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MusiciansWho
September 2009

Every one of her performances is a Dance with the Elves

Despite her age, the cellist Ildikó Szabó has already won several national and international competitions. The virtuoso skills of the young artist are praised by everyone and it is probably because of this talent that her Dance with the Elves album, produced at the age of 15, became such a huge success even in France and South-Korea. At the end of July, after a one month study at an American summer academy, Ildikó gave a solo concert with the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra and was awarded with stormy applause. In connection with her highly successful concert Anikó Zoltai interviewed her.

- You come from a musician's family. Your father is a cellist, your mother is a pianist and your grandfather was a composer and folk musicologist. Does this background provide you help?
- I have fantastic parents, I am very proud of them. My father and mother help me a lot whenever I have questions. My mother accompanies me on the piano so we spend a lot of time together and she knows all my moves, which can be felt on my music. To put it differently, we play with the same breath.

- Why did you choose the cello?
- A lot of people do not know, but the cello has the closest audio frequency to the human voice. I was touched by the smooth sound of the cello early in my childhood, when I heard my father play. When I was two, I asked him for the old viola from the top of the wardrobe and I started to imitate the way he played. Later, when I was big enough for the smallest cello, my mother took me to the Tóth Aladár Music School and I started to learn the cello.

- Are your parents critical of your playing?
- My father always tells me his opinion and is at my disposition all the time. But I think the best way is to be one's own most severe critic. I am a maximalist and I think this is what brings my work forward. Perfect performance cannot be achieved because no one is perfect but one has to strive for the maximum. Then you can count on a great result.

- You spent a month in Bloomington in America in a summer academy organized for string players. What kind of experiences did you come home with?
- This was the third time I could participate in this summer academy with a scholarship. The schedule of the camp is very strict, we spend the day practicing from early in the morning till the evening and the day ends with concerts. This way I had the opportunity to give concerts both as a soloist and with my chamber group. But my greatest memory is that I could perform to Professor János Starker his favourite piece, the third movement of Kodály's Solo Sonata. Unfortunately his health condition has deteriorated lately -- he is 85 years old -- but he still received me in his house. It is a great joy to play to him, I can always turn to him and he knows the balm for all troubles, because he is like the doctor of the cello. What I receive from him is always a life-long piece of advice. Later I could play this Kodály piece in the summer academy too and it was a huge success. I came home very tired after the academy, but it was a joyful tiredness, because I learnt a lot.

- On the 26 July you gave a solo concert with the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra in the Kiscelli Museum in Óbuda. An opportunity like this is a great honour. Which orchestra are you going to play with next time?
- Unfortunately I very rarely have the opportunity to play with an orchestra, so I was very happy for this one. I gathered a great deal of experiences during the rehearsals and the concert too. In spring I also performed Tschaikovsky's Rococo-variations, conducted by Tamás Vásáry, which was also very successful with the audience. Then in February I am giving a concert with the National Philharmonic. I hope that I will receive more invitations in the future and the number of my orchestral concerts will grow.

- This year you became the face of an arts program as an artist sponsored by the New Europe Foundation. How does it feel to see yourself as a model?
- First it was very strange to see myself on a poster. Still, I am proud to be helping the Talent Care programme become better known. Unfortunately it is very unusual that a company places such energy into the support of young talents. The aid of the foundation means a lot to me too, because I would never have had the opportunity to attend master class courses otherwise. Having enough supporters is a cornerstone of development for every musician.

- We are in the middle of the summer now. Are you going to spend the time left with practicing or with well-earned rest?
- Luckily, this summer is rich in work. After the Bloomington summer academy I am also going to participate in a master class course in September. Because of the vacation at school I have more time on my hands, so I spend more time with practice. In spite of the serious physical and mental challenge I do like and enjoy what I am doing. For me music is everything , my joy and my profession, which requires much work and responsibility but which nevertheless is worth it.

Source: www.www.musicianswho.hu

Translated by Susan Kapás

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