Nyíregyházi Ervin
piano
Place of Birth
Budapest
Date of Birth
1903
19 January 1903, Budapest - 13 April 1987, Los Angeles (USA)
Hungarian-born American pianist and composer.
He started his career as a prodigy: he played the piano at the age of two and composed at the age of four. He studied at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music as a pupil of István Thomán and Arnold Székely, then in Berlin, where his teachers were Frederic Lamond and Ernő Dohnányi.
From 1913 he had a successful series of concerts in Hungary and Europe. From 1914 he lived in Berlin. In 1918 he performed with the Wiener Philharmoniker, he played Liszts Piano concerto No. 2., conducted by Artúr Nikisch. He debuted 1920 in New York as well, where his concert had superb responses. The thesis of the psychologist Géza Révész was published with the title Ervin Nyiregyházi: psychologische Analyse eines musikalisch hervorragenden Kindes (1916) - this was the first detailed study about the special and early talent.
In the 20s his career broke and for a long time he only performed occasionally. In 1930 he moved to the USA and worked in Los Angeles for various film studios. He played the piano in the movies A Song to Remember and Song of Love. Many years have passed when he came back to stage 1973 in San Francisco. He mostly played works by Liszt, Grieg, Debussy, Scriabin and Schönberg. Later he recorded many albums. In 1978 he was invited to the Carnegie Hall, but he rejected the request. His last concert was on January 1982 in Tokio.
His unique, virtuoso, at times eccentric style raised huge attention but it divided the critics at the same time.
He was an active composer as well, he wrote around 700 opuses until 1978.
Hungarian-born American pianist and composer.
He started his career as a prodigy: he played the piano at the age of two and composed at the age of four. He studied at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music as a pupil of István Thomán and Arnold Székely, then in Berlin, where his teachers were Frederic Lamond and Ernő Dohnányi.
From 1913 he had a successful series of concerts in Hungary and Europe. From 1914 he lived in Berlin. In 1918 he performed with the Wiener Philharmoniker, he played Liszts Piano concerto No. 2., conducted by Artúr Nikisch. He debuted 1920 in New York as well, where his concert had superb responses. The thesis of the psychologist Géza Révész was published with the title Ervin Nyiregyházi: psychologische Analyse eines musikalisch hervorragenden Kindes (1916) - this was the first detailed study about the special and early talent.
In the 20s his career broke and for a long time he only performed occasionally. In 1930 he moved to the USA and worked in Los Angeles for various film studios. He played the piano in the movies A Song to Remember and Song of Love. Many years have passed when he came back to stage 1973 in San Francisco. He mostly played works by Liszt, Grieg, Debussy, Scriabin and Schönberg. Later he recorded many albums. In 1978 he was invited to the Carnegie Hall, but he rejected the request. His last concert was on January 1982 in Tokio.
His unique, virtuoso, at times eccentric style raised huge attention but it divided the critics at the same time.
He was an active composer as well, he wrote around 700 opuses until 1978.