Laszlo Varga (cellist)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Laszlo Varga (December 13, 1924 – December 11, 2014) was a Hungarian-born American
cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
who had a worldwide status as a soloist, recording artist, and authoritative cello teacher.


Biography

As a
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
, Varga lost his position at the Budapest Symphony during WW II and was later interned by Hungarian authorities in a Nazi labor camp. For 11 years Varga held the position as principal cellist of the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...
under the baton of the orchestra's music directors
Dimitri Mitropoulos Dimitri Mitropoulos (; – 2 November 1960) was a Greek and American conductor, pianist, and composer. Life and career Mitropoulos was born in Athens, the son of Yannis and Angelikē (Angeliki) Mitropoulos. His father owned a leather goods s ...
and
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
, and many guest conductors including
Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin Reiner (; December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to promine ...
and
Guido Cantelli Guido Cantelli (; 27 April 192024 November 1956) was an Italian orchestral conductor. Toscanini elected him his "spiritual heir" since the beginnings of his career. He was named Music Director of La Scala, Milan in November 1956, but his promis ...
. He performed as soloist with orchestras in countries such as Australia, Japan, USA, the former Soviet Union, and throughout Europe. In music festivals such as Aspen, Chautauqua, and Shreveport, he has been spotlighted during the last 40 years for his duties as a soloist, chamber musician and teaching mentor. During this time recorded a multitude of disks for numerous labels including Columbia, CRI, Decca, EMI, Musicelli, Period, Philips, RCA, Serenus, and Vox. Many composers throughout the world have requested that Mr. Varga give the first performance of their works. As a chamber musician he was a member of groups such as the Borodin Piano Trio, the Canadian String Quartet, the Léner String Quartet, the
Hungarian Quartet The Hungarian String Quartet was a musical ensemble of world renown, particularly famous for its performances of quartets by Beethoven and Bartók. The quartet was founded in Budapest in 1935 (as the New Hungarian Quartet) and was disbanded in 197 ...
, the Trio Concertante, and the Crown Chamber Players. Indiana University awarded Varga with the title of ''Chevalier du Violoncelle'' for having dedicated his career as a teacher and soloist for the improvement of cello playing. He taught the cello at San Francisco State University (where he also taught conducting and oversaw the chamber music program), University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Toronto and the University of Houston, from which he retired in 2000. He has the great pleasure of having many of his students landing jobs in orchestras and in universities throughout the globe. He routinely holds master classes and performs in recitals as well as conducts large groups of cello ensembles on all sides of the globe. Many of these take place during the various international Cello Congresses. He has been the conductor of orchestras in Budapest, Hungary and San Leandro, California, as well as Festivals in Aspen, Colorado and Shreveport, Louisiana. He not only conducted the ''Virtuosi of New York'' and the ''Virtuosi of San Francisco'' but he was founder of both of them. He has arranged many works of music which are published by MusiCelli Publications. Groups such as the Yale Cellos, the Saito Cello Ensemble, ''CELLO for Sony/Philips'', MusiCelli, the Los Angeles ''I Cellisti'', as well as his own ''New York Philharmonic Cello Quartet'' have recorded his arrangements.


Laszlo Varga's list of Cello Arrangements


for Solo Cello

BACH, Johann Sebastian * Partita in D minor for solo cello, BWV 1004 (which includes the famous Chaconne) * Partita in E for solo cello, BWV 1006 * Solo Cello Suite No. 4, BWV 1010 (Transposed to G Major) BRAHMS, Johannes * Three Violin Sonatas (Cello part only) ** Sonata in G, Op. 78 ** Sonata in A, Op. 100 ** Sonata in d, Op. 108


for Cello and Piano

BACH, Johann Sebastian * Toccata, Adagio, and Fuga (Originally for organ.) BARTOK, Bela * Sonatine (1915) (Originally for piano.) BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van * Sonata, Op. 64 MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus * Adagio, K. 261 (Originally for violin.) * Andante, K. 467 (Originally for piano.) SCHUBERT, Franz * Two Songs: “Litanei” and “Aufenthalt” SCHUMANN, Robert * Two Songs


for Two Cellos

BACH, Johann Sebastian * Fifteen Little Pieces * Suite in C Major * Suite No. 5, BWV 1011 in C minor for cello duo (transposed to G minor) * Aria from Goldberg Variations


for Three Cellos

BACH, Johann Sebastian * Two Little Preludes


Cello Quartets and bigger Ensembles

BACH, Johann Sebastian * Chaconne in d, BWV 1004 * Prelude and Fugue VIII from Book One of the “WTC” * Sarabande and Bourree, BWV 1002 * Suite V for solo cello, BWV 1011 * Allemande, Sarabande, Gavotte, and Gigue from Suite VI BARTOK, Bela * Hungarian Peasant Songs BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van * Quartet, Op. 14, No. 1 (Originally for piano.) * Adagio, Op. 31, No. 2 (Originally for piano.) BOCCHERINI, Luigi * Adagio and Allegro (from the Cello Sonata in A) CHOPIN, Frederic * Etude, Op. 25, No. 7 (Originally for piano.) * Prelude in e, Op. 28, No. 4 (Originally for piano.) DEBUSSY, Claude * Sarabande (from “pour le piano”) * Prelude, “La fille aux cheveux de lin” (Originally for piano.) * Prelude, “Minstrels” (Originally for piano.) HAYDN, Franz Joseph * Quartet, Op. 76, No. 5 (Originally for string quartet.) MOOR, Emanuel * Suite, Op 95 MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus * Sonata in F, K. 358 (Originally for piano.) RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, Nicolai * Flight of the Bumble Bee ROSSINI, Gioacchino * Variations “Un Larme” (Originally for cello and piano.) VIVALDI, Antonio * Concerto Grosso, Op. 3, No. 11


Cello Ensemble with Voice

SCHUBERT, Franz * Two Songs for Soprano and Cello Quartet, Der Müller und der Bach and
Heidenröslein "" or "" ("Rose on the Heath" or "Little Rose of the Field") is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1789. It was written in 1771 during Goethe's stay in Strasbourg when he was in love with Friederike Brion, to whom the poem is add ...
BRAHMS, Johannes * “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit” from
Ein deutsches Requiem ''A German Requiem, to Words of the Holy Scriptures'', Op. 45 () by Johannes Brahms, is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and soprano and baritone soloists, composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together l ...
for mezzo soprano or solo cello and eight-part cello ensemble (with optional six-part cello choir.)


Solo Cello and Four Cellos or other Instruments

HANDEL, George Frederic * Concerto in g for five celli or solo oboe and four celli MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus * Quintet, K. 407 for oboe and four celli. (Originally for horn and strings.) RESPIGHI, Ottorino * Adagio con Variazioni for solo cello and cello octet STRAUSS, Richard * Don Quixote, Op. 32 for solo cello and viola, violin, clar./bass clar., French horn, and piano * Sonata, Op. 6 for solo cello and 12-piece ensemble (pairs or flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, 1 cello, and 1 bass) TCHAIKOVSKY, Peter Ilych * Andante Cantabile from the String Quartet, Op. 11 for solo cello and five-part cello ensemble


References


External links


Conversation with Laszlo Varga

Link to music in Print by Cello 2Go

Laszlo Varga Musical Score Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varga, Laszlo American classical cellists Hungarian classical cellists University of Houston faculty San Francisco State University faculty University of California, Santa Cruz faculty Jewish classical musicians 1924 births 2014 deaths 20th-century classical musicians Hungarian emigrants to the United States 20th-century cellists