Järvi to record Bela Varkonyi?

[Alan Howe]

A passing comment in an article here...
http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/news/Colossus_of_the_Baltic.html
...reveals that Neeme Järvi will be recording music by the Hungarian composer Bela Varkonyi (1878-1946). I've no idea what this might be, but I'm certainly interested...

[semloh]

Interesting article, Alan. 

I like Järvi's rejection of attempts to call, him a specialist - "I conduct everything and I love everything"!

I see that Amazon offers a CD of Varkonyi's Piano Trio in F, Op.17, and 'Leda', Fantasy for Viola & Piano, Op.42a, which I think is ex-LP, but I can't find anythng else about him. I wonder if anyone knows what else he composed, and might be 'up Järvi's sleeve'?

[petershott@btinternet.com]

With respect, Alan, aren't you going just a little beyond the evidence? There's a difference between 'up the sleeve' and a concrete plan to record. The article doesn't actually state the latter. I also vividly remember reading some 20 years ago a firm commitment of DG to issue recordings of Jarvi (with the Gothenburg SO) conducting the complete Hilding Rosenberg symphonies. That project never materialised -  it seems Jarvi runs faster than the record companies can keep up with him!

Apart from discovering that Bela Varkonyi's dates are 1878-1946, I know nothing of him. Though that declaration is in itself misleading since I've never even heard of him! However if he is 'up Jarvi's sleeve' we can be sure he will turn out especially interesting.

Many thanks for providing the article - what a great piece it is. And it brought home to me again both the quite incredible scope of Jarvi's work - and how hugely grateful we are to him.

[eschiss1]

Can't seem to find out much either. Born poss. Budapest, died New York. Here's a review of a public performance of that trio - 1987, November 23, NYT.

[Alan Howe]

Of course, "up his sleeve" is not very specific. However, since he has already Raff (which was also "up his sleeve"), I think the natural conclusion is that he will be recording Varkonyi too. We'll see...

[LinBoHe]

Hello, I am new here. - German condutor and collector of unsung music. - - I got here because I searched for something concerning Bela Varkonyi. Maybe, somebody is interested that I have a CD with a piano trio in f minor by him. Marvellous music. World premiere had been played by the composer himself with Eugene ormandy at the violin! - Or do you have the CD either? Some idea how to get the music? - Happy new year!

[apiano12]

I am new here.  Just saw an old posting re Bela Varkonyi.  Among many other activities, he was Conservatory director at the "New"Centenary College (for women) in Cleveland, TN 1928-29.  His wife, the dramatic soprano Louise Varkonyi taught there also.  The college folded in 1929.  I have info about both Varkonyis contained in  the 1928-29 Centenary College catalog, also info from a Bakers  Dictionary.  The New York Times ran his obituary January 27, 1947.  I have tried in vain to locate any scores of his, but do have one recording.  Would be glad to share info that I have.

[eschiss1]

Bakers up to 1919 or so is available online, but more recent ones are - well, are library-accessible, in principle, for good enough values of library Anyhow, information is appreciated, thank you.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, apiano12 - and welcome to UC! Do share...

[apiano12]

Follow up on Bela Varkonyi from(Cleveland TN) Centenary College/Conservatory Catalog 1928-29: (
Dr. Bela Varkonyi, Composer and Pianist, Director of Music. 
Professor of the Franz Liszt Royal Hungarian State Academy of Music, Budapest, 1907-23.  Pupil of Hans Koessler, composition and Stephen Thoman (favorite pupil of Liszt) piano;  Professor's Diploma in Piano, 1901; Master's Diploma in Composition, 1902;  LLD Royal Hungarian University, 1900; Twice the Composition scholarship, "Robert Volkmann";  State Scholarship to London and Paris.............Studio in New York in 1923-24; Prof. of Piano in Brenau College, 1923-24.
From other sources: Baker's says Varkonyi joined Hungarian army WWI, captured by the Russians,
3 yrs. prisoner of war, continued to compose, but MSS destroyed when Danish Consulate was burned.  Was reported to have had a fantastic memory; able to recount more than 40 years of his life by day and date.  His dates are 1878 - 1947. Baker's gives list of compositions.

[smithatnt]

People may be interested to know that I vounteered to create the orchestral parts for the Varkonyi Symphony in c minor after reading an interview of Maestro Jarvi in BBC Music magazine several years ago (he expressed his interest in performing this work, calling it an unknown masterpiece, but he stated that he had only a manuscript score and no parts).  These were completed and sent to him, but so far no performance or recording has occurred.  I don't doubt his good intentions, but I must confess that after being told that initially that the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, and later the Estonian National Symphony were going to record it (the latter supposedly in February 2014, but with no mention of it on their website), I have learned not to hold my breath, and I am somewhat disappointed after all the hours spent formatting the parts.  Perhaps it might still happen, and I do feel the work deserves a hearing.  I was glad to read that there are a few others interested in Varkonyi's music.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for this information. Very interesting, if rather disappointing for you after all your hard work. Can you possibly give us an idea what the music is like?

[Alan Howe]

But no news on the Symphony, then?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Do we know the location of his surviving mss?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Ok. Well, following a hunch, I find that the score of the symphony (Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 21) is in NYPL.

More digging has unearthed a Gramophone review of the Piano Trio, dating from 1987!!! It is rather sniffy about music and performance (nothing new there) but it also states: "we are promised a recording of his symphony of 1913 next year". That would have been 1988. All this does not really bode well for a recording of anything orchestral by Varkonyi in the foreseeable future, alas.

According to Baker, he also wrote a Piano Concerto (1902). I fear this may be lost, however.