Életrajz
Árpád Balázs was born in Szentes in 1937
and studied composition at the Liszt Academy
of Music in Budapest under Ferenc Farkas. In
1967, he received further training in Aram
Khachaturian’s master classes, and then in
Goffredo Petrassi’s classes in 1970 in Rome.
His wide-ranging body of works include:
oratorios, cantatas, music for the theater,
for string orchestra and for concert band,
both instrumental, solo works and chamber
music, as well as choral works, film music,
folk song arrangements. He has also written
numerous pedagogical books on a variety of
musical subjects. His memoir, My Selected Lives, includes documents on his
personal relationships with Stravinsky, Britten, and Shostakovich, and was
published in September 2012. In 1990, he founded the Hungarian Wind Music
Association, and was its chairman until 1998; from 1998 onwards, he held the
position of Life President. He has won over 50 prizes with his works, at both
Hungarian and international competitions. His compositions have garnered
recognition at numerous Hungarian State awards, including the Erkel Prize
(1970), the title of Merited Artist (1981), and the Gold Medal of the President
of the Republic (2000). In 2002, he was awarded the Hungarian Heritage Prize,
and in Salzburg, was elected a regular member of the European Academy of
Sciences and Arts. The short film Sing, based on his choral work Elderflower,
won the 2017 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. In 2019, the
Music School of Kiskunfélegyháza, was named after him. He is an honorary
citizen of Kiskunfélegyháza. His former teacher, Ferenc Farkas described his
compositional style as follows: “Even in his student days he carefully avoided
the passing fads of fashionable currents. He remained faithful to the noble
Hungarian tradition of which Zoltán Kodály was the first master… What
distinguishes him from other popular composers is meticulousness, taste
and the artistic aspiration that is always in evidence, in addition to popularity.”
STAGE WORKS
Táncra! Muzsikára!/For Dance! For Music! (The whole evening program
of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble. Four Balázs musics that form
the backbone of the show: Dance Requester, Galgamenti Dances,
Kanászosan, The Songs of the Outlaws from Kunság (1974) Co: Miklós
Rábai, Dezső Létai
Engedetlen szeretők/Disobedient Lovers – Musical Comedy (1974)
Lib: Mihály Padisák, István Hajnal Pub: Artisjus
Mi, szemüvegesek/Us, Bespectacled Ones – Musical Comedy (1974)
Lib: Klára Fehér, Ede Tarbay Pub: Artisjus
II. Rákóczi Ferenc/Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II. – Musical Play (1975)
Lib: György Száraz, Ferenc Baranyi Pub: Artisjus
Dzsomárt szőnyege/Dzsomárt’s Carpet – Musical Play (1978) Lib: RosalTazhibaev, István Juhász, Endre Gyárfás Pub: Artisjus
Nyakigláb, Csupaháj, Málészáj – Children’s Musical Comedy (1978)
Lib: Gyula Illyés, József Köves, Ferenc Baranyi Pub: Artisjus
Vádoló múltunk/Our Accusing Past – Chamber Opera (2010–2011), S, MS,
Bar, B, str. quartet/pno. Lib: Ferenc Baranyi SR: RBZH IV
Tejhatalom/Milk Power – Song Play (2016), S, MS, Bar, B, pno. Lib: István Csukás
CANTATAS, ORATORIC WORKS
A Tél lebírása/Overcoming Winter – Cantata (1974), B, male chr., symph.
orch. Lib: Gyula Illyés
Kunsági betyárdalok/The Songs of the Outlaws from Kunság – Folk Song
Cantata (1974), T, Bar, SATB, gypsy band, rev.: (2002), T, Bar, SATB, str.
quintet, concert band SR: SBK 2002
Szülőföldemen/On My Homeland – Cantata (1997), SATB, concert band
Lib: Sándor Petőfi SR: SBK 2002
Nec arte, nec marte! “Komáromi ének”/“Song from Komárom” – Oratorio
(1999), S, Bar, SATB, symph. orch. Lib: Poems by 15th–17th Century
Unknown Hungarian Military Poets SR: Vivace, 2001, BIEM Artisjus
WORKS FOR CONCERT BAND
Musica piccola (1966, rev. 1981) Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31353
Négy kép/Four Pictures (1981, rev. 2011) Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31353
Prelude (1983) Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31353
Fanfárverbunk/Recruiting Dance (1985) Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31353
Magyar rondo/Hungarian Rondo (1988, rev. 2012) Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31353
Concertino (1992) Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31353
Régi magyar táncok Gömörből/Early Hungarian Dances from Gömör (1993,
rev. 2011) Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31353, SBK 2002
Promenade (2012) Pub: UMP EMB
Kockásfülű muzsika – szvit/Music with Chequered Ears – Suite (2013)
Pub: UMP EMB
Rhapsody – for Cimbal, or Marimba and Concert Band (2015, rev. 2021)
Pub: UMP EMB
Kurucképek/Kuruc Pictures for „Tárogató”/or Soprano Saxophone and
Concert Band (1994–1996, rev. 2001, 2016, 2021) Pub: UMP EMB
CHAMBER MUSIC
Serenade for Wind Quintet (1961), [Diploma Work] Pub: UMP EMB
SR: HCD 31353
Suite for Flute and Piano (1979) Pub: UMP EMB
Festival Fanfare (1996), brass quintet Pub: UMP EMB
20 Bagatelles (2012), 2 cl. Pub: UMP EMB
CHORAL WORKS
Equal Voices (a cappella)
Two Choruses for Girls’ Choir, Farewell and Dance Song (1964) Lib: Folk
Texts Pub: UMP EMB, Edition Liesmas, Musikaltelno Izdatelstvo,
Editioni Suvini Zerboni (Milan)
Madrigalesque (1965), female chr., fl., vl., vlc., harps./pno. Lib: Folk Texts
Pub: UMP EMB, Musikhojskolens Forlag, Editioni Suvini Zerboni
SR: HCD 31187
Ének a dalról/Song on the Song (1967), children’s voices, pno. Lib: János
Kövesdi Pub: UMP EMB
Cseresznyevirág/Cherry Flower (1968), girls’ chr. Lib: Katalin Paksa
Pub: UMP EMB
Borsodi ének/Song from County Borsod – Suite (1971), female chr.
Lib: László Papp, János Kövesdi, Endre Gyárfás
Kikeleti napköszöntő/Springtime Sun Greeting (1972), children’s voices,
pno./chbr. orch. Lib: Katalin Nádas Pub: UMP EMB
Fényrehívó/Calling to Light (1972), children’s chr. Pub: UMP EMB
SR: HCD 31187
Csúfoló/Mocking Song (1974), children’s chr., folk rec., triang. Lib: István
Csukás Pub: UMP EMB, Izdatelstvo Muzika
Rózsatánc/Dance of the Roses – Suite (1975), girls’ chr. Lib: Imre Csanádi
Pub: UMP EMB SR: Balkanton BXA 10167
Kis zenei ABC/Little Musical Alphabet (1976), children’s chr. Lib: Composer
Pub: UMP EMB, Izdatelstvo Muzika SR: HCD 31187
Three Children’s Choruses (1977) Lib: Judit Pinczési Pub: UMP EMB
SR: HCD 31187
Készülődés/Preparation (1977), children’s chr. Lib: István Vasvári
Pub: UMP EMB
Tettrehívó/Call for Action (1977), girls’ chr. Lib: Sándor Kisfaludy
Pub: UMP EMB
Holdsétáltató/Moon Walker (1978), children’s chr. Lib: Imre Csanádi
Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31187
Bodzavirág/Elderflower (1979), children’s chr., pno. Lib: Ágnes Nemes Nagy
Pub: UMP EMB (rev. for children’s chr., str. orch. to the Oscar-winning
film, Sing, 2016), and children’s chr., concert band (2017)
Héjariasztó/Hawk Alarm (1979), children’s chr. Lib: Hungarian Rhymes
Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31187
Rákóczi March (1979), children’s chr. Lib: Without Text Pub: UMP EMB
Évszaksoroló/Listing the Seasons (1983), children’s chr. Lib: Éva Tasnádi
Varga, Sándor Gál, Sándor Weöres Pub: UMP EMB
Csillagjárók/Star-Walkers (1983), children’s chr. Lib: Judit Pinczési
Pub: UMP EMB
Tavaszi hívogató/Spring Beckoning – Based on a Melody by Ferenc Farkas
(1984) Lib: Composer Pub: UMP EMB
Hódolat Liszt Ferencnek/Hommage à Ferenc Liszt (1985) children’s/female
chr. Lib: Ferenc Baranyi
Vadászhimnusz/Hunting Anthem (The Official Song of the Hungarian
Hunting Association) (2001) Lib: Tamás Dr. Kőhalmy
Mesenóták/Tale Songs (2016–2021), children’s voices, pno. Lib: Hungarian
Language Breakers, Rhymes Pub: UMP EMB
Mixed Choir
Hajnali köszöntő/Greeting in the Morning (1953) Lib: Emőke Csalogh
Pub: UMP EMB, Musikhojskolens Forlag, Izdatelstvo Muzika
Two Mixed Choruses to Poems by Ferenc Lődi (1964), [Diploma Work]
Pub: UMP EMB
Memento – Suite in Five Movements Without Words (1967–1970)
Pub: UMP EMB
Csillagzene/Music of the Stars – Suite (1968) Lib: Sándor Weöres Pub: UMP
EMB, Izdatelstvo Muzika, Musikatelno Izdatelstvo, Shawne Press
Magyar! Hajnal hasad!/Hungarian! It Rises at Dawn! (1969) Lib: Mihály
Csokonai Vitéz Pub: UMP EMB
Three Mixed Choruses (1971) Lib: Gyula Juhász Pub: UMP EMB
Éneklő Európa/Singing Europe – Seven Choruses to Poems by Villon, Burns,
Goethe, Heine, Puskin, Shevchenko, Verlaine (1973) Pub: UMP EMB
SR: HCD 31187
Négy őszi vázlat/Four Autumn Sketches (1973) Lib: János Arany, Mihály Váci,
István Vasvári, István Simon Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31187
Két pasztellkép/Two Pastel Pictures (1973) Lib: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31187
Virágim, virágim/My Flowers, My Flowers (1967, rev. 1975) Lib: Hungarian
Fok Text Pub: UMP EMB SR: HCD 31187
Két tájkép vegyeskarra/Two Landscapes (1977) Lib: István Vasvári
Pub: UMP EMB
Motets (Te Deum laudamus, O Maria, Mater amata) (2015–2021)
Pub: UMP EMB SR: Karrleton Studios, 39987
SOLO WORKS
Fourteen Easy Piano Pieces (1973) Pub: UMP EMB
Toccata (1976), pno. Pub: Muzichna Ukraina
Introduction and Fugue in G (2000), org.
Gyász és vigasz/Mourning and Consolation (2017), org.
FILM MUSIC
A kockás fülű nyúl/The Checkered Rabbit (Hungarian Television Cartoon
Series, I–II. Season 36 Episodes, 1974–1978) Dir: Zsolt Richly (Pannónia
Film Studio)
Stop! Közlekedj okosan!/Stop! Drive Smart! (Animated Film Series, 105
Episodes, 1976) Dir: István Imre (Pannónia Film Stúdio–Hungarian
Television)
