‘…a pianist of world class…due to his intelligent understanding of the meaning
and direction of whatever he plays.’ Sunday Telegraph, Sydney
BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATAS
The 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020 was celebrated with special events throughout the musical world. Gusztáv Fenyő paid tribute to the composer’s genius with two cycles of the 32 Piano Sonatas in Scotland and Hungary, commencing in 2019. The second half, intended for 2020, was postponed until 2022 due to Covid-19 restrictions. Full details here. He first performed cycles of the 32 sonatas in 1990 in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
In 2023 he performed a further complete cycle at the Edinburgh Society of Musicians and, in 2024, a recital of the late, great sonatas Opp. 101, 109, 110 and 111 at FUGA, Budapest.
In tandem with the live performances, he embarked on a project to record all the sonatas. This has been completed and the video-recordings are now available on his YouTube channel.
You’ll also find there two cycles of all the violin sonatas, with Susanne Stanzeleit and Ildikó Line, and live broadcasts on Hungarian Radio of all the piano trios with violinist Ildikó Line and ‘cellist Attila Székely.
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Forthcoming appearances
On Saturday 14th November Gusztáv will give a recital at FUGA Budapest with his longstanding musical partner Ágnes Kállay, one of Hungary’s leading ‘cellists. Their programme combines 3 sonatas for gamba and keyboard by J S Bach with Beethoven’s ‘Magic Flute’ Variations and Sonata in D Major, Op.102/2.
Their recital at Gödöllő Palace, near Budapest, in August this year featured sonatas by Debussy and Franck.
In June 2027 in Scotland the duo will perform a complete cycle of Beethoven’s ‘cello sonatas in recitals at Paisley Abbey, the Edinburgh Society of Musicians and the Cathedral of the Isles, Cumbrae, as well as recording the works for release on YouTube.
Their live performances of the Kodály Sonata and Schnittke’s Sonata No. 2 are currently available on YouTube.
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Gusztáv’s solo recital at FUGA Budapest on 11th April this year highlighted the rich, ground-breaking harmonic language of the early twentieth-century: Berg Sonata No. 1, Webern Variations, Op. 27, Schoenberg Three Pieces, Op. 11 and, in the second half, Scriabin Sonata No. 6, six Preludes by Debussy, the Bartók Sonata, concluding with a new work by Hungarian composer Zsolt Serei dedicated to Gyὄrgy Kurtág in celebration of his 100th birthday. If you missed this concert, you can listen to the live recording here.
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Gusztáv’s next appearance in Scotland will be at Paisley Abbey on Saturday 19th September when he will play works by Haydn, Debussy and Chopin. This lunchtime recital commences at 12.30pm.
Schubert / Brahms
On Saturday 3rd October at 7.30pm Gusztáv opens the new season of concerts at the Edinburgh Society of Musicians with a programme incorporating the Berg Sonata and Schubert’s posthumous B flat Sonata D960, alongside works by Haydn and Chopin.
His recital there in February this year included Schubert’s C minor Sonata D958, Ravel’s Sonatine and a selection of late pieces by Brahms (from Opp. 76, 116, 117); in October 2025 his programme featured Brahms’s F minor Sonata.
Earlier in 2025 he performed an all-Brahms programme at FUGA, Budapest.
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Other concert appearances featuring Schubert and/or Brahms in recent years include Brahms and Schumann piano quartets with violinist Artur Kaganovsky, violist Eszter Kaganovsky and ‘cellist Ágnes Kállay at Gödöllő Royal Palace, Hungary and the Bishop’s Palace, Nagyvárad, Romania, in 2023.
And in October 2022, at St. Mary’s Perivale, West London, a solo recital of Brahms’s 6 pieces from Op.76 and Schubert’s Sonata in B flat D960. The programme was recorded live and is available to listen to online here.
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This website also serves as an archive for Music-Makers, a Scottish charity dedicated to chamber music which Gusztáv Fenyő founded in 1995. Under his artistic direction, Music-Makers acquired a reputation for innovative programmes, imaginative presentations and exciting performances. These ranged from festivals and themed concert series to masterclasses and summer schools, in a variety of settings, mostly within Scotland and always involving superb professional musicians. See Past Events.
Music-Makers closed in June 2019 to allow more time for Gusztáv Fenyő to pursue his own performing and teaching career, including increasing activities in Hungary. We would like to thank all who supported Music-Makers throughout these twenty-five years and hope very much that you will continue to stay in touch.
Gusztáv intends to produce more frequent blogs on a range of musical topics and, of course, there will be further news about his own musical activities – all on this website, so there is no need to look elsewhere!
