Sunday, March 23, 2014

Andras Agoston

Andras Agoston is a Romanian (some would say Hungarian) violinist and teacher born (in Cluj) on March 17, 1947.  (Cluj is about 230 miles northwest of Bucharest.)  For the most part, Agoston has made his career in Eastern Europe but is recognized the world over, though mainly by audiences who keep very close tabs on the world of classical music.  To the general public, he is definitely not a household name and there is scant information about him on the internet.  Nonetheless, he is a very brilliant and unique artist.  He first studied in his native city with Paula Kouba, Peter Zsurka, and Istvan Ruha.  An audio file of the famous Handel-Halvorsen passacaglia with Ruha on viola is located here – in my opinion, it’s the best recording of this work available anywhere and it’s not even a studio recording.  (Ruha’s viola playing is also simply phenomenal.)  After graduating from the Klausenburg Music Academy (in 1972?), he taught there for 20 years.  Between 1991 and 2001, he was concertmaster of the Philharmonia Hungarica, an orchestra (mainly composed of self-exiled Hungarian musicians) which was initially based near Vienna, Austria.  The orchestra later settled in Marl, a small city about 30 miles northeast of Dusseldorf, Germany.  It became famous for its recording of the complete Haydn symphonies – one of only three orchestras to produce such a project.  The recording project received every award imaginable.  However, the orchestra recorded much more music than this – a total of about 130 discs.  The Philharmonia Hungarica was funded by Germany between 1956 and 2001, after which it ceased to exist.  Agoston continues to give master classes and perform throughout Europe.  As far as I know, he is still based in Marl, Germany.  What violin he plays is unknown to me. Here is a YouTube file in which he plays the Brahms double concerto.  

5 comments:

  1. According to one source, the complete Haydn Symphonies (either 104 or 107 of them, depending on what gets included and what doesn't) have been recorded by four record labels and/or groups. Those four are the one mentioned here, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra recording with Adam Fischer conducting, the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra recording conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, and the set produced by Naxos from among six different orchestras playing in different venues with various conductors.

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  3. Andras Agoston is a excellent violinist. I wish to communicate with him.Thank you.Ms. Elly Elias.

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    1. Dear Elly, You might want to contact Alabama Symphony concertmaster Daniel Szasz - he studied with Mr Agoston and might still have his contact information. My understanding is that Andras Agoston currently lives in Hungary. Mr Szasz' contact information is easy to find on the internet. You can also contact the Alabama Symphony on how to reach Mr Szasz. Good luck!!

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  4. Andras Agoston died on January 2, 2022, at age 74.

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