Period

:

Romantic

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Orchestral

 

Stefi Geyer was a Hungarian violinist and composer who was born on January 14, 1888, in Budapest, Hungary. She was the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family and began playing the violin at a young age. Her talent was quickly recognized, and she was sent to study with some of the best teachers in Europe. Geyer's first major performance was at the age of 12, when she played the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra. She continued to perform throughout Europe, and in 1906, she made her debut in London, playing the Brahms Violin Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1908, Geyer met the composer Béla Bartók, who was also from Hungary. The two became close friends and collaborators, and Bartók wrote several pieces for Geyer to perform. One of these was the Violin Concerto No. 1, which he dedicated to her. Geyer premiered the concerto in 1909, and it was a great success. Geyer continued to perform throughout Europe, and in 1912, she made her debut in the United States, playing with the New York Philharmonic. She also performed in Russia, where she met the composer Sergei Prokofiev. Prokofiev wrote his Violin Concerto No. 1 for Geyer, and she premiered it in 1923. In addition to her performing career, Geyer was also a composer. She wrote several pieces for violin, including a Sonata for Violin and Piano and a Suite for Solo Violin. She also wrote music for the theater and for film. Geyer's career was cut short by World War II. She was Jewish, and in 1944, she was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp. She survived the camp and returned to Hungary after the war, but she never performed again. She died on March 22, 1956, in Budapest. Despite her relatively short career, Stefi Geyer was a highly respected musician and composer. She was known for her virtuosic playing and her ability to bring out the emotional depth of the music she performed. Her collaborations with Bartók and Prokofiev were particularly significant, and her performances of their works helped to establish their reputations as major composers. Geyer's legacy lives on through her recordings, which have been reissued on CD, and through the continued performance of her compositions. Her music is still admired for its beauty and emotional power, and she remains an important figure in the history of classical music.

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