The Hungarian pianist
and organist, Csaba Király, was 6 when he started learning the
piano under Maria Apagyi. At the age of 12 he began to learn the organ
under Istvan Lantos. From 1981 his studies were continued at the "Bela
Bartok" Secondary Music School in Budapest with Katalin Halmagyi, and
in 1983 he gained admission to the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music,
Budapest. He received his performer's diploma in 1989 for organ, and in
1990 for piano.
During his student years Csaba Király won first prize in all
national competitions organized for his age group: 1980 - National
Piano Competition for Music Schools (Nyiregyhaza); 1982 - National
Piano Competition for Secondary Music Schools (Bekestarhos); 1990 -
Erno Dohnanyi National Piano Competition (Academy of Music Budapest).
In the meantime in 1985 he - won the first prize in the National Piano
Competition of the Hungarian Radio, being one of the youngest
competitors, as a result of which he became known throughout the
country. After several years teaching and concert giving he undertook
to play in competitions again, and was first prize winner at the "Ennio
Porrino" International Piano Competition in Cagliari 1996 (Italy), and
the New Orleans International Piano Competition 1997 (USA).
Since his student years Csaba Király has given concerts
regularly both as pianist and organist and his exceptional talents have
made him a popular young artist. He possesses unbelievably fast
learning ability and manual skills, which border the limits of what is
possible. His musical inspiration has enabled him to overcome any
external difficulties, and his susceptibility towards rarities and
specialties means he provides his audience with an individual
experience under all circumstances. He is familiar with all the fields
of keyboard playing. Beside his solo recitals he often plays chamber
music, or appears as continuo or orchestral player. He has appeared in
concerts with about thirty famous orchestras and conductors. At the
same time he also plays as a member of the Aperto Trio. His fondness
for great variety is a constitutional characteristic, which has helped
him to avoid one of the biggest threats to the successful artist, that
of becoming routine and narrow. As a result he has now come closer to
the conductor's profession.
Csaba Király's repertoire covers a wide range from the Baroque
to contemporary music. Besides performing works by Bach, Beethoven,
Franz Liszt and Béla Bartók, performing the latest modern
compositions plays a prominent role in his concert programmes. His name
is linked with the Hungarian premieres of piano concertos by
Lutoslawski and Ligeti. In 1993 he was awarded a diploma for
distinction in playing Hungarian contemporary music. He played the UK
premiere of the György Kurtág's Double Concerto in London,
and participated with famous orchestras in the first performances of
the G. Kurtág-Beckett: What is the Word? in several countries.
A characteristic aspect of his repertoire is improvisation, with which
he has been dealing since 1973 as a member of the Martyn Ferenc Free
School of Art in Pecs. Apart from free improvisation he mostly
improvises himself where possible the cadences in concertos. He
approaches music as a composer, which is proved by his numerous
arrangements. He has made a significant number of organ transcriptions
of orchestral and choral works, which he often plays not only in
Hungary, but in countries from Western Europe to Japan and the USA
(e.g. F. Liszt: Danse Macabre, Les preludes, Hungarian Coronation Mass;
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 2, 3, 4; Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1, 8;
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9; Schumann: First Symphony; Franck: Symphony D
minor; Verdi: Requiem; Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4; Midsummer
Nights Dream).
In 2003 Csaba Király was awarded a Liszt Ferenc prize for his
artistic activity. In 2004 he started series of benefit organ concerts
for the restoration of the big organ of the Cathedral in Pecs
(Hungary). In 2005 he established the First Pecs International Piano
Competition in memory of Liszt Ferenc, in which he was one of the jury
members. In September 2005 he has been elected to be the
Secretary-general of the Hungarian Liszt Ferenc Society. Since 1995
Csaba Király has been teaching piano at the Academy of Music in
Budapest, and regularly gives international master-classes in Hungary,
Holland, France, USA and Japan. Between 1997 and 1998 he was a guest
organ teacher at the Taegu-Hyosung University in South Korea. Since
2002 he has been an honorary teacher of the Martyn Ferenc Free School
of the Arts in Pecs, and Associate Professor, Head of the Piano
Department, Director of the Institute of Music in the Musical and
Visual Art Faculty at the University of Pecs. (bio information from the
artist's website.)
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