János Vajda

In the 1980s the repertoire of orchestras and choirs was still, beyond the works of Bartók and Kodály, largely defined by a very narrow circle of composers; but I set out to break that mould. János Vajda valued this, and we premiered many of his pieces. I hold him in high regard — partly for his humour, and partly for the playfulness and the sarcasm that surface even in his most serious works. Vajda is a musician of consummate skill who, from the very start of his career, built his entire body of work on post-classical traditions, and neither he, nor his audiences, nor the performers of his works have ever regretted it. We have premiered a great many of his pieces, and the world premiere of his Piano Concerto will take place at the end of September 2024, at a concert by the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra. Without wishing to flatter — but what else can I do?

— I sincerely believe that János Vajda is one of our most original composers, and that with any of his works we can be sure of being able to follow the piece. In his unmistakable music one can sense a characteristic individuality, a certain austerity, and a good many grotesque elements, all of which make his compositions so distinctive. Today I should like to show you a few features of this musical language and way of thinking.