Magda Tiszay was a Hungarian classical music artist who was born on January 15, 1924, in Budapest, Hungary. She was the daughter of a prominent Hungarian composer, Lajos Tiszay, who was a professor at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Magda grew up in a musical family and started playing the piano at a young age. Her father recognized her talent and encouraged her to pursue a career in music. Magda Tiszay studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where she received her diploma in piano performance in 1946. She continued her studies with some of the most renowned piano teachers of the time, including Zoltán Kodály, Béla Bartók, and György Sándor. She also studied chamber music with the legendary violinist Joseph Szigeti. Magda Tiszay made her debut as a soloist with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra in 1947, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. Her performance was highly acclaimed, and she quickly established herself as one of the most promising young pianists in Hungary. She went on to perform with many other orchestras in Hungary and other countries, including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Magda Tiszay was known for her virtuosity and her ability to bring out the emotional depth of the music she played. She was particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms. She was also a champion of contemporary music and premiered many works by Hungarian composers, including her father, Lajos Tiszay. Magda Tiszay's career was interrupted by the political turmoil in Hungary in the 1950s. She was accused of being a "bourgeois" artist and was banned from performing in public. She continued to teach and perform in private, but her career suffered a setback. She was finally able to resume her public career in the 1960s, after the political situation in Hungary had stabilized. Magda Tiszay continued to perform and teach throughout her life. She was a professor at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest from 1963 to 1989, and she also taught at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She was a sought-after teacher and many of her students went on to have successful careers as pianists. Magda Tiszay received many awards and honors throughout her career. She was awarded the Kossuth Prize, Hungary's highest cultural award, in 1956 and again in 1984. She was also awarded the Liszt Prize, the Bartók-Pásztory Prize, and the Merited Artist of the Hungarian People's Republic. She was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Magda Tiszay's recordings are highly regarded by critics and music lovers alike. She recorded extensively for the Hungarian record label Hungaroton, as well as for other labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and EMI. Her recordings of the works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms are particularly acclaimed. Magda Tiszay died on December 28, 2007, at the age of 83. She was remembered as one of Hungary's greatest pianists and a beloved teacher and mentor to many young musicians. Her legacy lives on through her recordings and the many students she taught over the course of her long and illustrious career.

More....