Várdai István
cello
István Várdai was born in Pécs, Hungary, in 1985. He started playing the cello at the age of eight. From 2004 István studied in the Class of Special Talents at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest (professor: László Mező), from 2005 at the Music Academy of Vienna (professor: Reinhard Latzko). Between 2010 and 2013 he continued his studies at the Kronberg Academy with Professor Frans Helmerson. From 2013 he is on the staff of the Academy. In the past years he attended masterclasses of Natalia Gutman, Natalia Shakhovskaya, András Schiff and János Starker.
Since his debut concert in 1997 in The Hague, he has performed in New York, London, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Geneva, Dublin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Florence, Tokyo, Kobe, Beijing with great success. Along his starting career, he played with world-famous musicians and orchestras: Mikhail Pletnov, Ádám Fischer, Zoltán Kocsis, Howard Griffiths, Gilbert Varga, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Suisse Romande Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata. He has been invited to Santander Festival, the Gergiev Festival in St. Petersburg, the Pablo Casals Festival (Spain), Festival of Radio France (Montpellier), Bellerive Festival (Switzerland), Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Verbier Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Schwetzingen Festival and the Budapest Spring Festival. In 2010 he made his debut, among others, in Carnegie Hall and the Wiener Konzerthaus and performed with Gidon Kremer, András Schiff and Yuri Bashmet in the frame of Chamber Music Connects the World at Kronberg Academy.
István Várdai was honoured with several prestigious international prizes: in 2008 he won the 63th Geneva International Music Competition, and additional special prizes as well: Audience Prize, Pierre Fournier Prize, Coup de Coeur Breguet Prize. He took the third prize of the International Tchaikovsky Music Competition, Moscow in 2007. In 2006 he was awarded with the special prize of the Emanuel Feuermann Cello Competition at the Kronberg Academy and received first prize at the 13th International Brahms Competition in Austria. He was winner of the David Popper International Music Competition three times (2000, 2003, 2004). In 2014 he won the prestigious ARD Competition in Munich.
In 2009 he was awarded the Junior Prima Prize as best young artist of the year, in 2012 he received the prestigious Prix Montblanc awarded to the world's most promising young musician. His first CD containing pieces of Janáček, Prokofiev and the Elgar cello concerto was released in October 2009 by Ysaye Records. In 2010 he recorded the cello concerto of Johann Baptist Vanhal. On his CD released by he Hännsler label in 2013 he plays works by Mendelssohn, Martinu, Paganini, Beethoven and Popper. His recent CD with both versions of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations was released in November 2014 by Brilliant Classcis.
He is, together with Kristóf Baráti, artistic director of the Kaposfest Chamber Music Festival in Hungary. István Várdai plays a Montagnana cello from 1720.
Prizes, awards
2008 Márciusi Ifjak prize
2009 Junior Prima prize
2012 Prix Monblanc prize
2015 Liszt prize
Since his debut concert in 1997 in The Hague, he has performed in New York, London, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Geneva, Dublin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Florence, Tokyo, Kobe, Beijing with great success. Along his starting career, he played with world-famous musicians and orchestras: Mikhail Pletnov, Ádám Fischer, Zoltán Kocsis, Howard Griffiths, Gilbert Varga, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Suisse Romande Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata. He has been invited to Santander Festival, the Gergiev Festival in St. Petersburg, the Pablo Casals Festival (Spain), Festival of Radio France (Montpellier), Bellerive Festival (Switzerland), Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Verbier Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Schwetzingen Festival and the Budapest Spring Festival. In 2010 he made his debut, among others, in Carnegie Hall and the Wiener Konzerthaus and performed with Gidon Kremer, András Schiff and Yuri Bashmet in the frame of Chamber Music Connects the World at Kronberg Academy.
István Várdai was honoured with several prestigious international prizes: in 2008 he won the 63th Geneva International Music Competition, and additional special prizes as well: Audience Prize, Pierre Fournier Prize, Coup de Coeur Breguet Prize. He took the third prize of the International Tchaikovsky Music Competition, Moscow in 2007. In 2006 he was awarded with the special prize of the Emanuel Feuermann Cello Competition at the Kronberg Academy and received first prize at the 13th International Brahms Competition in Austria. He was winner of the David Popper International Music Competition three times (2000, 2003, 2004). In 2014 he won the prestigious ARD Competition in Munich.
In 2009 he was awarded the Junior Prima Prize as best young artist of the year, in 2012 he received the prestigious Prix Montblanc awarded to the world's most promising young musician. His first CD containing pieces of Janáček, Prokofiev and the Elgar cello concerto was released in October 2009 by Ysaye Records. In 2010 he recorded the cello concerto of Johann Baptist Vanhal. On his CD released by he Hännsler label in 2013 he plays works by Mendelssohn, Martinu, Paganini, Beethoven and Popper. His recent CD with both versions of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations was released in November 2014 by Brilliant Classcis.
He is, together with Kristóf Baráti, artistic director of the Kaposfest Chamber Music Festival in Hungary. István Várdai plays a Montagnana cello from 1720.
Prizes, awards
2008 Márciusi Ifjak prize
2009 Junior Prima prize
2012 Prix Monblanc prize
2015 Liszt prize
| Year | Title | Publisher | Code | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Wohltemperiertes Cymbal | Hungaroton | HCD 32359 | |
| 2009 | Works For Cello | nascor | 933967 |
Own |
| 2011 | Georg Druschetzky: 3 Divertimentos for Basset Horn | Hungaroton | HCD 32694 |
Own |
| 2012 | Vanhal, Johann Baptist: Two Symphonies & Cello Concerto | CPO | 1239848 |
Own |
| 2014 | Cello Variations | Gunther Hanssler | PRF 13020 |
Own |
| 2014 | Csajkovszkij, Pjotr Iljics: Rococo Variations | Brillant Classics | 94876 |
Own |
| 2015 | István Várdai & Julien Quentin: Singing Cello | Hungaroton | HCD 32741 | |
| 2018 | István Várdai: Dancing Cello | Hungaroton | HCD 32807 |
Own |
| 2021 | Romantic Cello - The Essential Classics of Schumann, Dvořak, Chopin & Others | Hungaroton | HCD 32855 |