Árpád Joó (8 June 1948 – 4 July 2014) was a
Hungarian American
Hungarian Americans (, ) are Americans of Hungarian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that there are approximately 1.396 million Americans of Hungarian descent as of 2018. The total number of people with ethnic Hungarian backgroun ...
conductor
Conductor or conduction may refer to:
Biology and medicine
* Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear
* Conduction aphasia, a language disorder
Mathematics
* Conductor (ring theory)
* Conductor of an abelian variety
* Cond ...
and
concert pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz, blues, and popular music, including rock and roll. Most pianists can, to ...
.
Early life
Maestro Joó (pronounced: Yo) was born in
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
in 1948. His grandmother was an eminent pupil of
István Thomán
István Thomán (; 4 November 186222 September 1940) was a Hungarian piano virtuoso and music educator. He was a notable piano teacher, with students including Béla Bartók, Ernő Dohnányi, Paul de Marky who later taught Oscar Peterson in Quebe ...
, at the Franz Liszt Academy (a direct disciple of
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
). At a very early age, his mother, herself an accomplished pianist and teacher had discovered his musical talent. At the age of five he began his musical studies with his mother and a year later he entered the then newly established
Kodály School of Music, under the personal supervision of the Hungarian composer-educator
Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály (, ; , ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music education.
...
.
In short time, he attracted the attention of Kodály himself, who developed a lifelong teacher-student relationship with Joó, which lasted until the death of the composer. During his studies in the Kodály school he was introduced by his teachers to visiting musicians such as
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...
,
Aram Khachaturian
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenians, Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Music of the Soviet Union#Classical music of the Soviet Union, Soviet composers.
Khachaturian was born and rai ...
,
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals,[Carl Orff
Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, who composed the cantata ''Carmina Burana (Orff), Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Orff Schulwerk, Schulwerk were influential for ...]( ...<br></span></div>, <div class=)
,
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...
, and
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer.
Shostak ...
. He studied at the Bartók Conservatory and, at the age of 16, he was admitted to the university level of the
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
The Franz Liszt Academy of Music (, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the Liszt Collection, which features several ...
where he studied piano with Joseph Gat and
Pál Kadosa
Pál Kadosa (; 6 September 1903, Léva, Austria-Hungary (now Levice, Slovakia) – 30 March 1983, Budapest) was a pianist and Hungarian composer of the post- Bartók generation. His early style was influenced by Hungarian folklore while his ...
.
By this time Joó had won his first international piano competition in
Taormina
Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...
in Italy, playing the Liszt
Piano Concerto No. 1. As a child prodigy he periodically visited
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
,
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, to study at the
Mozarteum
Mozarteum University Salzburg ( German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the "Mozarteum" name in Salzburg municipality; the International Mozarteu ...
. At the age of 17 he was invited to give a solo recital in the Montreux festival (Switzerland) in the same series as
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...
,
Geza Anda and
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (; 5 January 1920 – 12 June 1995) was an Italian classical pianist. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. According to ''The New York Times'', he was perhaps the most reclusive, ...
. Joó's piano performances took him to Switzerland, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Germany.
Career
At the age of 20, Joó emigrated to the United States, to study at the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
in New York City as a special student. In his first year of study at Juilliard, he won first prize of the
International Franz Liszt Piano Competition
The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition ("Liszt Competition") is an international piano competition. It is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.
The Competition is held in Utrecht (city), Utrecht in the Net ...
in
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. He became a citizen of the United States and started his conducting career in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, at the age of 21, conducting at the Summer Festival a production of
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
's ''
Le Nozze di Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna ...
''. At the age of 22, he entered
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
, in
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...
, to study conducting. Joó graduated with a
MM in conducting (orchestral and opera). During this time he also studied conducting with
Igor Markevitch
Igor Borisovich Markevitch (, ''Igor Borisovich Markevich'', , ''Ihor Borysovych Markevych''; 27 July 1912 – 7 March 1983) was a Russian composer and conductor who studied and worked in Paris and became a naturalized Italian and French citi ...
in Monte Carlo after which he was named the resident music director and principal conductor of the
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra in Knoxville, Tennessee. The KSO was selected among a competitive pool of orchestras in 2020 to perform at the Kennedy Center as part of the ''SHIFT'' Festival of American Orchestras.
...
in
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
at the age of 24. Joó was the youngest ever music director/conductor of a metropolitan orchestra in the history of the United States.
During this time he guest conducted in many places including the Netherlands, Mexico, and the US. At the age of 26, the cultural arm of the United Nations,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, selected him to conduct a special performance representing the United States in Monte Carlo — which he accomplished to great critical acclaim. At this time he became a private student/confidante of the Italian conductor
Carlo Maria Giulini
Carlo Maria Giulini (; 9 May 1914 – 14 June 2005) was an Italian conductor.
From the age of five, when he began to play the violin, Giulini's musical education was expanded when he began to study at Italy's foremost conservatory, the Conserv ...
. Next he became the music director and principal conductor of the
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. During this time he had many guest conducting appearances all over the world, with many leading orchestras of the world, including the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
, the
Philharmonia Orchestra of London,
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...
,
Amsterdam Philharmonic,
Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra
The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra (Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Budapesti Filharmóniai Társaság Zenekara'') is Hungary's oldest extant orchestra. It was founded in 1853 by Ferenc Erkel under the auspices of the Budapest Philharmonic Societ ...
, and
Vienna Tonkunstler Orchestra
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
In 1980 and 1981, Joó recorded the complete orchestral works of
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...
with the Budapest Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras. Virtually all the newspapers and magazines in the United States and Europe such as ''Newsweek'', ''Time'', ''New York Times'', ''Los Angeles Times'', ''San Francisco Chronicle'', ''Saturday Review'', ''Chicago Tribune'', ''The Times'', (even ''Sports Illustrated'' and ''National Geographic'') hailed these recordings as a milestone both in digital (then new) technology and the quality of the performances. ''Stereo Review'' (1981) awarded the Record of the Year to Joó for his five-disc Bartók set. In 1982, he recorded the complete orchestral works of Kodály. For the next 15 years, he conducted many of the leading orchestras of the world and toured in Germany, England, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
In 1987, Joó took the position of music director and principal conductor of the
Orquesta Sinfonica De Radio Television Espanola in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
(Spanish Radio and Television Orchestra) under royal patronage. He was only the third foreign–born conductor to hold this position (after
Igor Markevitch
Igor Borisovich Markevitch (, ''Igor Borisovich Markevich'', , ''Ihor Borysovych Markevych''; 27 July 1912 – 7 March 1983) was a Russian composer and conductor who studied and worked in Paris and became a naturalized Italian and French citi ...
and
Sergiu Comissiona
Sergiu Comissiona (Hebrew: סרג'ו קומיסיונה; June 16, 1928 – March 5, 2005) was a Romanian- Israeli- American conductor and violinist.
Biography
Early life
Born in Bucharest, Romania in a Jewish family, he began violin studies at ...
). In 1987, Joó recorded the complete orchestral works of Franz Liszt for which he has received the coveted "Grand Prix du Disque" in Paris, directly from the French Minister of Culture, Mr. Leotard.
Joó held the positions of principal guest conductor of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the European Community Chamber Orchestra. (Residency: London, England) Later he became the music director and conductor of
Brabant Orchestra in the Netherlands, conducting many performances throughout Europe (Brighton, England festival, Concertgebouw Amsterdam). Joó also conducted concert tours with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra (Germany 10 concerts), Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany 25-25 concerts), Hungarian State Orchestra (England 8 concerts), Budapest Concert Orchestra (Netherlands, Italy, Spain 22 concerts), the Spanish Radio Orchestra (France, Spain), and Philharmonia Hungarica. He founded in Budapest, Hungary, the European Symphony Orchestra, of which he was the principal conductor since 1998.
In addition to his busy conducting schedule Joó taught
master class
''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...
es and has given lectures at various US and Canadian universities, such as Indiana University (visiting professor of music), Banff Centre of the Arts (Canada), Mount Royal College, University of Alberta, Canada; for two years in succession he has taken over the master classes in conducting for young conductors in
Assisi
Assisi (, also ; ; from ; Central Italian: ''Ascesi'') is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio.
It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Prope ...
, Italy from
Franco Ferrara
Franco Ferrara (Palermo, 4 July 1911Florence, 7 September 1985) was an Italian conductor and teacher. Among his many students are various prominent conductors, including Roberto Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Andrew Davis and Riccardo Muti.
Life a ...
.
In 1992 he served on the jury of the
Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition in Spain.
Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition "Winners, members of the jury and artistic guests"
/ref>
Recordings
He has recorded for many international labels, including Hungaroton, Philips, Sefel, Arts, Erasmus, RCA, and Laserlight. His discography includes more than 50 CDs.
Selected discography
With the Philharmonia Orchestra of London
*R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
*R. Strauss: Suites from the Rosenkavalier and "Die Frau Ohne Schatten"
*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5.
*Wagner: Operatic Arias with Eva Marton
With the London Symphony Orchestra
*Janáček: Sinfonietta
*Kodály: Hary Janos Suite
*Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture
*Suite Nr. 3
*Brahms : Sympnhony Nr 4
*Ravel: Bolero
*Daphnis Suite Nr.2
With the Amsterdam Philharmonic
*Mahler: Symphony nr. 1 (Record of the Year award)
*Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Cello (Double Concerto)
With the Budapest Symphony Orchestra
*Liszt: Complete Symphonic Poems (5 CDs)- "Grand Prix Du Disque", Paris, France
*Complete Orchestral Works of Kodály
*Complete orchestral Works of Bartók (With Budapest Philharmonic), Stereo Review Record of the Year award
*Mahler: Symphony no. 8 (Symphony of a Thousand)
*Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in e minor
With the Spanish Radio Orchestra
*Selected Orchestral Showpieces
With the European Symphony Orchestra
*Dvořák: Slavonic Dances
*Brahms: Hungarian Dances
Video productions
*Beethoven: 9th Symphony (Hungarian Festival Orchestra)
*Liszt: Legend of the St Elisabeth, Oratorio.(Hungarian State Orchestra and Choir with Soloists)
*Mahler: Symphony Nr. 8 (Symphony of a thousand), Budapest Symphony Orchestra and 5 participating Choirs with Soloists)
*Mahler: Symphony Nr. 2 (Hungarian State Orchestra)
----
N.B. Biographical material of Joó's conducting career and repertoire in opera is not included in this short and partial biographical sketch.
External links
Biographical information
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joo, Arpad
1948 births
2014 deaths
Hungarian male conductors (music)
Hungarian classical pianists
Male classical pianists
Hungarian nobility
Mozarteum University Salzburg alumni
20th-century classical pianists
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century Hungarian male musicians