Judit Varga (composer)

Judit Varga (born 12 January 1979 in Győr – ) is an Erkel Ferenc Prize and Béla Bartók - Ditta Pásztory Award winner composer, pianist and university lecturer.

Judit Varga
Varga Judit
Born (1979-01-12) 12 January 1979
Győr, Hungary
Occupationcomposer, pianist and university lecturer
Years activepresent

She is known for contemporary classical music compositions as well as for composing for motion pictures and theatre pieces. As a solo pianist and chamber musician, she performed in many countries, on prestigious festivals. She is looking for new impulses both as a musician and as a teacher. The two primary platforms of her studies and work are Vienna and Budapest.

Life

She started her studies at the Liszt Ferenc Music School in Győr, where she played the piano and the flute. She then attended the Béla Bartók School in Budapest. At the age of 16, she has already received scholarships to foreign summer courses. In 2005 she graduated with honors at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where she studied piano and composition. In the meantime she was admitted to the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna too, to the media composition and applied music, piano and composition faculties, and since 2013 she is a PhD student there.

Since September 2013 she is teaching composition and film music composition at the composition department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, while at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna she teaches ear training and analysis to the students of the composition and conducting departments.

At the beginning of the 2000s, she used to be a tutor of the singer, string and flute classes of the Austrian Master Classes in Zell an der Pram and of their master classes in Vienna. At the Richter János High School of Music in Győr she was teaching composition, score reading, music theory and orchestration. In 2008 she led the piano class of the Maria Regina Volksschule in Vienna and she was a silent film pianist as well.

Her compositions are performed worldwide in such prestigious concert halls and festivals as the Wien Modern, the Hungarian State Opera House, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Juilliard School in New York, the CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival, the Mini Festival, the Konzerthaus and Musikverein Wien, the Muffathalle Munich and the Warsaw Autumn. They are part of the repertoire of Hungarian and foreign bands like the Ensemble Modern, the BBC Symphony Orchestra,[1] the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra,[2] the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, the UMZE Ensemble,[3] the Concerto Budapest, the Ensemble Kontrapunkte,[4] the Riot Ensemble London, the ensemble XX. jahrhundert (eXXj)[5] and the Hungarian Radio Choir. All of her compositions were commissioned.

She performed on many stages all around the world as a solo pianist and chamber musician. In 2016 her opera, Love, which is an adaptation of the classic film of Tibor Déry, Károly Makk and Péter Bacsó, debuted in the Hungarian State Opera House as part of the memorial year of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. In 2019 she was awarded with the TONALi19 composer award for her piano solo, Pendulum. This also means that said composition will be performed by the participants of the piano competition of the TONALi Festival in the Elbphilharmonie.

Beside contemporary classical music, she is particularly interested in scoring motion pictures and theatre pieces, and in the compositions written for multimedia events. In 2013, when the Prima Primissima Prize has undergone a complete renewal, she was entrusted to design the new musical image. She composed music for more than 30 theatre pieces and films. In 2014 the Academy of Austrian Film awarded best soundtrack to Deine Schönheit ist nichts Wert (Your Beauty is Worth Nothing...). In autumn, the Konzerthaus of Vienna commissioned her to compose new music score for a Bolshevik Soviet propaganda silent film from 1924, The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks.[6] The renewed film premiered in March 2016. Approximately 30% of her work is made up of composing for films.

She is a member of the Hungarian Composers’ Union,[7] the Austrian Composers’ Association[8] and the Studio 5 composer group. The latter was founded in 2017 and they aim to organize concerts that can bridge tradition and innovation.[9]

Main works

Operas
Title Date
Love 2016[10]

Orchestral Works
Compositions for Orchestra
Title Date
I. Piano Concerto 1996–1997
Quasi una cadenza 2004–2005
Le Temps retrouvé 2008
Concerto Rivolutionario 2009
Concerto Imaginario 2011
...alles Fleisch... – in memoriam Zoltán Gyöngyössy 2013
Urlicht 2015
JUMP! 2017
Compositions for String Orchestra
Title Date
Mosar II 2019[11]
Black and White 2018
Hallgató-Pergető 2009–2010

Ensemble
Title Date
Schlaflied für Johanna 2001
Berceuse 2001
Kammerkonzert für Klarinette und Ensemble 2003–2004
In memoriam J.V. 2004
Pavane 2005
...sweeter than roses... 2010
Entitas 2012
Speak Low 2013
13 Lieder (for bass clarinet and ensemble) 2013
Broken Beauty 2018[12]

Chamber Music
Title Date
Auge 2001
Streichquartett II 2002
~opra01~ 2002
Streichquartett IIB 2003
Möbiusband 2003
Dialog 2004
Dialog (2. Version) 2004–2005
Strictly Ballroom I 2005
Strictly Ballroom III 2005
Klavierquintett 2007
Dietro la musica 2013
Songs for a Waiting 2013–2014
Mosar 2017
Puzzle (Black Hole Edition) 2018
Escapex2 2019

Vocal Music
Title Date
Mégis 1998
Levél 1999
Harbach 2000
Mad(á)rigál 2005
The L.I.F.E. 2005
Schlummert ein 2014
Pocket Requiem 2017
A Wreath 2018[13]
Pie Jesu 2018
The Night 2018
#perspektiven:los 2019

Solo Instrument
Title Date
Words 2005
10 Portraits for Viola 2010
Barcarole pour Frédéric et George 2010
Sonatine 2013
13 Lieder (for bass clarinet and live electronics) 2005
Fanfaren 2017
Centipede 2017
Pendulum 2019

Film Scores
Title Nationality, Genre, Producer Date
Heim[14] Drama
Filmakademie Wien		 2010
Das Pferd auf dem Balkon[15] Austria
Drama
Minifilm		 2012
Deine Schönheit ist nichts Wert[16]
Güzelliğin On Par'etmez		 Austria Turkey
Drama
Dor Film, Filmakademie Wien, MarangozFilm		 2012
Lou Andreas-Salomé, The Audacity to be Free[17] Drama | Romance
Avanti Media Fiction, Tempest Film, KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production		 2015
Mr West[18] Comedy
Vienna Konzerthaus		 2016
(eredeti: 1924)
The Legend of the Ugly King Biography
Mitosfilm, Aichholzer Filmproduktion, MarangozFilm		 2017
Gypsy Queen Sport
Dor Film-West Produktionsgesellschaft, Dor Film Produktionsgesellschaft, ARTE		 (completed)

Dance Theatre Music
Title Premiere Theatre
7 Encounters[19] 2010 Palais Kabelwerk, Vienna

Theatre Music
Title Premiere Theatre
Bertolt Brecht:
Man is Man		 1998
August Strindberg, Friedrich Dürrenmatt:
Play Strindberg!		 2001 Éjszakai Theatre, Budapest
Zoltán Egressy:
Vesztett éden		 2003 Pinceszínház (Cellar Theater), Budapest
Anton Chekhov:
The Seagull		 2004 István Örkény Theatre, Budapest
Sándor Márai:
Fizess nevetve[20]		 2008 Éjszakai Theatre and Pinceszínház (Cellar Theater), Budapest
Sándor Márai:
Portraits of a Marriage - The real thing		 2009 Pinceszínház (Cellar Theater), Budapest
Leonid Zorin:
A Warsaw Melody		 2010 Pinceszínház (Cellar Theater), Budapest
Géza Csáth:
A Pertics Janika		 2011 Pinceszínház (Cellar Theater), Budapest
Robert Thomas:
Trap for a Single Man (Szegény Dániel)		 2012 Karinthy Színház, Budapest
Niels Peter Juel Larsen:
Blixen bárónő szerelmei[21]		 2014 Centrál Színház, Budapest

Discography
Singles
Album Publisher Year Other
Lou Andreas-Salome[22]Avanti2016Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Compilation albums
Work(s) Album Publisher Year Other
Schlaflied für JohannaVolksmusik - 6. Komponistenforum Mittersill[23]ein_klang Records2002
Strictly Ballroom IIIborn to be off-road[24]ein_klang Records2005CD1
Variationen Für Klavier 1,
Variationen Für Klavier 2,
Variationen Für Klavier 3		The Next Generation[25]ORF, ORF Funkhaus2005
Opra 01,
Quasi Prologue,
Fließend Bewegt,
Febbrile,
Poco Feroce		ÖEGZM Vol. 4: Mixed Chamber Music 4
Gemischte Kammermusik 4[26]
Thürauer, Dimitrova, Varga, Bolcsó, Szakács		Ton 4 Records2009CD, performed by OEGZM
(Österreichische Gesellschaft für zeitgenössische Musik)
Le Temps retrouvéÚj Magyar Zenei Fórum 2009 zeneszerzőverseny
(New Hungarian Music Forum 2009 composers' competition)		BMC HMIC20102 CD
Képzelt zongoraversenyÚj Magyar Zenei Fórum 2011 zeneszerzőverseny[27]
(New Hungarian Music Forum 2011 composers' competition)		BMC HMIC2011Performer: Concerto Budapest
A Fly's Life and DeclineSunfire[28]The Twiolins MarieLuise & Christoph Dingler2014
Entitas for twelve musicians (2012)Woher? Wohin? – Mythen, Nation, Identitäten[29]EM Medien2017Clemens Heil, Ensemble Modern, 2 CD
Judit Varga ShowreelAustrian Film Composers’ Showreel Vol. 2[30]Österreichischer Komponistenbund2018DVD

Awards
  • 1st prize – Franz Liszt Academy of Music (LFZE) Composer Competition, Budapest (1998)
  • 1st prize – LFZE Composer Competition, Budapest (1999)
  • SKE Special Award – Social and cultural support from austro mechana - SKE Fonds, Vienna (2003)
  • 2st prize – LFZE Composer Competition, Budapest (2003)
  • 2st prize – LFZE Composer Competition, Budapest (2004)
  • Special Award – Liszt Ferenc International Piano Competition, Pécs (2005)
  • Dryard Prize – Vienna International Pianists Academy, Vienna (2006)[31]
  • Theodor Körner Prize (2009)
  • 1st prize, Orchestra category – UMZF Composer Competition, Budapest (2009)
  • State scholarship – BMUKK (Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur), Vienna (2010)[32]
  • 2st prize, Orchestra category – New Hungarian Music Forum (UMZF) Composer Competition, Budapest (2011)
  • Special Award – Ö1 Talentebörse-Kompositionspreis, Vienna (2012)
  • Winner of the „Woher? Wohin? Mythen, Nation, Identitäten“ tender – Goethe-Institut, Ensemble Modern, Frankfurt (2012)
  • Film Prize nominee, Best Soundtrack – 49. International Antalya Film Festival (2012)
  • Film Prize nominee, Best Soundtrack – Austrian Film Academy (2013)
  • Staatsstipendium – BMUKK (Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur), Vienna (2014)[33]
  • Film Prize, Best Soundtrack – Austrian Film Academy (Deine Schönheit ist nichts Wert, 2014)
  • Winner of the Hungarian State Opera House's tender for the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956., Budapest (Love, 2016)
  • Bartók Béla–Pásztory Ditta Prize (2017)
  • „Call for scores” winner of the Riot Ensemble (Broken Beauty, 2018)[34]
  • Erkel Ferenc Prize (2018)[35]
  • Istvánffy Benedek Prize (Pocket Requiem, 2018)[36]
  • TONALi Prize – Tonali Classical Music Competition and Festival (Pendulum, 2019)
gollark: Wait, `Array` is actually an array?
gollark: AND NOT ACTUALLY VECTOR/ARRAY-y.
gollark: IS WEIRD, I THINK.
gollark: `!! !! !!`
gollark: You can be evil and use `ST` or whatever.

References
  1. "BBC Symphony Orchestra at Maida Vale". BBC Maida Vale Studios, London. 19 Jun 2018.
  2. "Tanzmusik für Fortgeschrittene" (in German). rso.orf.at. 6 October 2017.
  3. "Az UMZE Kamaraegyüttes hangversenye a Budapesti Tavaszi Fesztiválon". umze.hu. 22 March 2010.
  4. "Abonnement Konzert2 Kontrapunkte unlimited (11. Dezember 2018)". kontrapunkte.at (in German).
  5. "Konzert exxj…ensemble XX. jahrhundert". radiokulturhaus.orf.at (in German). 26 August 2014.
  6. "brücken17 »Mr. West«". kunsthausmuerz.at (in German). Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  7. "Varga Judit". hungaropus.hu. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  8. "Mitgliederliste > E-Musik > Judit Varga". komponistenbund.at. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  9. "Studio 5 Composers' Evening". lfze.hu. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  10. "Love". opera.hu. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  11. Anima Musicae Moments 10: Varga Judit - Mosar II (ősbemutató) (premiere). On the Anima Musicae YouTube channel - 5 March 2019
  12. A few moments with Judit Varga, riotensemble.com - 31 October 2018.
  13. Varga Judit: A Wreath, Universal Music Publishing Editio Musica Budapest, ump.emb.hu - 30 March 2019.
  14. Heim [2010] on Lukas Gnaiger's Vimeo channel - 2 June 2016
  15. Das Pferd auf dem Balkon Official Website
  16. Deine Schönheit ist nichts Wert Official Website
  17. Lou Andreas-Salomé, The Audacity to be Free Official Website
  18. Alexandra Ivanoff (20 January 2017). "Varga's Score Captures the Silly Seriousness of 1924". artsrevieweurope.com. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018.
  19. 7 Encounters Playbill, valerieklein.at
  20. Fizess nevetve! On Gábor Gergely Veres's YouTube channel - 12 November 2012
  21. "Blixen bárónő szerelmei A Cultura Magazin cikke csak engedéllyel másolható" (in Hungarian). cultura.hu. 23 March 2014.
  22. Lou Andreas-Salome (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) By Judit Varga, open.spotify.com
  23. Volksmusik - 6. Komponistenforum Mittersill, open.spotify.com
  24. Australian Clarinet & Saxophone (Volume 8, Number 4, Dec. 2005) born to be off-road stump-linshalm Archived 2019-03-30 at the Wayback Machine, stump-linshalm.com
  25. Andreas Wykydal, Lukas Haselböck, Sonja Huber, Richard Graf, Judit Varga, Alexander Kropp, Karl Barth (3), Tzveta Dimitrova, Johannes Kobald, Michael Wahlmüller, Roland Freisitzer – The Next Generation, discogs.com
  26. OEGZM Vol. 4: Mixed Chamber Music 4 - Gemischte Kammermusik 4, Thürauer, Dimitrova, Varga, Bolcso, Szakacs By OEGZM, open.spotify.com
  27. UMZF 2011 zeneszerzőverseny - Promóciós CD, info.bmc.hu - 1 July 2011
  28. Factsheet CD “Sunfire” - The Twiolins - 2014, thetwiolins.de
  29. Woher? Wohin? – Mythen, Nation, Identitäten, ensemble-modern.com
  30. Österreichischer Komponistenbund Mitgliederinformation Winter 2018/2019 (Austrian Film Composers’ Showreel Vol. 2, 6. old.), komponistenbund.at
  31. VIP Academy 2006, VIP-Preisträger, pianists.at
  32. Kunstbericht2011, kunstkultur.bka.gv.at
  33. Kunstbericht2014, kunstkultur.bka.gv.at
  34. Call for Scores 2018, riotensemble.com - 2018.
  35. "Balog Zoltán állami művészeti és miniszteri szakmai díjakat adott át (Zoltán Balog handed over Public Art and Ministerial Awards)" (in Hungarian). kormany.hu. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  36. "Varga Judit kapta az Istvánffy Benedek-díjat". fidelio.hu. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
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