Dénes Várjon
piano
A celebrated soloist, chamber musician, and bastion of Hungary‘s rich musical tradition, Dénes Várjon performs works by Beethoven, Bartók, and Schumann.
Artist Images
Program
A celebrated soloist, chamber musician, and bastion of Hungary‘s rich musical tradition, Dénes Várjon enjoys an illustrious performing career. He is a regular guest at international festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Biennale di Venezia, and Marlboro Festival. Várjon‘s commitment to new music has led to several acclaimed collaborations, including a recording of Sándor Veress‘s Hommage à Paul Klee with fellow pianist András Schiff.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 26, No. 12
Béla Bartók (1881–1945)
Two Elegies, Op. 8b
Sonatina, BB. 69
Old Dance Tunes from 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, Nos. 7-15
Intermission
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Fantasiestücke, Op. 12
About the Artist
Dénes Várjon began his studies at the Liszt Academy of Music in 1984. He received tuition in piano from Sándor Falvai and chamber music from György Kurtág and Ferenc Rados, finishing his studies in 1991. Parallel to his studies he was regular participant at international master classes with András Schiff. Dénes Várjon won first-prize at the Piano Competition of Hungarian Radio, at the Leó Weiner Chamber Music Competition in Budapest and at the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich.
Várjon is regular guest at the most prestigious international festivals such as Salzburger Festspiele, Lucerne Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik-Festival, Biennale di Venezia, Marlboro Festival (USA), Klavierfestival Ruhr, Kunstfest Weimar, and Edinburgh Festival. He has performed with major orchestras such as Camerata Salzburg, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Wiener Kammerorchester, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Bern, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, among many others.
Várjon is deeply committed to chamber music and has performed with the likes of Steven Isserlis, Leonidas Kavakos, David Grimal, Miklós Perényi, András Schiff, Jörg and Carolin Widmann, Joshua Bell, Radovan Vlatkovic, Tabea Zimmermann, the Carmina, Takács, Keller, and Endellion Quartets. He also regularly appears with his wife Izabella Simon playing four hands and two piano recitals.
Várjon has recorded for the Naxos, Capriccio and Hungaroton Classics labels with critical acclaim. Teldec released his CD with Sándor Veress’s Hommage à Paul Klee (performed with András Schiff, Heinz Holliger and the Budapest Festival Orchestra). His recording Hommage à Géza Anda, (PAN-Classics) has received important international echoes. His CD of the Sonatas of Robert Schumann recorded with Carolin Widmann was released in 2008. His recording of works by Schumann with the cellist Steven Isserlis was released in 2009 on the Hyperion label. His solo CD ofpieces of Berg, Janáček and Liszt was released in January 2012 by ECM.
Várjon is professor at the Ferenc Liszt University in Budapest and was recipient of the Liszt and Sándor Veress Awards.
Watch & Listen
Dénes Várjon performs the third of Schubert’s Three Piano Pieces, D.946.