Hungary Mozart, Schubert: Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano), Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra / István Várdai (conductor), Franz Liszt Music Academy, Budapest, 14.12.2025. (AK)
Mozart – Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546; Piano Concerto in A major, K.488
Schubert – String Quintet in C major, D 956
Formed over sixty years ago (in 1963) by graduates of the Franz Liszt Music Academy, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra first worked under the direction of conductor Professor Frigyes Sándor but was later led, for several decades, by the distinguished violinist János Rolla. I am old enough to recall their early days; furthermore, I have sentimental memories.
I studied with Professor Sándor as well as played for a short while chamber music with János Rolla long before the Liszt chamber orchestra was established. For me Sándor and Rolla were and remain the best representatives of what music is about, what it should sound like. Seeking musical perfection was taken for granted.
Over the decades the orchestra achieved well-deserved international recognition, playing with the greatest artists of the day such as Isaac Stern, Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter, Martha Argerich, and András Schiff, just to mention a few. Sadly, neither Frigyes Sándor (1905 -1979) nor János Rolla (1944 – 2023) are still among us.
Rolla raised even higher the benchmark set by Sándor; the group was regarded as among the best in the world. Does the orchestra in 2025 keep the tradition and standard of old times or is it only the name which remains?
The orchestra is now larger. For decades they played with three cellos and one double bass; by now they have four cellos and two basses. The upper strings also added to their numbers although with their overall 6, 4, 4, 4, 2 formation they are still small enough to be regarded as a string chamber orchestra. As in the past, wind players are added to the group when needed.
There is one strong link to the olden times. Leader Péter Tfirst could be described as born into the orchestra. His father, violinist Zoltán Tfirst, joined in 1969 and stayed for fifty years. The younger Tfirst was invited by Rolla who coached him on the job in the art of this orchestra.
A significant departure from the past decades is the role of the artistic director, taken in 2020 by the excellent cellist István Várdai. It is not clear how the musical direction is divided between the leader and the artistic director but, for sure, earlier the musical leadership was firmly in leader Rolla’s hands.
Várdai is an outstanding solo cellist and a lead cello professor at the Vienna music academy. Within his collaboration with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra he plays solo concertos, occasionally plays in the orchestra (like in the last piece in this concert) and conducts from time to time (like in the second piece).
I find Várdai’s role as conductor of this orchestra problematic. Not because he is not doing a good enough job but because this orchestra does not need a conductor: they played without one for some four decades and their music making was exquisite.
However, the concert was excellent: this was partly because of the magnificent contribution by Georgian/Russian/Austrian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja in the Mozart Piano Concerto. Having turned age 80 in November, Leonskaja is in full command of her technique, her memory and the music she plays. (Leonskaja’s energy is also of note: her concert calendar shows astonishing number of forthcoming concerts with wide-ranging repertoire.) Playing from memory, in the piano concerto Leonskaja took great care of the musical phrases, allowing each of them to breathe. She used several tone colours, especially in the poetic solo introduction (and its reappearances) of the second movement. Interestingly, the conductor did not seem to follow Leonskaja at closures, it was her who followed the conductor. To reward the audience for their enthusiastic reception, Leonskaja gave us an exquisite rendering of the Andante movement from Mozart’s Piano Sonata K545.
The orchestral Adagio and Fugue was led by Péter Tfirst without any conductor. Ensemble playing was fine although, for my taste, the initial chords were a bit rough, and reappearances of the fugue theme lacked variety.
The last number of the concert was utterly beautiful. Without a conductor, although this time Váradi leading the cellos, they presented the string quintet in an orchestral version and alleyed my fears about this transfer. Occasionally I thought that the ensemble was just about to come apart but it did not. I am not sure who was leading, Tfirst or Váradi, but they brought out the best from Schubert’s heavenly music. Do I prefer Schubert’s original for five players? Yes, I do! But was Schubert well served by this performance? Yes, he was. Unfortunately, no information was given about the arranger, perhaps they just simply multiplied the players in all parts. Either way, I went home happy.
Agnes Kory
Featured Image: Elisabeth Leonskaja congratulating leader Péter Tfirst © Szabolcs Kőhidai / Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra