"Hallgató" with Nádor Quartet

Lineup:

Ferenc Snétberger: guitar
Nádor Quartet:
Gyula Gabora: first violin
Nándor Farkas: second violin
Emil Csonka: viola

Marcell Vámos: violoncello
(optional: & Ernő Bodoczki: double bass)

Ferenc Snétberger came into the public eye as guitarist-composer in the late 1980s. Of Roma origin, he is not only associated with the unique Snétberger Music Talent Center for primarily Roma youth, but also with his composition “In Memory of My People” for guitar and orchestra, dedicated to the innocent Roma killed during the Porajmos Holocaust. Performed in many countries as well as at the New York headquarters of the UN, the Italian premiere in 2003 was conducted by András Keller, who had gained international fame as leader of his Keller String Quartet. Their latest collaboration is the project “Hallgató” where the Keller Quartet joined Ferenc Snétberger with a new lineup together with double bass player Gyula Lázár: beautifully recorded by ECM Records at the hallowed Grand Hall of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest in 2018, it was released in February 2021 (ECM New Series 2653).

In concert, however, when performing the manifold “Hallgató” repertoire (including his “In Memory of My People” in the version for guitar and string quintet), Ferenc Snétberger is now joined by bassist Ernő Bodoczki and by other long-standing musical companions of his, i.e. by the brilliant Nádor Quartet who all studied at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music of Budapest, and whose initial professional work was not only helped and assisted by the same András Keller but also by other famous professors and artists such as János Devich (Kodály Quartet), Sándor Devich (Bartók Quartet), György Konrád (Tátrai Quartet), Gábor Takács-Nagy (Takács Quartet), the composers Barnabás Dukay and György Kurtág, and string quartet guru Eberhardt Felz. Founded in 2004 in Budapest, and having successfully taken part in several important international competitions, the Nádor Quartet have regularly performed a wide range of repertoire: from classical Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven and romantic Schubert, Brahms, Verdi and Dohnányi, to, importantly, more recent string quartet music by Bartók, Webern, Kurtág, Bujtás, and Bolens. Their concerts are frequently broadcast by Hungarian TV and radio stations.

Gyula Gabora (1st violin), co-founder of the Nádor Quartet, was born in Budapest into a musicians’ family and started studying the violin at the age of four. When twelve, he entered the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music to graduate in 2004. He studied with Miklós Szenthelyi in Budapest, Boris Kuschnir in Vienna and Eduard Schmieder in Dallas (USA). After performing as concert master in various Hungarian and international ensembles, he is now member of the Hungarian National Philharmonic.
Nándor Farkas (2nd violin) graduated from the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 2005 with Miklós Szenthelyi and attended master classes with the likes of Ruggiero Ricci, Ștefan Ruha, Tibor Varga, Gábor Takács-Nagy and András Keller. Successful also in a series of international competitions, he is co-founder of the Nádor Quartet.
Emil Csonka (viola) from Budapest graduated from Liszt Academy of Music, studying with György Konrád, Gábor Pongrácz, László Bársony, Géza Németh and Márta Gulyás, and in 2003, he became member of the Hungarian Radio Orchestra under Tamás Vásáry. Post graduation studies with Zoltán Tóth in Switzerland followed. On his return to Hungary in 2007, he joined the Nádor Quartet and also became the regular violist of András Keller’s Concerto Budapest Orchestra. From 2013 till 2019, he was member of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2019 he has been the principal viola player of the MAV Symphony Orchestra under Péter Csaba.
Marcell Vámos (cello), born into a family of musicians, attended the Béla Bartók Conservatory under Ottó Kertész and György Déri. He studied and graduated from the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy under Csaba Onczay. In 2004,  he co-founded the Nádor Quartet, whose masters were, among others, Gábor Takács Nagy, András Keller, György Kurtág and Valentin Erben.

(Suggested) Concert Repertoire of Hallgató:
* Ferenc Snétberger: “In Memory of My People”, version for guitar and string quintet - 1. Hallgató, 2. Emlékek, 3. Tánc;
* Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor - 1. Largo, 2. Allegro Molto,
3. Allegretto, 4. Largo, 5. Largo;
* John Dowland: Wilt thou unkind thus reave me;
* J. Dowland: I saw my lady weep;
* J. Dowland: Melancholy galliard;
* Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings, from String Quartet op. 11;
* F. Snétberger: Rhapsody No. 3;
* J. Dowland: Flow, my tears;
* F. Snétberger: Rhapsody No. 1.