Péter Eötvös was undoubtedly one of the most renowned composers of Hungary in the 20th and 21st centuries. Also a music teacher and conductor, and a recipient of numerous awards and prizes, he passed away at the age of 80 last Sunday.
Péter Eötvös was born in 1944 in Székelyudvarhely (Odorheiu Secuiesc), Transylvania. He pursued his higher musical studies in Budapest; at the age of fourteen, upon the recommendation of Zoltán Kodály, he was admitted to the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. Between 1966 and 1968 he studied at the Cologne University of Music and Dance.
He began his musical career as the musical director of Vígszínház. Between 1963 and 1971 he was involved in composing film and theatre scores.
He composed music for films directed by Zoltán Fábri, Károly Makk, Zoltán Huszárik, and István Szabó, among others.
In 1966 he moved to Cologne, where he studied conducting at the Musikhochschule and then served as a répétiteur at the Cologne Opera from 1967 to 1968. He was a member of the Stockhausen Ensemble until 1976, while also being frequently invited as a guest conductor. From 1985 to 1988 he conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London on several occasions, and between 1992 and 1995 he was a regular guest conductor of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He also performed with the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1994, he became the chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2003 to 2005 he led the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; from 2003 to 2007 he conducted the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; and from 2009 to 2011 he served as the principal guest conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. He returned to Hungary in 2004.
In 1991, he established the International Eötvös Institute Foundation, and in 2004, he set up the Péter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation. Both foundations support young composers and conductors.
Throughout his career, he conducted Europe‘s leading orchestras,
including the Berlin, Munich, London, Los Angeles, and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras as well as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He regularly performed as a conductor with major radio orchestras as well. As a guest conductor, he was invited to the most prestigious opera houses, where he collaborated with renowned directors such as Luca Ronconi, Robert Altman, Klaus Michael Grüber, and Robert Wilson.
In addition to his artistic work, he was also active as a music educator. Between 1992 and 1998 and from 2002 to 2007 he was a professor at Karlsruhe University of Music; and from 1998 to 2001 he taught at Cologne University of Music.
He received numerous awards and honours. In Hungary, he was awarded the Bartók–Pásztory Prize, the Gundel Prize, the Kossuth Prize, the Béla Bartók Memorial Prize, was named the Ambassador of the Hungarian Culture in 2008, and received the Order of Saint Stephen in 2015. Among his foreign recognitions, some notable ones include the Prix Claude Rostand, Officier de l‘Ordre des l‘Arts et des Lettres, Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, Commandeur de l‘Ordre des l‘Arts et des Lettres, Pro Europa Composer Award, Cannes Classical Award for Living Composer, and the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award. Péter Eötvös was a member of the Berlin Academy of Arts, the Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts in Budapest, the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, and the Royal Swedish Academy.
His latest work, Valuska, was commissioned by the Hungarian State Opera, and its world premiere took place in December 2023 at the Eiffel Workshop House.
Péter Eötvös passed away on 24 March in Budapest at the age of 80.
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