Kamilló Lendvay 1928

BC 314
Concertino for Piano, Winds, Percussion & Harp
Grade 6 € 190,00
Kamilló Lendvay *1928

1st Movement

1st Movement

1st Movement

Concertino for Piano, Winds, Percussion and Harp.
The young Lendvay composed this Concertino in 1959, for commission of the Hungarian Radio.
Beyond the regular woodwind and brass instruments of the symphonic orchestra,
the composer applies harp en several percussions, therefore this orchestration opportunities
for special sounds and colours.

The first ”Allegretto” movement has a gay, dancing character, and offers fine opportunities for
the soloist.
The gaiety, however, is overshadowed by the wind’s surging, dissonant effects. A widely rising,
lyrical melody unfolds in the first part of the slow, “Adagio cantabile” movement.
The music grows more and more intense, then returns to the tranquillity of its beginnings,
leading to the movement’s poetic end. The overwhelming joyful finale, “Allegro furioso”
relieves the heavy atmosphere of the previous movement. Throbbing rhythm and dancing motifs
reach climax after climax, culminating in an exalted crescendo.

Ever since its conception, this Concertino has enjoyed a worldwide success.
It was performed many times in concert halls and international festival and was recorded
both on LP’s and CDs.

Grade 5/6
Duration: ca. 11 min.

BIOGRAPHY

Kamilló Lendvay is Professor Emeritus of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music and former reader of the Hungarian Radio. He was born in Budapest, on 28 December 1928. He applied to the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music relatively late, at the age of 21. His master was János Viski.

As a fresh graduate, he was already fascinated by the theatre, and began his career in Szeged at the Szeged Opera in 1957 as conductor, music coach, and director of the choir.

He also got close to vocal music whilst at the Szeged Opera. His oeuvre is rich in vocal music too, including his oratorio Orogenesis (1970) followed by the cantata Pro Libertate (1975) and Joseph and his Brothers, a great cantata for soprano, bass solo and orchestra, composed on excerpts from Thomas Mann's novel describing Jaakob's and Rachel's love and Rachel's farewell (1978-81).

The Hungarian TV commissioned two operas from the master. The one-act The Magic Chair was the opening piece of the "Hungarian TV Music Theatre" opera series in 1972. In 1978 it was followed by The Respectable Prostitute, based on the play by Sartre. Both TV operas were performed on stage as well in Görlitz and Zittau (Germany, 1975), and in Paris (1983).

In 1989, the "Festival d'Art Sacre" Paris, commissioned VIA CRUCIS, which was followed by his STABAT MATER, premiered at "Forum des Orgues" in Paris (1991).

Chamber works and solo instrumental compositions form an important group in the oeuvre of Lendvay. His pieces are often performed in the USA, in European cities and Asia too.

He has been open to the latest developments of contemporary music, and from his works he used the new results for the expression of content. The end-product is felicitous: the improvisative and aleatoric elements get intergrated with the noble melodic style, and the rich polyphony. Lendvay's art rejects calculation with an end in itself, and philosophy independent of music. For him, more important are the stable form, clear structure, and authentic content.

He is a much appreciated member of the Hungarian musical life, which can be seen by his numerous prizes:

ERKEL COMPOSER'S PRIZES: 1960, 62 and 78
MERITED ARTIST of the Hungarian Republic: 1981
OUTSTANDING ARTIST of the Hungarian Republic: 1996
BARTÓK-PÁSZTORY Prize: 1989, 2005
Trieste International Composer Competition: 1975 with his Pezzo Concertato
Grand Prix International du Disque Lyrique 1979 with the "The Respectable Prostitute"
KOSSUTH Prize: 1998