The Hungarian Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra that was founded in 1963 from the former students of the Franz Liszt Music Academy, is one of the most famous ensemble of the Central European region and they are well known in the international music sphere for decades. They played in prestigious concert venues such as the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Opera in Sydney, the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
The first artistic director of the ensemble was Frigyes Sándor, who was also professor of the Franz Liszt Music Academy- he played a huge role in the work of the orchestra. After his death in 1979, János Rolla continues his work as the concert maestro of the ensemble.
"....The string group boasts the rhythmic flexibility of the smallest of ensembles, as well as the synchronized bowing and lushness associated with the larger orchestras. They seemed almost to breathe together with the music, a furtive glance from director János Rolla being as effective as a conductor's baton. And most importantly, they looked as if they were having a ball..."
/The Washington Post, Octavio Roca/
Its repertory spans almost the entire history of music from Monteverdi, Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart to the romantics and to the 20th century composers. The orchestra has recorded more than 200 discs for publishers such as the Sony Classical, the CBS, the Teldec, EMI, Erato, Denon or the Hungarian Hungaroton. The orchestra was awarded the Grand Prix of the French Académie de Disque in Paris on three different occasions and has the "Record of the Year" award in Hungary many times.
The orchestra regularly tours almost in every European countries, in the USA, South America, Far East, Australia and performs at well known festivals such as Ascona, Besancon, Moritzburg, Edinbourgh, Bath, Flanders, Helsinki, Luzern, Gstaad, Montreaux, Prades and Santander.
Their first USA tour was in 1975 that was followed by several concerts in more than 260 cities in the country and in Canada as well.
On its concerts and recordings, the Orchestra featured such world famous soloists as: S. Richter, Sir Y. Menuhin, A. Fischer, J. P. Rampal, Isaac Stern, H. Szeryng, M. André, M. Argerich, I. Oistrakh, M. Perényi, M. Rostropovich, A. Schiff, Z. Kocsis, D. Ránki, T. Vasary, P. Frankl, G. Pauk, S. Mintz, V. Repin, Midori, J. Starker, R. Raimondi, E. Gruberova.
"In more than sixty years on the concert stage, I have rarely had as much pleasure, personal fulfillment and friendly warmth than the times that I was playing or recording with my friends in the orchestra. Their devotion to the highest quality of music making, their happiness in bringing a phrase to life, in caressing the beauties of music is unforgettable. I can remember how hard it was for me to live up the standards of their performances!"
/Isaac Stern, violinist/
The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra consists of 16 strings and according to the programmes a harpsichord soloist completes the ensemble, as well as wind and other instrumentalists. They rarely use a conductor, the play under the leadership of János Rolla.
The ensemble that will celebrate its 45th anniversary, became the representative not only of the Hungarian but the international classical music life as well and they try to make the world famous Hungarian string traditions popular everywhere in the world.
Leader and founding member of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and one of Hungary's foremost violinist, János Rolla has been the artistic director of the ensemble since 1979, since the death of the former leader, Frigyes Sándor.
János Rolla Artistic Director
János Rolla obtained his degree in violin in the Franz Liszt Music Academy of Budapest in 1969 where he was one of the student of the world famous violinist, Dénes Kovács.
He has acquired fame in the world's prestigious concert halls, primarily as a chamber musician but also as a soloist. In appreciation for his work in spreading Hungarian musical culture at home and abroad, he was awarded the 'Kossuth Prize', in 1985 which is the most significant distinction given by the Hungarian government.
In addition to this, in 1992 Maestro Rolla received the "Chevalier de la Culture" decoration from the French governement equivalent to the "Legion of Honour" and in 1994 he was given the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, the „Commander’s Cross” by the president of the republic.
Mr Rolla is the founder of the Festival of Zemplén in Hungary and he was also merited to become a freeman of the Hungarian city of Sárospatak in August 1996.
Since August 2004 he possesses the „Commander's Cross with Star” as a higher decoration of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic. In January 2006 he received the major prize of the Pro Renovanda Cultura Hungariae Foundation.
Mr Rolla always followed his aim to show and make known the famous Hungarian string traditions in the world. His work and enthusiasm are also presented by the numerous confessions of the solists with whom the orchestra played together during these decades:
"This is my favorite chamber orchestra - I love making music with them! We have had some wunderful concerts together, and I always marvel at the virtuosity of the individual players, the incredible speed and accuracy of their strings, and the warmth of their sound. They are great ambassadors for the music of Hungary, and I hope they will go from strength to strength."
/Vadim Repin, violinist/
