Katona Twins

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Katona Twins

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Background = group_or_band
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born = 1968
Died =
Origin = Budapest, Hungary
Instrument = Guitar
Genre = Classical, Tango, Spanish guitar
Years_active = c.1990 -
Label = Channel Classics
URL = [http://www.katonatwins.com/ katonatwins.com]
Current_members = Peter Katona, Zoltán KatonaThe Katona Twins ("Katona") are a celebrated Hungarian guitar duo which has performed in front of audiences at prestigious venues and at major music festivals around the world. Their performances have been widely reviewed by the music press [cite web
title = Katona Twins - Press Reviews
work =
publisher = Margaret Murphy Management
url = http://www.margaretmurphy.com/katona/katona_revs.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] cite web
title = Katona Twins
work =
publisher = Peoplesound
url = http://www.peoplesound.com/artist/katonatwins/
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] . The duo comprises identical twins Peter and Zoltán, and are "the classical world's best-known guitar duo" [cite web
title = Symphony for two:Twin peaks of classical music
work =
publisher = The Daily Telegraph
date = March 21, 2005
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/03/21/bmtwins19.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/03/21/ixartright.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] .

Katona's repertoire spans from the Classical, through to Tango and Spanish guitar. They also work to adapt other classical works to their guitar duo format. Their 5 album releases to date have featured works by, "inter alia", Handel, Scarlatti, Isaac Albéniz, Ástor Piazzolla. Their programmes also include works by de Falla and Tedesco as well contemporary composers such as Paco de Lucía. They also perform concerti for two guitars and orchestra by Rodrigo, Vivaldi, Bach.

Biography

Identical twins Peter and Zoltán , born in Budapest, Hungary in 1968.

From the age of ten, the Katona studied, both individually and as a guitar duo, at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music in Budapest, the Academy of Music in Kassel, the "Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Tanz" (Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts), in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. They also studied under Michael Lewin at the Royal Academy of Music in Londoncite web
title = Concert cycles
work =
publisher = Hermana Brauna Fonds
date = November, 2005
url = http://www.hbf.lv/index.php?&366&view=concert&concert_id=116
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] . Celebrated artists in their own right today, the twins in turn give masterclasses to younger musicians.

They made their Carnegie Hall debut in 1998. Katona have toured widely, playing Ireland [cite web
title = Katona Guitar Duo 14 - 28 Feb 2002 | publisher = The Music Network
date = 2002 | url = http://www.musicnetwork.ie/katona.php#katanc
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] and other world cities; they have played at the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, and at the Cheltenham International Music Festival in 2004, with the London Sinfonietta [cite web
title = London Sinfonietta, Cheltenham Festival | first = Andrew | last = Clements
publisher = The Guardian | date = July 7, 2004
url = http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,1255644,00.html#article_continue
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] . Michael Berkeley composed a double concerto for performance by the twins there. Concert schedule for 2007 include venues in Japan, France, Germany, and the United States [cite web
title = Dates | publisher = Katona
date = 2007 | url = http://www.katonatwins.com/dates.htm
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] .

Awards

*First Prize, "Concours International de Guitarre en Duo", Montélimar, France (1993)
*First Prize, "International Music Competition for Guitar Duos", Bubenreuth, Germany (1993)
*Cultural Prize of the City of Kassel, Germany (1993)
*S. T. Johnson Foundation prize (1995)
*The Laura Ashley prize (1996)
*Young Concert Artist Trust auditions in London (1997)cite web
title = YCAT Artists Past & Present | publisher = Young Concert Artist Trust
url = http://www.ycat.co.uk/alumni.asp | accessdate = 2007-03-30 ]
*Concert Artists Guild Competition, New York (1998)cite web
title = Alumni: Past Competition Winners | publisher = Concert Artists Guild
url = http://www.concertartists.org/alumni-competition-winners.htm | accessdate = 2007-03-30 ]
*Borletti-Buitoni prize (2004)cite web
title = Borletti-Buitoni Trust Awards 2004 | publisher = Borletti-Buitoni Trust
date = March 21, 2005 | url = http://www.bbtrust.com/winners/winners2004.html
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ] , the trust's first ever award to guitarists.

Other

Katona serve as jury members for the 2nd International Guitar Festival Heinsberg 2007 [cite web
title = Jury | publisher = International Guitar Festival Heinsberg
date = 2007 | url = http://www.guitar-festival.com/en_wettbewerb_jury.shtml
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ]

Discography

*"Isaac Albéniz, España, Iberia, Mallorca", (1997), Channel Classics CCS 10397 1
*"Joaquín Rodrigo, Concierto Madrigal"; "Tonadillas", (1998), Channel Classics CCS 16698 1 "Reviews": [http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2001/Nov01/Rodrigo_Katona.htm Musicweb] , Editor's Choice, Gramophone, Feb 2002 [cite web
title = A young hungarian guitar duo show great promise in a recital of Rodrigo rarities | publisher = Gramophone
date = Feb 2002 | url = http://www.crotchet.co.uk/gram-editor-orch-2002.html
accessdate = 2007-03-30 ]
*"Sonatas - Scarlatti & Handel", (1998), Channel Classics CCS 14298 "Reviews": [http://inkpot.com/classical/handskatona.html The Flying Inkpot]
*"Ástor Piazzolla, Le Grand Tango", (2004), Channel Classics CCS 19804 "Reviews": [http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=7792 Classics Today] , [http://www.audiophileaudition.com/audaud/JUN04/hires/hires3.html#pia Audiophile Audition] , [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20040917/ai_n14585148 Oakland Tribune] [http://magazin.klassik.com/reviews/reviews.cfm?task=review&REID=2961&RECID=4422 Klassik.comde icon]
*"Piazzolla, Mozart, Granados, de Falla"

References