CONCERT AND PUBLIC LECTURE
Balázs Mikusi (the director of the Music Collection of the National Széchenyi Library) made the dreams of many musicologists come true when he discovered a previously unknown Mozart manuscript in the Széchenyi Library. The 4-page long Mozart sheet was hiding in the unidentifiable fragments folder containing almost the half of Sonata in A major (K. 331), the oeuvre famous for its “Turkish March” closing. Before the discovery, only the sonata’s last page was known – it was kept in Salzburg’s Mozarteum. The newly found manuscripts received a welcoming reception both in Hungary and internationally, as with Balázs Mikusi’s discovery, one of Mozart’s most wide-spread pieces was thrown new light upon. At the first modern performance of the fragment, the internationally acknowledged Hungarian pianist, Zoltán Kocsis brought the piece to life on a copy of a fortepiano contemporary with the opus. This time, it will be played by a preeminent figure of the young Hungarian pianist generation, János Palojtay.
In the framework of CEU’s HerMeS series, music historian Balázs Mikusi, the director of the Music Collection of the National Széchenyi Library introduces the mysteries of this unique manuscript. The lecture will also provide an opportunity to learn about how pianists can reinterpret the Sonata in A Major by Mozart based on the new sheet music.
Balázs Mikusi holds a PhD in musicology from Cornell University (Ithaca, New York) and has been Head of the Music Collection of the National Széchényi Library in Budapest since 2009. While his activities today are focused on library projects, he continues his research in the collections of his home institution. His recent discovery of a substantial part of Mozart’s autograph for the A Major Piano Sonata (K. 331) has received substantial media attention all over the world. Balázs Mikusi has come to play a central role in Hungary’s International Association of Music Libraries activities.
The Hungarian pianist János Palojtay was recently chosen by the distinguished piano player, Sir András Schiff to play recitals Europe-wide in the „Building Bridges” program initiated by Maestro Schiff. In Hungary, he performs regularly at the most prestigious concert venues and he is often invited by the most prominent orchestras as a soloist. He has won numerous prizes in national and international competitions, giving him the possibility to play solo recitals in Germany, France, Italy, UK, USA, the Netherlands, Austria and Spain. As an active chamber-musician, he is performing in a great variety of constellations, playing at many international festivals with fellow musicians.
HERMES – HERITAGE, MEMORY AND SOUNDS
Hermes is the god of travelers, and a symbolic figure of transition in classical mythology. Accordingly, the main idea behind the HerMeS public lecture series, organized jointly by the Cultural Heritage Studies Program and the Center for Arts and Culture at CEU, is to nurture renewal of cultural heritage. The series offers its audience a combination of talks and concerts, allowing them to travel along the borderlands of the performing arts and academic lectures.