"Péter Szabó is a first class cellist... He possesses a tone that sings strongly, and his technique is firm. Szabó does here what many instrumental soloists seem to be doing these days, conducting the orchestra from his cello position. This adds mightily to the soloist's work load, but when one has an ensemble such as the Erdody Chamber Orchestra at one 's disposal, there is not much cause for worry."

The Classical Music Guide Forum
"... he performs the solo part brilliantly and musical refined with a strong impact!"

Fono Forum
"Szabó brings fiery declamation...audacious variations, played with robust histrionics which test Szabó's bow arm to the full."

The Times London
"...his interpretation is full of vitality and engaged. He is initiative in the fast movements, moderate and bashful in the slow movements. His sonority is warm, his technique is impeccable."

Repertoire
"More recently I have heard his recording of the Pleyel concertos, which I found astonishingly brilliant in execution."

Sir Roger Norrington
"Particularly enjoyable are his expansive accounts of the opening movement ...his sonorous lyricism in the slow movement ...and his characterful, spirited interpretations of the light-hearted finales."

Robin Stowell, The Strad
"Péter Szabó ...a divine talent..."

Laszló Mezo, Budapest
"Martinu's variations are fiendishly hard pieces technically but this fact is not at all remarkable in Péter Szabó's performance because his precision and agility make him a real virtuoso without making a show of his easiness."

Muzica, Bucharest
"Péter Szabó's performance is incomparably elevated, bright, and sweetly articulated. He has an unerring sense of time and tempo, stylish, moderate but arresting cadenzas and a perfect intonation. Not to mention the fact that his cello performance is natural and perfectly controlled."

Revizor
"...Cellist Péter Szabó is particularly well known, having numerous recordings to his credit over the last quarter century. He exhibits a beautiful tone of moderate weight, and a refined sense of dynamics..."

Fanfare
"I wrote The Baroque Rhapsody for Péter Szabó. I honour him as a young artist of our performing art who is before a grand carrier. He sounded my piece not only with an excellent technical skill but with the artistic transformation of sounds too, which is typical of the really great artists."

Ede Terényi, Marosvásárhely
"I can speak with the greatest enthusiasm about Péter Szabó's cello playing, which testifies deep experience and understanding of the works. It is to Péter Szabo's private merit, that he compiled the CD program, and he acted as a 'midwife' at this recording's birth."

Muzsika
Péter Szabo's splendid interpretation demonstrates the importance of Moór's Sonata with virtuosity. The precise technical working of the interpretation creates a refined swaying balance between the plain syllabus of the movements, the archaic gestures and the romantic passions."

Muzsika
"...His interpretation is intelligent and enthusiastic"

Classica
"...The present Cello Sonata from 1900, is an extrovert work, firmly in the grand late-Romantic tradition, convincingly put across by Péter Szabó..."

The Strad
"Péter Szabó's performing art can be characterized by an especially balanced, colourful, expressive sound-formation, a meaningfully rhythmic, successive melodic line and the exploitation of the beauty in the details."

Utunk, Kolozsvár

Latest Reviews

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My editions

The Pleyel Cello Concertos edited by Boosey & Hawkes.


Csaba Szabó's works edited by Cellissimo.


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Latest Recording

Emanuel Moór: Cello Concertos


"Beautiful playing of neglected repertoire.... Péter Szabó, long-time principal cellist of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, is joined by his daughter Ildikó for a double concerto regularly performed by Casals and his regular partner Guilhermina Suggia. The two unite in organ-like sustained chords in the first movement and play a lovely, weaving duet in the Adagio Moór’s lyrical passages are irrefutably beautiful and Szabó is a passionate advocate for them, ..."
The Strad (Janet Banks)


"Cellists Péter and Ildikó Szabó are far and away more technically adept and culturally attuned to this music, and as important, if not more important, conductor Zsolt Hamar fully appreciates the symphonic nature of these scores and leads his Hungarian Miskolc Symphony Orchestra in vibrant, vital performances."
Fanfare (Jerry Dubins)


"That is no slight on these fine performances by Péter and Ildikó Szabó in the Double Concerto and Péter Szabó alone in the C sharp minor. They, together with a well-honed orchestra, tap the music’s lyrical and athletic seams with terrific aplomb;"
Gramophone


"in all other respects these are are robust, impressive works, which receive fine, convincing performances."
Unsung Composers


"In this all-Hungarian production, highly acclaimed cellist Péter Szabó is the lead soloist. He gives spirited, heartfelt performances of all three works, and gets a splendid assist from his daughter Ildikó in the double concerto."
Clofo.com

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Péter Szabó's recordings are available on Amazon.com: