Chopin-all series, Mazurkas/Chapter I – performed by Zoltán Thurzó
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Oradea, Partium Christian University's "old" ballroom Time: 2025-04-27, 6:00 p.m. As I always say, Zoli Thurzó always starts exactly... and then plays exactly - the tilt/metal scratch of the PKE Yamaha piano here or there. There are many, many Chopin Mazurkas in width-length-depth, but this was only the first half from Zoli's side - he […]
About a Mozart Requiem Before Easter
Written by Gábor Tóth Official start date: April 16, 2025, 7 p.m. Location: Oradea, Greek Catholic Cathedral Program: Mozart Requiem Performing apparatus: Oradea Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir Conductor: Andrej Vesel Soloists: Anna Stănescu – soprano Marina Dobrescu – mezzo Andrei Petre – tenor Marius Boloș – baritone Choirmaster: Laurențiu Bischin This year’s joint (coincidental) East-West […]
From a concert at the Philharmonic
Written by Gábor Tóth Rossini – The Barber of Seville – overture Chopin – Piano Concerto in E minor – intermission – Prokofiev – Symphony VII. Venue (and performers): Oradea Philharmonic Hall Date: April 3, 2025, 7 p.m. Statistics: about half a house, unfortunately. Conductor: Noam Zur (born in Israel in 1981, I looked at his professional biography: Argentina, Dubrovnik, Frankfurt, so there’s no doubt, he’s seen the world […]
About one of Zoltán Thurzó's genre-defining concerts
Written by Gábor Tóth about Zoltán Thurzó's piano recital on March 30, 2025, entitled Spring Harmonies. Venue: Partium Christian University Ballroom Starting time: 6 p.m. (Zoli always starts on time) Audience: unfortunately a little small this time, about 30 people I received the program from Zoli, upon request, specifically immediately in advance, so I didn't have to guess, as I usually do at jazz concerts or similar style adventures, but still […]
Emese Szeghalmi on her perseverance towards Bach
Written by Gábor Tóth I write this way: perseverance – but this includes leaning in, research, knowledge, love, humility, and many other inner and, I repeat, persistently seeking values, which must be presented to the audience in concert form, inspired by the moment – I spoke briefly about Emese Szeghalmi, a church musician from Nagyvárad. Emese speaks little, but says a lot. Incidentally […]
There was a spring festival at the Oradea Philharmonic
– below, about two of these concerts – written by Gábor Tóth The two-week concert series (this year, if I counted correctly, 5 concerts), i.e. the Spring Festival, is now a tradition here in Oradea, and below about the details. I missed the chamber and chamber music concerts this year, but I was there on the two Thursdays, and I would like to thank a very kind colleague, […]
It was a jazz weekend at Posticum
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Nagyvárad, Posticum Date: March 14–15, 2025. Unfortunately, I only had time to get to jazz on the 14th, but on the 15th it was already blues, so that was probably the real freedom, I think, since the essence of blues is to break free from the shackles, and so is jazz. So I can report on the two groups on the 14th, Little G Weevil for me […]
Csárdásfürstin or Silvia was in Oradea
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Oradea, Philharmonic Hall Date: February 27, 2025, 7 p.m. Program: as the title suggests, The Csárdás Queen, but in a concert version (for the sake of order, I write: both local symphonists and choir, the choir moments from the side, from the director's left, i.e. from the auditorium, and to my pleasant surprise, there was also an original harp this time, after the previous Debussy absentia, so in other words […]
About the February performance of the Kaganovskiy Musical Evenings
Written by Gábor Tóth Date: February 26, 2025, 7 p.m. Location: Oradea, Roman Catholic Bishop's Palace Performers: Grigory Kalinovsky Artur Kaganovskiy István Ferencz – violins Eszter Kaganovskiy – viola Zsolt Török – cello Program: Leclair – Sonata in E minor op. 3, no. 5 Fr. Hermann – Capriccio in D minor no. 1, op. 2 Dvořák – Terzetto, […]
Beethoven, Vienna Second Round
Written by Gábor Tóth Venue: Oradea Philharmonic Hall Date: February 20, 2025, 7 p.m. Conductor: Andrej Vesel Soloists: Miguel Rocha (violin) Lucas Garcia Muramoto (cello) Bella Schütz (piano) in summary – the young Trio Callas from Salzburg The program included: Beethoven – Leonora Overture III – Triple Concerto – Symphony No. 4 Andrej Vesel, the young man in every respect (in age, chronology and temperament) […]
Viennese innovations in the Oradea Philharmonic repertoire
Written by Gábor Tóth Venue: Oradea Philharmonic Hall Date: February 13, 2025, 7 p.m. Program: Alban Berg – Violin Concerto Charles Ives – Central Park in the Dark Debussy – The Sea Conductor: Andrej Vesel (permanent conductor of Oradea since last year) Soloist: violinist Fedor Rudin Audience: almost full house, surprisingly full compared to the bold program in Oradea […]
About a Scottish symphony concert
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Oradea Philharmonic Date: January 30, 2025, 7 p.m. Conductor: Andrei Feher Violin soloist: Vlad Răceu Audience: approximately 60 percent of the house Program: Bruch – Scottish Fantasy Mendelssohn – Scottish Symphony I watched the program of the Oradea Philharmonic’s last symphonic concert of the week in January 2025. Then I was invited to the event by a very nice […]
The Debrecen Philharmonic Orchestra visited Oradea
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Oradea, theatre Date: January 22, 2025, 6 p.m. Performers: Kodály Philharmonic Debrecen Conductor: Dániel Somogyi-Tóth Soloists: Rita Rácz and Levente Molnár Kodály Philharmonic Debrecen, so the name is official – this is where the Debrecen symphony orchestra performed and played, in the theatre, in Oradea, on January 22. It was not the first time they had been here […]
About Zoltán Thurzó's New Year's Strauss concert
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Oradea, Partium Christian University Ballroom Date: January 12, 2025, 6 p.m. (note: the concert was repeated on February 16, 5 p.m. by popular demand) Performer: Zoltán Thurzó – piano I admit, I was expecting another Chopin evening from Zoli at the beginning of this year, if it's already 3/4, then obviously the Chopin-all series that started last year was waiting to be continued […]
Emese Szeghalmi on her musical reflections on the Epiphany
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Nagyvárad, Barátok temploma Time: January 6, 2025, 4 p.m. Performer: Emese Szeghalmi – organ, vocals I have not known Emese Szeghalmi since yesterday, she has been serving church music here in Nagyvárad (also, mainly) for more than three decades, and I think she has been serving music itself since its very existence. That is why those channels are special, […]
About János Kristófi's Christmas organ concert
Written by Gábor Tóth The date and venue were: December 24, 2024, 11 p.m., Oradea, Roman Catholic Cathedral János Zsigmond Kristófi played the organ. I will start with alliteration, because Kristófi's chiasmus, that is, his repertoire building, is year after year variety in unity, unity in variety. Now German and French colors were playing, Kristófi brought everything out of the instrument and himself, it is not for nothing that there is an organ stand, antennas up here in the […]
Christmas Kaganovskiy Musical Evenings at the Bishop's Palace
location: Oradea, Roman Catholic Bishop's Palace time: Wednesday, December 18, 2024, 7 p.m. Written by Gábor Tóth …this time the Kaganovskiy Music Evenings (KZE) were not chamber music, but rather chamber orchestral, in keeping with the holiday. It was long, but at the same time, as I said, festive, long for everyone, for the performers (they gave it their all again), for the audience (full house, approx. 250+ people), but it was worth it. […]
There was a Christmas choir concert in the spirit of ecumenism
Gábor Tóth's writing was the location: Oradea, Roman Catholic Cathedral was the date: December 15, 2024, 7 p.m. Tradition, I'll start with this, because this cathedral ecumenical choir concert is traditional. I'm not saying it's a choir meeting, because in reality the choirs come one after the other in such a chain that many don't even have a chance to meet the others, but everyone can show their own or other denomination's […]
Neoclassicals, for beginners and advanced
– about the Santa Claus Eve concert of the Oradea Philharmonic – Location: Oradea Philharmonic Enescu–Bartók Hall Date: December 5, 2024, 7 p.m. Program: Prokofiev: Classical Symphony R. Strauss: Oboe Concerto – intermission – Stravinsky: Petruska – suite Conductor: Andrej Vesel – I have mentioned several times before that the young man from Zagreb, who graduated in Vienna, will be one of the conductors of the Oradea Philharmonic from this season, or […]
About conductor Andrej Vesel's last concert in Varad
Written by Gábor Tóth Symphonic concert at the Nagyvárad Philharmonic Date: November 28, 2024, 7 p.m. Venue: Enescu–Bartók Hall Program: Schubert: The Devil's Desire – overture Bartók: Music for stringed instruments, percussion and celesta Beethoven: II. symphony Spectators: apparently spread out, but barely more than half the house The symphony orchestra was conducted by: Andrej Vesel - who this January […]
Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky
– about the last Kaganovskiy Musical Evenings (KZE) – Date and venue: November 27, 2024, 7 p.m. Oradea, Roman Catholic Bishop's Palace (the environment reminiscent of Patachich's patronage of the arts, which hosts the KZE every month) Program: Mendelssohn – String Quartet in A minor, op. 13 (1827) Tchaikovsky – String Quartet in D major, op. 11 (1871) Performers: Ernő Kállai and Artur Kaganovskiy first and second […]
Haydn and his companions were at home
– Ferenc Liszt Chamber Orchestra (LFKZ) also gave a concert in Nagyvárád – written by Gábor Tóth Time: November 6, 2024, 7 p.m. Venue: Nagyvárád, Roman Catholic Cathedral Program: Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 – Péter Wolf's string score J. Haydn C major cello concerto Popper Hungarian rhapsody Weiner 1. divertimento, op. 20 (except for one item) I always try to mention that music [...]
Fauré, Day of the Dead
Written by Gábor Tóth Place: Nagyvárad, Roman Catholic Cathedral Date: October 31, 2024, 7 p.m. Program: Mozart – Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201 Pergolesi – Salve Regina Fauré – Requiem Publishers: Nagyvárad State Philharmonic Orchestra , choir (for the latter, the permanent choir leader has not been named for a long time) Conductor – Alexey Mikhaylenko (regarding his history in Varad […]
Kaganovskiy Musical Evenings - from the end of October
Written by Gábor Tóth Location: Nagyvárad, Roman Catholic Episcopal Palace Date: October 30, 2024, 7 p.m. Performed: Beethoven op. 59, no. Razumovsky Quartet No. 1 Jean-Baptiste Barrière no. Sonata No. 4 in G major for two cellos Schubert String Quartet D 810 - Death and the Girl (may also be interesting in the calculation of chamber connections: Beethoven's 7. and Schubert's 14.) [...]
Zoltán Thurzó - All of Chopin, part 3
within this: Noktürnök part 2 Written by Gábor Tórh Time: Sunday, October 13, 2024, 6 p.m. Location: Nagyvárad, Partium Christian University hall of honor This time I deliberately reversed the order between the author and speaker in the title. Zoltán Thurzó is a performer who perfectly controls his precise and musically synthesizing interpretation approach, and is able to transcend his essence - directly before six o'clock in the afternoon [...]
The Nagyvárad Philharmonic began its season with Schönberg and a message of peace
It is a fact that the season does not seem to end for the last few years at the Nagyvárad Philharmonic, since the musicians are actively employed almost throughout the summer, and even in September, by order of the county's higher "art experts" - I could even call this season-extending -, but the official indoor autumn season Opening was announced on October 3, 2024 (at 7 p.m.). […]
The Kaganovskiy Musical Evenings are open for the season
I was behind on a concert report again, but that's also why I had time to stretch it out, and now I paid a lot more than usual, approx. 11 days ago I was there at the Kaganovskiy Music Evenings (KZE), the season-opening concert of the most successful Várad chamber music series of recent times, which due to its quality and popularity no longer needs a detailed presentation (debuted in April 2022 [...]
All Chopin Part 2, including Noctürnök Part 1
Performer: Zoltán Thurzó Venue: Nagyvárad, Partium Christian University hall Time: Sunday, September 22, 2024, 6 p.m. Accurate start and then equally accurate play, the first 10 nocturnes according to the opus. Audience: unfortunately few audiences, approx. 30 people - and the goal is noble, as I said last month, in connection with the first concert of the series (the Chopin tours) [...]
Chopin's all, well. 1 – the Circulators spoke
Venue: Nagyvárad, Partium Christian University hall Date: Sunday, August 18, 2024, 6 p.m. Speaker: Zoltán Thurzó Once again I volunteered to cover a late concert, while there are also very serious musical events taking place in the open air in Várado, which I can no longer get to, and anyway there is also a need for an opinion, let what I wouldn't call spoiling the holiday be heard and... On the other hand, my own […]
In memory of András Ligeti
Conductor András Ligeti would be 71 years old today (5 Aug. 2024). Between 2008 and 2011, in quasi-permanent guest conductor status (not under contract, but "simply" in sympathy), he was often invited back here to conduct by the then Nagyvárad Philharmonic, Ligeti also flourished this orchestra for the moment, from a provincial base position available here, it became the very spectacular big […]
Posticum, Jazz terrace
Anyone who has followed Poscicum's patronage of art, music, and even jazz since the founding of the cultural-spiritual center in Varad, or perhaps even before that, knows that it is always worth coming here to recharge and relax. This is what the summer evening jazz-terrace concert series announced for free or with the option of a voluntary charitable donation, such as the most recent one, [...]
Major Sándor Berkesi was greeted on Sunday
Hungarian conductor Sándor Berkesi, the former choirmaster of the music department of the Christian University of Partium, which ceased to exist this year, and the founder of the recent (1996-2016) church Hungarian faculty and faculty leadership emblematic school of higher education in Várad, was greeted on the occasion of his 80th birthday within the framework of a reformed church-music protocol, lasting about two hours - traditionally, Soli Deo Gloria , there is no music or Noun Verb without - in the Reformed church in Nagyvárad-Újváros, on Sunday, June 16 at 18 […]
PKE, music department, faculty management exam concert, last...
Partium Choir, lived 28 years (1996–2024). We could see and hear the last six graduates of this year's defunct music department of the Partium Christian University (PKE) in Nagyvárad, the last young swallows to fly out, spreading their pedagogical and faculty management wings, i.e. conducting a choir in front of an audience on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at the Várad-Újváros at their exam concert held in a reformed church. There were roughly 60 people in the audience, mainly professionals, i.e. their teachers, university [...]
Dixieland played in Nagyvárad
- about the concert of the Debrecen Dixieland Jazz Band - 32nd Festum Varadinum, Sunday, May 19, 2024, 7 p.m. BorPart / Körös-part / Millennium Memorial Promenade The Debrecen Dixieland Jazz Band played music in the early evening of Sunday in Nagyvárad. I heard them here for the second time, last year they were also guests at Festum Varadinum (then on May 13), they did very well to be invited back and it's very good, [...]
Night of organs and/or museums (?).
- a bicycle tour of the Nagyvárad organ tour on the evening of May 18, 2024 - (I'm telling you in advance, it's long, because it's three concerts in one, i.e. "3 in 1") First of all, for CLARIFICATION, to the attention of the organizers. (since there were some organizational/conceptual mix-ups here at Váradon forced into rhyme/title) * "Night of Museums" (no. 1) = Since 2002 in Hungary in June (so not in May) the closest […]
Solar Plexus: The Fifth Element
The Napfonat female a cappella vocal quintet performed on April 28, Sunday evening, in the Posticum in Nagyvárad. It was a full house, depending on the location, this meant an audience of approximately 80 people. Very cultured, but we really just fit in, but the girls reinvented themselves and opened windows on both sides for fresh air. Then, in every other sense, additional windows opened for [...]
Clarinet quintets performed at the Kaganovskiy Music Evening
The clarinet quintets of Weber and Mozart (Op. 34 in B-flat major and K. 581 in A-flat major) were on the program on Wednesday, April 24, starting at 7:00 p.m. in the ceremonial hall of the Roman Catholic bishop's palace at the last concert of the Kaganovskiy Musical Evenings. Performers: Dimitri Ashkenazy (clarinet), Artur Kaganovskiy and Jackie Xiao (1st and 2nd violins), Eszter Kaganovskiy (viola), Ágnes Kállay (cello). As always, it was […]
Zoological fantasy with oral art, three times
- I'll tell you in advance, it's long, but maybe there are people who are more seriously interested in what (can) happen to the so-called official, paid Várad music "life" Music victims: Camelia Andone (b. 1987, Nagyvárad) and Ana Ruth Micula (b. 1990, Szilágysomlyó). I'll start with them (not like the philharmonic): here are the two real protagonists of the philharmonic "musical event" held on April 18, if [...]
About the musical moments of the János Kristófi memorial exhibition
"Musical minutes. Recalling the atmosphere of the creative workshop of our father, the painter János Kristófi, let's meet on March 16 at 3 p.m. in the bishop's palace in Nagyvárad," said the invitation from the Kristófi family to an unusual art association event. The location was therefore the Roman Catholic bishop's palace in Nagyvárad, including the recently opened (February 2, 2024) János Kristófi [...]
It was a jazz weekend at the Posticum in Nagyvárad
March 7–10 The Posticum in Nagyvárad organized a free jazz weekend between (below only from Saturday evening) In short, to make the tone more personal - unfortunately I only managed to get here on Saturday (March 9). What I heard then was world-class jazz music, and […]
Bach Goldberg performed in Nagyvárád
JS Bach's Goldberg Variations were played in the saxophone-cymbal-cello arrangement of Előd Kostyák, in this trio version as a first performance (!) in the Great Várad Philharmonic hall, on Tuesday evening, February 27, 2024, after the long wait before the premiere, after the short wait , instead of the announced 7 p.m. approx. Starting at 19.10 - during which time, as a matter of fact, an extremely decent-sized audience gathered for the occasion, [...]
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