Takács-Nagy Gábor
violin, conductor
Place of Birth
Budapest
Date of Birth
1956
Orchestra
Web
Gábor Takács-Nagy was born in Budapest and at the age of eight began to study the violin. As a student at the Franz Liszt Academy, he won First Prize in 1979 in the Jenő Hubay Violin Competition, after which he pursued studies with Nathan Milstein. His chamber music teachers at that time were Ferenc Rados, András Mihály and György Kurtág.
From 1975 to 1992, he was founding member and leader of the acclaimed Takács Quartet performing with legendary artists such as Lord Menuhin, Sir Georg Solti, Isaac Stern, Paul Tortelier and Mstislav Rostropovitch and made many recordings for Decca and Hungaroton. In 1982, he was awarded the Liszt Prize. In 1996, with Dénes Várjon and Péter Szabó he founded the Takács Piano Trio and went on to make world-premier recordings of the works of Hungarian composers Franz Liszt, László Lajtha and Sándor Veress.
Gábor Takács-Nagy is a dedicated and highly sought-after chamber music teacher and since 1996 is Professor of String Quartet at the Geneva Conservatoire. He regularly gives masterclasses in many international academies. In 1998 he founded the Mikrokosmos String Quartet with Zoltán Tuska, Sándor Papp and Miklós Perényi, which, in 2008, undertook the recording of the complete cycle of Bartók string quartets. Gábor Takács-Nagy is considered as one of today´s most authentic exponents of Hungarian music, and in particular, that of Béla Bartók.
In 2001, following in a long line of Hungarian musical tradition, Gábor Takács-Nagy turned to conducting and today it is his principal activity. In 2005 he created his own string ensemble, the Camerata Bellerive which is orchestra-in-residence at the annual Festival de Bellerive in Geneva, of which he is artistic director.
In August 2007 he was named Music Director of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra with which he performs extensively throughout the year. Since September 2007 he has been principal guest conductor of both the Magyar Telekom Symphony Orchestra and the MÁV Symphony Orchestra, Budapest and is regularly invited to conduct the Irish Chamber Orchestra.
In 2009 two other recordings will be released: the Bartók viola concerto with Nobuko Imai and a CD with the works of Debussy and Ravel with Steven Isserlis and the Tapiola Sinfonietta.
He has been awarded with Bartók-Pásztory Prize in 2017, with Merited Artist Prize and Prima Primissima Prize in 2021 and with Liszt Prize in 2024.
From 1975 to 1992, he was founding member and leader of the acclaimed Takács Quartet performing with legendary artists such as Lord Menuhin, Sir Georg Solti, Isaac Stern, Paul Tortelier and Mstislav Rostropovitch and made many recordings for Decca and Hungaroton. In 1982, he was awarded the Liszt Prize. In 1996, with Dénes Várjon and Péter Szabó he founded the Takács Piano Trio and went on to make world-premier recordings of the works of Hungarian composers Franz Liszt, László Lajtha and Sándor Veress.
Gábor Takács-Nagy is a dedicated and highly sought-after chamber music teacher and since 1996 is Professor of String Quartet at the Geneva Conservatoire. He regularly gives masterclasses in many international academies. In 1998 he founded the Mikrokosmos String Quartet with Zoltán Tuska, Sándor Papp and Miklós Perényi, which, in 2008, undertook the recording of the complete cycle of Bartók string quartets. Gábor Takács-Nagy is considered as one of today´s most authentic exponents of Hungarian music, and in particular, that of Béla Bartók.
In 2001, following in a long line of Hungarian musical tradition, Gábor Takács-Nagy turned to conducting and today it is his principal activity. In 2005 he created his own string ensemble, the Camerata Bellerive which is orchestra-in-residence at the annual Festival de Bellerive in Geneva, of which he is artistic director.
In August 2007 he was named Music Director of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra with which he performs extensively throughout the year. Since September 2007 he has been principal guest conductor of both the Magyar Telekom Symphony Orchestra and the MÁV Symphony Orchestra, Budapest and is regularly invited to conduct the Irish Chamber Orchestra.
In 2009 two other recordings will be released: the Bartók viola concerto with Nobuko Imai and a CD with the works of Debussy and Ravel with Steven Isserlis and the Tapiola Sinfonietta.
He has been awarded with Bartók-Pásztory Prize in 2017, with Merited Artist Prize and Prima Primissima Prize in 2021 and with Liszt Prize in 2024.