Iván Eröd

Iván Eröd (born January 2, 1936 in Budapest) is an Austrian composer and pianist born in Hungary.

Career

Eröd studied under Pál Kadosa (piano) and Ferenc Szabó (composition) while at the Liszt Academy of Music. He moved to Austria in 1956 and studied there at the Vienna Music Academy, under Richard Hauser (piano) and Karl Schiske (composition). He took several summer classes at Darmstadt. In 1960 he launched a career as a pianist. From 1962 to 1968 he was director of studies at the Vienna Festival. From 1967 to 1989 he taught music theory and composition at the Graz Musikhochschule, and later taught at the Vienna Musikhochschule. He has won many awards, including the Bartók-Pásztory Foundation award in 1993.

Stylistically, Eröd's music was initially influenced by Hungarians such as Bartok and Kodaly. After moving to Vienna he became more insterested in serialism. Later works returned to tonality and Hungarian-inspired elements. In the 1980s and 1990s he incorporated influences from American music.

Non-musical life

Iván Eröd's life had early tragedies, particularly his brother and grandparents being murdered at Auschwitz in 1944. He also fled Hungary after the 1956 events. He married in 1969 and has five children. After the fall of Communism he purchased a farmhouse in Hungary.

References

*Christian Heindl, "Eröd, Iván". "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians" online.