In anticipation of János Balázs returns to Carnegie Hall for an Hommage a Cziffra we want to tell you more about the world-renowned Hungarian-born pianist and virtuoso György Cziffra.

György Cziffra
Budapest, 5 November 1921 – Longpont-sur-Orge, 15 January 1994

György Cziffra was born into a family of Gypsy musicians. His father, György Cziffra Snr., played the cimbalom. He started studying at the Liszt Academy at the age of eight, where his teachers included Ernő Dohnanyi, Leo Weiner, György Ferenczy and Imre Keeri-Szanto. The young pianist attained a string of successes.
In 1943 he was called up and ordered to the front and in 1950 he was imprisoned for attempting to defect. In the wake of the 1956 Uprising he settled in Paris where he became the master of Romantic piano literature (Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninov). Cziffra soon became one of the most sought-after pianists of his day; both orchestras and concert halls competed for his performances, like the Carnegie Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Hollywood Bowl or the Tonhalle. In 1969, he founded his own international music competition in Versailles. He had the ruined royal chapel in Senlis renovated and transformed into a concert hall, which he then named after Franz Liszt.
He also established his foundation for the support of young and talented artists.
CZIFFRAFESZTIVAL.HU
Cziffra’s legacy is far more than his recordings, charitable activities or the prowess
he passed on to his students. In the footsteps of Liszt and Dohnányi, he represents a performance tradition, free from the “sterility” of CD recordings and is full of the vivid virtuosity of improvisational ease and the natural ability to synthesise various musical styles, which made the play of the great 19th-century performers so lively and unique.
György Cziffra’s wonderful and unique career, his knowledge, personality and tireless work for young people remain an example to this day.

Hungarian Pianist János Balázs returns to Carnegie Hall for a solo recital honoring the legacy of György Cziffra on November 16th.
https://www.carnegiehall.org/