In a Sense It was a Premiere for the Bartók Concerto...
And for my Joseph Curtin Viola.
In January of 1992, violist Csaba Erdélyi returned to his native Hungary for a concert to be broadcast live from the Budapest Opera.
“It was a double premiere,” says Erdélyi. “I spent ten years restoring Bartók's viola concerto from his original manuscript, and this was its debut. It was also the first concerto performance for my Joseph Curtin viola. Both were praised highly.”
Csaba Erdélyi established his presence in the music world with another first. In 1972 he became the only viola player ever to win the prestigious Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. He went on to serve as principal of the Philharmonia Orchestra and violist in the Chilingirian Quartet, reaching a wider audience as the solo viola player in the film score Amadeus.
“It's a rare treat to own an instrument that has a strong, mature, even, rich tone in all its registers, and the perfect health of a young instrument. It has blended beautifully with Strad and Guarneri violins, as well as Goffriller and Montagnana cellos. I've trusted it in extreme climates from Brazil to Alaska. When I premiered the Bartók, it was just six months old. Yehudi Menuhin, my mentor and frequent concert partner, tried it and immediately ordered a violin from Joseph.”
Erdélyi can be heard on his most recent recording, Liszt and the Viola, with pianist Ian Hobson [Hungaroton HCD 31724]. Says Tully Potter, writing for Strad Magazine, “you will have to go a long way to hear any of this material better played...and Erdélyi draws a wonderfully warm tone from his 1991 Joseph Curtin instrument.” Erdélyi is currently artist-in-residence at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.