. He became an American citizen in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1964 and was awarded the Liberty Bell Award in that same year.

In 1964-78 Vazsonyi moved to London, England with his family for private studies with pianist Dame Myra Hess, from 1964 to her death in 1965. London remained his home base for concertizing in Europe, England, America, and South Africa, recording, and presiding over Master Classes at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, New England Conservatory, Catholic University, Peabody, University of Washington.

Professorship

In 1978-84 Vazsonyi was invited to be Professor of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington School of Music where, as well as having a private piano studio, he conducted all Doctoral Seminars in Piano Literature.

Dohnanyi biography

In 1982, while still teaching at Indiana University, Bloomington, Balint Vazsonyi earned a Ph.D in History, University of Budapest based, in part, upon his seminal monograph of Erno Dohnanyi ["Erno Dohnanyi" (1st comprehensive monograph), Editio Musica, Budapest 1971. 70.5477 Egyetemi Nyomda; Nap Kiado. and Budapest 2002 ISBN 963 9402 22 2] , which resulted in a street next to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest being named for his mentor as well as an official absolving (2002) of false Nazi-sympathizer charges against Erno Dohnanyi made after World War II.

Entrepreneurship -- Telemusic, Inc.

In 1983-92, Vazsonyi, founder/CEO of Telemusic, Inc., wrote/produced, along with video conceptualizer/director Nicholas Vazsonyi, four TV/Home Video/DVD (see list below) films on the lives of Mozart (scripted by Nicholas Vazsonyi), Beethoven (European portions directed by Cash Baxter), Schubert, and Brahms (see TV/Video titles below). With the celebrated English actor Sir Anthony Quayle, he leads the viewer through cities of Europe in search of the life and soul of these composers, using costume drama, music video, gripping story line and exquisite musical selections. Having been involved with this enterprise, he came to understand and respect a core element of American life and success, namely, its relation to the world of business.

Mayoral run

In 1991, Bloomington, Indiana's Republican mayoral candidate having stepped down with 100 days (3 1/2 months) remaining, Vazsonyi, based on several articles published in Bloomington's "The Herald-Times" regarding the First Gulf War, was recruited to run. Even though his opponent won, he claimed the experience taught him how America works full circle.

Deanship

In 1993-95, Balint Vazsonyi became Dean of Music at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida. During that time, he was appointed Senior Fellow at the Potomac Foundation, McLean, Virginia and wrote his first political treatise "The Battle for America's Soul". Between 1993-95, he was Honorary Cultural Counselor in America for Hungary (The Republic of Hungary), a member of the Board of Directors, Chopin Foundation of the United States and of the Washington Bach Consort

Political philosopher

In 1995-2003, he moved to Washington, DC as Senior Fellow of the McLean, VA think tank, Potomac Foundation and within that, founded and became Director of Center for the American Founding dedicated to the following principle: "We advocate and practice discussion of national issues as they relate to America's founding principles. For continued success, we believe this nation needs to return to the Rule of Law, Individual Rights, the Security of Property, and the same American Identity for all its citizens."

Last years

During those years he published and lectured extensively on cultural and political subjects, appeared in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, wrote a bi-weekly column for The Washington Times, and a weekly, nationally syndicated column for Scripps Howard. His proposals for the application of America's founding principles to the national debates have been printed in the Congressional Record, Imprimis, The Heritage Foundation and in Representative American Speeches.

His book, "America's 30 Years War: Who is Winning"? defining the source of alien ideas subverting America's culture and society was published by Regnery in 1998. Balint Vazsonyi was a frequent guest on national talk radio and appeared on television shows such as { [NBC Today] , Booknotes on C-SPAN with Brian Lamb, and Washington Journal, MSNBC, and Insights with Robert Novak.

In 2001, he toured the nation's capitals to promote a national conversation he called "Re-Elect America!". The one-hour television documentary about the tour has been aired on WETA-TV, Washington's PBS station.

Discography

*Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies (Vox STPL 512.340/1966)
*"Reverie": Small gems by Great Masters (ALLEGRO AR 88038/1966)
*Schumann: Scenes from Childhood; Arabeske; Symphonic Etudes (PYE Virtuoso, TPLS 13026/1968)
*Brahms: Phantasien, Op.116; Klavierstuecke Op.119; Variations on an original Theme Op.21, No.1 (PYE Virtuoso TPLS 13016/1968)
*Beethoven: Sonata in F Minor, Op.57 ("Appassionata") (PYE Virtuoso TPLS 13042/1969)
*Liszt: Sonata in B Minor (PYE Virtuoso TPLS 13042/1969)
*Brahms: Two Rhapsodies, Op.79; Intermezzi Op.117; Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op.24 (PYE Virtuoso GSGC 2048/1969)
*Dohnanyi: (First Recording) Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor, Op.5, New Pharmonia Orchestra/Pritchard (PYE Virtuoso TPLS 13052/1972)
*Jolivet: Concerto for Trumpet and Piano, Maurice Andre/EDO (DGG 1972)
*Chopin: Fantasie F Minor, Op.49; Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op.60; Sonata B flat Minor, Op.35 (PYE Virtuoso TPLS 13053/1973)
*Schubert: Moments musicaux; Sonata in G Major, D.894 (PYE Virtuoso - not pressed/1973
* "Gala Concert": 12 renowned pianists perform at London's Royal Festival Hall (DESMAR DSM 1005/1975)
*"The Hungarians": Dohnanyi -- Bartok -- Kodaly (PANTHEON PFN 1981/1984)

TV/Video/DVD

* "Mozart": A production of Telemusic in association with Hungarian TV and TVOntario VHS:MPI 1700/1989; DVD:Delta Music GmbH, D-50226
* "Beethoven": A production of Telemusic VHS:MPI 1701
* "Schubert": A production of Telemusic in association with Hungarian TV and TVOntario VHS:MPI 1702
* "Brahms": A production of Telemusic in association with Hungarian TV and TVOntario VHS: MPI 1703

Print publications

* "Schumann's Piano Cycles" in "Schumann: The Man and his Music", Barrie & Jenkins. London, 1972 ISBN 0 214 66805 3
* "Bartok and Dohnanyi" Editio Musica. Budapest, 1972
* "The 32 Piano Sonatas of Beethoven" Analytical notes for performance of the complete cycle. London, 1977
* "Dohnanyi, Erno" in "The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians", Macmillan. London 1981/99 ISBN 1-56159-239-0
* "Bartok and the 21st Century" in "Bartok and Kodaly revisted", Corvina. Budapest, 1985
* "Guidance Notes for Teachers" for Telemusic's VHSs of "Mozart", "Beethoven", "Schubert", "Brahms", Stylus. London,1990
* "Dohnanyi, Erno" in "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera", Macmillan. London, 1993 ISBN 1-56159-228-5
* "The Battle for America's Soul" in "The Potomac Papers, 1995 and in "Common Sense" American Enterprise Institute. 1996
* "America on my Mind" - Selected essays, The Potomac Foundation. Washington, 1996
* "Four Points of the Compass: Restoring America's Sense of Direction" in "Representative American Speeches 1996-1997" H.W.Wilson Company. New York, 1997 ISSN 0197-6923
* "America's 30 Years War: Who is Winning?" Regnery. 1998 ISBN 0-89526-354-8
* "The pity of self-pity: The sentimentalism of music" in "Faking It - the sentimentalism of modern society" The Social Affairs Unit. London ISBN 0 907631 75 4
* "America on my Mind" - New selected essays, The Potomac Foundation. Washington, 2004 ISBN 0-615-12753-3

Quotes from reviews

* "Beethoven himself might have played his sonatas much as Mr. Vazsonyi did." The Times, London
* "Chopin's F minor Fantasie was played as Chopin might have played it." Irish Independent, Dublin
* "Vazsonyi has a mind as well as fingers and reminds us that Liszt had too; his interpretation of the Sonata is in a class of its own." The Gramophone, London
* "Vazsonyi plays Brahms with subtlety and understanding, giving the listener the feeling that the pianist gets right inside the composer's mind." The Penguin Stereo Record Guide"His playing seemed to make the music spring spontaneously to life." The New York Times
* "He played all the bravura passages easily and he made the piano consistently sing." The New York Post
* "He placed his astonishing arts of virtuosity and sound magic in the service of Beethoven." Die Welt, Hamburg
* "He held the listener in an absolutely hypnotic spell." Musical America
* "Among the countless pianists Vazsonyi belongs to the chosen few for whom the piano is a spiritual medium." Die Tat, Zuerich

References

* Ernst von Dohnanyi Yearbook 2003, Deborah Kiszley-Papp "The Erno Dohnanyi Archives Second Year Retrospective"