György Korondy was a Hungarian classical pianist who was born on August 22, 1934, in Budapest, Hungary. He was the son of a prominent Hungarian composer, László Lajtha, who was also a musicologist and ethnomusicologist. Korondy grew up in a musical family and began playing the piano at a young age. He showed great talent and was soon recognized as a prodigy. Korondy received his early musical education at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he studied under the renowned pianist and pedagogue, Zoltán Kodály. He later continued his studies at the Moscow Conservatory under the tutelage of the legendary pianist, Emil Gilels. Korondy's training under these two great masters had a profound impact on his musical development and helped shape his unique style of playing. Korondy made his debut as a concert pianist in 1955, at the age of 21, with the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra. He quickly gained a reputation as one of the most promising young pianists of his generation and began to perform extensively throughout Europe and the United States. He was particularly renowned for his interpretations of the works of Hungarian composers, such as Béla Bartók and Franz Liszt. In 1960, Korondy won the prestigious Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Budapest, which further cemented his reputation as a rising star in the world of classical music. He went on to win numerous other awards and accolades throughout his career, including the Grand Prix du Disque and the Hungarian State Prize for the Arts. Korondy's performances were characterized by his technical brilliance, his deep musicality, and his ability to convey the emotional depth and complexity of the music he played. He was particularly admired for his interpretations of the works of Beethoven, Chopin, and Schumann, as well as his renditions of Hungarian folk music. One of the highlights of Korondy's career was his performance at the 1962 Salzburg Festival, where he played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. The performance was widely acclaimed and helped establish Korondy as one of the leading pianists of his time. Korondy continued to perform and record throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but his career was cut short by a tragic accident in 1990. While on tour in Japan, he fell down a flight of stairs and suffered a severe head injury. He was left in a coma for several months and never fully recovered. He passed away on December 28, 1993, at the age of 59. Despite his untimely death, Korondy's legacy as a pianist and musician lives on. His recordings continue to be admired and studied by musicians and music lovers alike, and his contributions to the world of classical music are still celebrated today.

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