‘…a pianist of world class…due to his intelligent understanding of the meaning
and direction of whatever he plays.’ Sunday Telegraph, Sydney
BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATAS
The 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020 was celebrated with special events throughout the musical world. Gusztáv Fenyő paid tribute to the composer’s genius with two cycles of the 32 Piano Sonatas in Scotland and Hungary, commencing in 2019. The second half, intended for 2020, was postponed until 2022 due to Covid-19 restrictions. Full details here. He first performed cycles of the 32 sonatas in 1990 in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
In 2023 he performed a further complete cycle at the Edinburgh Society of Musicians and, in 2024, a recital of the late, great sonatas Opp. 101, 109, 110 and 111 at FUGA, Budapest.
In tandem with the live performances, he embarked on a project to record all the sonatas. This has been completed and the video-recordings are now available on his YouTube channel.
You’ll also find there two cycles of all the violin sonatas, with Susanne Stanzeleit and Ildikó Line, and live broadcasts on Hungarian Radio of all the piano trios with violinist Ildikó Line and ‘cellist Attila Székely.
SCHUBERT / BRAHMS
In Scotland, Gusztáv performs next at the Cathedral of the Isles in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae on Sunday 21st September at 3pm. His programme opens with a Haydn sonata, followed by three of Schubert’s ‘Moments Musicaux’, Mendelssohn’s ‘Variations Serieuses’ and several of Brahms’s Intermezzi.
On Saturday 11th October he returns to the Edinburgh Society of Musicians where he’ll be playing Brahms’s F minor Sonata, preceded by a Mozart sonata and a Chopin bracket comprising the F minor Ballade and a selection of mazurkas and nocturnes. The concert is at 7.30pm.
Earlier in the year he performed an all-Brahms programme at FUGA, Budapest, and at Gödöllő Royal Palace, near Budapest, a ‘cello recital with long-time partner Ágnes Kállay. They performed Beethoven’s ‘Magic Flute’ Variations, Richard Strauss’s Sonata and Kodaly’s Sonatina. (You can view on YouTube their performances in 2015 of the Kodály Sonata and Schnittke’s Sonata No. 2.)
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Other concert appearances featuring Schubert and/or Brahms in recent years include Brahms and Schumann piano quartets with violinist Artur Kaganovsky, violist Eszter Kaganovsky and ‘cellist Ágnes Kállay at Gödöllő Royal Palace, Hungary and the Bishop’s Palace, Nagyvárad, Romania, in 2023.
And in October 2022, at St. Mary’s Perivale, West London, a solo recital of Brahms’s 6 pieces from Op.76 and Schubert’s Sonata in B flat D960. The programme was recorded live and is available to listen to online here.
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This website also serves as an archive for Music-Makers, a Scottish charity dedicated to chamber music which Gusztáv Fenyő founded in 1995. Under his artistic direction, Music-Makers acquired a reputation for innovative programmes, imaginative presentations and exciting performances. These ranged from festivals and themed concert series to masterclasses and summer schools, in a variety of settings, mostly within Scotland and always involving superb professional musicians. See Past Events.
Music-Makers closed in June 2019 to allow more time for Gusztáv Fenyő to pursue his own performing and teaching career, including increasing activities in Hungary. We would like to thank all who supported Music-Makers throughout these twenty-five years and hope very much that you will continue to stay in touch.
Gusztáv intends to produce more frequent blogs on a range of musical topics and, of course, there will be further news about his own musical activities – all on this website, so there is no need to look elsewhere!
