Biography

Endre Hegedűs is a well-known soloist of international and Hungarian concert life. He graduated from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest as a pianist in 1980. His professors were István Antal, Zoltán Kocsis, Ferenc Rados, András Schiff and Anna Hajdú. After graduation he attended Bruno Leonardo Gelber’s and Tamás Vásáry’s master classes several times.

He won prizes at ten international piano competitions, among them first prize at the Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition in Monza, Italy and at the International Piano Competition Sergei Rachmaninov in Morcone, Italy. He was awarded second prize at the International Piano Competition in Sydney, Australia and at the Dino Ciani International Competition at the Scala in Milan.

The number of his appearances to date exceeds 3500. He has given guest performances to great acclaim in several countries in Europe, in Australia, Japan, the one-time Soviet Union, South Korea, Canada and the United States.

In the course of the past years the Hungarian public service televisions recorded and transmitted 17 of Endre Hegedus’ concerts live; in 1997 the State Television of Japan ( NHK ) broadcast excerpts from his Tokyo concert in an hour duration. The complete duration of his concert films exceeds 20 hours.

He speaks several languages teaching in English, German, Italian and Japanese in Hungary and abroad.

He is married, a happy father of 3. With his wife Katalin Hegedus they often perform works for piano duet and two pianos in Hungary and abroad alike.

In 1986, the year of Liszt’s bicentenary, Endre Hegedus was awarded the Liszt Commemorative Plaque by the Ferenc Liszt Society and the Ministry of Culture.

In October 1997 the Ferenc Liszt Society conferred on him for his achievements as a performer the GYÖRGY CZIFFRA-PRIZE distributed each third year.

In March 1999 he was given the title STEINWAY ARTIST by the Steinway Centre in New York. The same year he was ranked among the best 300 active pianists of the world in England.

On 15th March 2000 the minister of Culture awarded him in the framework of the Hungarian millennial celebrations the LISZT-PRIZE.

On 15th October 2000 Endre Hegedus played both of Brahms’s piano concertos in the great hall of the Academy of Music. The Symphonic Orchestra of the Hungarian Radio was conducted by Tamas Vasary. The chief patron of the event was Dr. Ferenc Madl, President of the Hungarian Republic, the patron Zoltan Rockenbauer, Minister of Culture who honoured the event of unusual dimensions with their presence. The concert was broadcast live by the Rádió Bartók; the Hungarian Television shot a film of the whole event, which was transmitted twice by the TV station “m1”. The Studió Liszt Produkció released a double CD album of the performance.

In December 2001 the local authority of his native town Hodmezovasarhely conferred on the artist the PRO URBE PRIZE in recognition of the more than 110 concerts given there.

In March 2002 Endre and Katalin Hegedus were awarded the KULTÚRA 22 prize by the local authority of Budafok-Tétény for their cultural achievements.

In April 2000, then in May 2002 the artist appeared to great acclaim at the International Chamber Music Festival of Canberra, Australia. Another important event of the same concert tour was Endre Hegedus’ recital with Liszt’s works at the Sydney Opera House and his two presentation concerts in Seoul, South Korea.

In October 2004 the Publishing House “Harmat” published a long interview with the artist conducted by Andrea Ferenczy. It was printed in a separate volume with the title “HEGEDUS A ZONGORANAL” [Violinist at the Piano, a pun with the pianist’s family name]. It sold in more than 1,500 copies in 3 months.

In December 2004 he received the ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY for his international concerting and for creating harmony between the music and its audience.

In January 2005 Endre Hegedus undertook a concert tour of the states Utah, Washington and California and cities like Salt Lake City, Seattle, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and San Diego giving 15 concerts to great acclaim.

On 22nd February 2005 he was soloist of two concertos played at the National Concert Hall of the Palace of Arts, Budapest to a 1,500-man strong audience. He performed piano concertos by Grieg and Tchaikovski with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gyor under the baton of Adam Medveczky. In the same place he played two additional concerts to a house filled to capacity. At his recital given on 21st October with the title “Under the Spell of Steinway” he presented three new Steinway pianos to the audience.

On 22nd February 2006 he played at his concert “Chopin Forever Young” with sweeping success the piano concertos F minor and E minor as well as the works Andante spianato and Great Polonaise with the Symphonic Orchestra of the Hungarian Railways conducted by Gergely Ménesi.

His recital (“A Life at the Piano”), which took place is this by now deservedly world-famous hall on 12th October 2006, was similarly an important event of the Budapest concert life.

His concert in the great hall of the Academy of Music on 20th November 2008 was received with a warm welcome by the audience. There he played two piano concertos again (Brahms no. 1 and Tchaikovsky no. 1) to a room filled to capacity.

On 15th April 2009 he bid farewell to the great hall of the Academy of Music to be closed for a while for reconstruction purposes, with a solo concert and on October 4th with an equally successful piano concerto with orchestra.

In January 2010 he went to the United States on a one-month-concert tour. On 22nd January of that year he was awarded the FERENC BESSENYEI ARTISTIC PRIZE by his native town Hodmezovasarhely. On 13th November Endre Hegedus played on the occasion of Chopin’s Bicentenary the master’s Piano Concertos in F minor and E minor at the National Concert Hall in one night.

In September 2010 Nippon Columbia Records, the greatest Japanese CD publishing company released a double CD in Japan on which in addition to the recordings of Beethoven’s concertos and overtures by renowned Japanese soloists the rendering of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C minor is also included as played by Endre Hegedus in a concert in 1991, which was recorded live. The Sapporo Symphonic Orchestra was conducted by Kazuo Yamada. ( Columbia TWCO1006/7 )

On 13th April 2011 Endre Hegedus appeared in the National Concert Hall again: on the occasion of the Liszt bicentenary he gave a highly successful Liszt solo recital to a room filled to capacity. On 15th March the artist was awarded honorary citizenship by the district where he lives.

On 20th August he was decorated with the KNIGHT’S CROSS ORDER OF MERIT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY for his performing art, which is deservedly popular beyond Hungary’s frontiers as well, particularly for his fascinating interpretation of Chopin’s and Liszt’s works.

Repertoire

Bach: Concerto in D minor, Concerto in F minor, Concerto for two pianos in C major, Concerto for two pianos in C minor

Haydn: Concerto in D major

Mozart: Concerto in B flat major K. 450, Concerto in G major K. 453, Concerto in D minor K. 466, Concerto in C major K. 467, Concerto in E flat major K. 482, Concerto in B flat major K. 595, Concerto for two pianos in E flat major K. 365.

Beethoven: Concerto in C minor, Concerto in E flat major

Chopin: Concerto in E minor, Concerto in F minor, Andante spianato et grande polonaise

Liszt: Concerto in E flat major, Concerto in A major, Totentanz, Hungarian Fantasy

Schubert-Liszt: Wanderer Fantasy

Schumann: Concerto in A minor, Introduction and Allegro Appassionato

Grieg: Concerto in A minor

Brahms: Concerto in D minor, Concerto in B flat major

Tchaikovsky: Concerto in B flat minor

Saint-Saens: Concerto in G minor (No. 2.)

Rachmaninoff: Concerto in C minor (No. 2.), Variations on a theme by Paganini

Bartók: Concerto No. 3.

Dohnányi: Variations on a Nursery Song

Gershwin: Concerto in F major, Rhapsody in blue

Addinsell: Warschauer Konzert

Franz Liszt: Sonata in B minor, I. Mephisto-Waltz, Hungarian Rhapsodies 8, 14, and 15, Au bord d’une source, Orage, La Vallée d’Obermann, Après une lecture du Dante, I. valse oubliée, Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, Funérailles, Liebesträume, Consolations, Csárdás macabre, Csárdás obstiné, Transcendental Études: Wilde Jagd and Chasse-neige, Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este

Transcriptions by Liszt:

Wagner-Liszt: Tannhäuser-ouverture (Searle No. 442), O Du mein holder Abendstern S. 444, Entry of the Guests… S. 445, Pilgrim’s Chorus S. 443

Wagner-Liszt: Rienzi-Fantasy S. 439

Bellini-Liszt: Reminiscences des Puritains S. 390, I Puritani – Introduction et polonaise S. 391, Hexameron – Variations on the March from I Puritani composed by Liszt, Thalberg, Pixis, Herz, Czerny and Chopin S. 392, Sonnambula – Grand Fantasy S. 393, Reminiscences de Norma S. 394

Donizetti-Liszt: Reminiscences de Lucia di Lammermoor S. 397, Marche et cavatine de Lucia di Lammermoor S. 398, Reminiscences de Luretia Borgia Part 1: Trio from the Second Act, Part 2: Chanson à boire (Orgie) – Duo Finale S. 400, Valse à capriccio sur 2 motifs de Lucia et Parisina S. 401

Pacini-Liszt: Divertissement sur la cavatine “I tuoi frequenti palpiti” – from Niobe S. 419

Erkel-Liszt: Schwanengesang und Marsch von Hunyadi László S. 405

Gounod-Liszt: Valse de l’opera Faust S. 407

Mendelssohn-Liszt: Wedding March and dance of the Elves S. 410

Meyerbeer-Liszt: Les Hugenots – grand fantasy S. 412, Reminiscences de Robert le diable S. 413, Illustrations du Prophète S. 414, Illustration de l’Africaine S. 415

Mosonyi-Liszt: Fantasy on Szép Ilonka S. 417

Rossini-Liszt: Air du Stabat Mater “Cujus animam” S. 553


Bach, J.S.: Preludes and fugues from vols. I and II of the Well-tempered Clavier, English Suites, French Suites, Partita in C minor, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue

Bach-Hess: Chorale from Cantata no. 147

Bach-Busoni: Chaconne in D minor

Bartók: Suite op. 14, Sonata 1926, Three Burlesques, Fifteen Hungarian Peasants’ Songs, Rumanian Folk Dances, Two Rumanian Dances, 10 Short Piano Pieces, For Children — vols. 1-4, Mikrokosmos vols. 1-6.

Brahms: Sonata in F minor op. 5, Two Rhapsodies op. 79, Three Intermezzi op. 117.

Beethoven: Sonata in A major op. 2, Sonata in F major op. 10, Sonata in D major op. 10, Sonata in C minor “Pathétique”op. 13, Sonata in G major op. 14, Sonata in B flat major op. 22, Sonata in A flat major op. 26, Sonata in E flat major op. 27, Sonata in C sharp minor “Moonlight” op. 27, Sonata in D major “Pastoral” op. 31, Sonata in F minor “Appassionata” op. 57, Sonata in C major “Waldstein” op. 53, Sonata in E minor, op. 90, Rondeau a capriccio in G major “Rage Over a Lost Penny”op. 129, Für Elise.

Chopin: Studies from the series opp. 10 and 25, Polonaises, Andanta spianato and Grande polonaise op. 22, Mazurkas, Nocturnes, Sonata in B minor op. 58, Impromptu in F sharp major op. 36, Scherzo in B flat minor op. 31, Scherzo in C sharp minor op. 39, Preludes, Ballada in G minor op. 23, Ballada in F minor op. 52, Fantasia in F minor, Rondo in E flat major op. 16.

Debussy: Children’s Corner, Pour le piano, Images I, Preludes from vols. i and ii.

Haydn: Sonata in D major, H XVI/19, Sonata in G major, H XVI/27, Sonata in D major HXVI/37, Sonata in C major, H XVI/50, Variations in F minor

Mozart: Sonata in C major, K 309, Sonata in F major, K 332, Sonata in B flat major, K 333, Sonata in B flat major, K 570, Sonata in D major, K 576, Variations in C major, K 300e, Variations in B flat major, K 500, Variations in D major, K 573, Adagio in B minor, K 540, Small gigue K 574.

Prokofiev: Sonatas no. 3 and 7.

Rachmaninoff: Preludes, Études-tableaux.

Scarlatti: Sonatas

Schubert: Sonata in A major op. 120, Sonata in C minor op. post., Wanderer Fantasy, Impromptu in E flat major op. 90, no. 2, Impromptu in G flat major op. 90 no. 3, Impromptu in B flat major op. 142 no. 3, Waltzes.

Schumann: Sonata in G minor, Carnaval op. 9, Carnival Jest from Vienna op. 26, Symphonic studies op. 13 (with the posthumous variations).

Skriabin: Studies, Preludes

Schoenberg: Suite op. 25

Stravinsky: Petrushka – suite, Piano rag music

Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Dumka op. 73.

For violin and piano: J. S. Bach: Sonatas, Mozart: Sonatas, Beethoven: Sonatas, Schubert: Sonatas, Great Duo, Schumann: Sonatas, Brahms: Sonatas, Franck: Sonata in A major, Bartók: Rhapsody no. 1 and 2, Rumanian Folk Dances

For violoncello and piano: Bach: Sonatas, Beethoven: Sonatas, Schubert: “Arpeggione” Sonata, Mendelssohn: Sonatas, Franck: Sonata in A major, Brahms: Sonatas, Saint-Saens: Sonata in C minor, Bartók: Rhapsody no. 1

Various works for flute, clarinet,  horn and piano

Various songs and song cycles from Haydn to Bartók

Trios (violin-violoncello-piano): Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms

Piano quartets: Schumann, Brahms, Joseph Holbrook

Piano quintets: Schubert: The Trout, Schumann: E flat major op. 44, Dvorak: in A major op. 81, Saint-Saens. Brahms: in F minor op. 34, Franck, Bartók, Dohnányi

Works for piano duet: Bach-Hess: Chorale from Cantata no. 147, Mozart: Sonatas and Variations in G major, Beethoven: Sonata in D major and Variations, Schubert: Sonatas, Variations, Fantasia in F minor, Lebensstürme (Allegro in A minor), Rondo in A major, Divertissement á la Hongroise,  Two characteristic marches, Liszt: Les Préludes, Hungaria — symphonic poems, Brahms: Sixteen waltzes, Debussy: Little suite

Works for two pianos: Bach-Hess: Chorale from Cantata no. 147, Bach: Siziliano from the Sonata for flute and piano in G minor, Mozart: Sonata in D major, Schumann: Andante with Variations, Chopin: Rondo in C major Op. 73, Brahms: Sonata in F minor op. 34/b, Haydn Variations, Debussy: En blanc et noir, Symphony, Bartók: from Mikrokosmos, Chabrier: Espaňa, Milhaud: Scaramouche, Addinsell: Concert of Warsaw, Lutoslawsky: Paganini Variations