Ildikó Szabó

Ildikó Szabó – cellistIldikó-Szabó-HP

    Ildikó Szabó was born into a renowned Hungarian family of great musical tradition; her grandfather was the composer Csaba Szabó and her father Peter Szabó is solo cello of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. From a young age, she studied with László Mező in Budapest while regularly attending summer-classes with János Starker. Further studies took her to Berlin, where she attended the class of Jens Peter Maintz at the University of The Arts, and then Weimar from 2018 until 2020 under the guidance of Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.

    She is a prize-winner at 16 international competitions, including at the International Pablo Casals Cello Competition (Hungary) in 2014 at which she won a total of eight prizes. “Her technique is impeccable … She has proven herself a true artist who utterly enjoys being on stage and manages to perform to the absolute best of her capabilities in front of an audience”, says Iván Fischer, who on multiple occasions has invited Ildikó Szabó to perform as a soloist with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Since her success at the TONALi Grand Prix Hamburg, Ildikó Szabó has developed a strong connection with Germany. She currently resides in Berlin and is a recipient of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the German Music Competition.

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    Her career in Germany, was launched in 2017 when she toured the country in an extensive tour of 30 recitals and concerts including in the Konzerthaus Berlin – an event to which she was invited by her mentor Alfred Brendel. She has also performed at the Festival in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Rheingau Festival, the Heidelberger Frühling and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Previous international festival appearances include the Verbier Festival, the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival Los Angeles, the International Bach Festival in Las Palmas, the Chamber Music Festival Krzyżowa Music in Kreisau, Poland, and the Menuhin Festival Gstaad. She has also performed alongside the Hungarian National Philharmonic, the Concerto Budapest, the Porto Symphony Orchestra, the Magdeburgische Philharmonie and the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra.
    Ildikó Szabó has performed in numerous international concert halls including the Mariinski in St. Petersburg, the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles as well as the Franz-Liszt Musikakademie and the Palace of Arts Budapest. She has performed under the batons of conductors including Iván Fischer, Michael Sanderling, Luciano di Martino and Zsolt Hamar
    With a particular passion for Hungarian and Transylvanian repertoire, Ildikó Szabó has developed personal relationships with György Kurtág and Péter Eötvös. Her latest album “Heritage” (2020) – which was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award – features an exploratory journey of her musical roots and includes premiere recordings of works by György Kurtág and Csaba Szabó. Her advocacy of contemporary repertoire is further highlighted by her involvement in numerous premiere performances, including the Budapest premiere (2019) of the Cello Concerto by Miklós Rózsa.
    Since 2020 Szabó has continued her studies at the Kronberg Academy with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. Her studies there are made possible by the Christa Verhein Foundation. She currently plays an Antonio Sgarbi cello (Rome 1894) which is on loan to her by the German Fund for Musical Instruments.

    www.ildikoszabo.com

Contact:
Aude-Marie Auphan (Director)
Nicolas Papageorgiou (Director)

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Videos

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto no.2
MAV Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Boico – May 2021
Rózsa: Cello Concerto
Concerto Budapest, Domonkos Héja – April 2019
‘Heritage’ Album Promotional video
September 2020
Popper: Elfentanz, op.39
with István Lajkó (piano) – March 2019
Piazzolla: Invierno Porteño (arr. Flowers/Szabó)
with Jesse Flowers, guitar (July 2022)
de Falla: Jota (arr. Flowers/Szabó)
with Jesse Flowers, guitar (July 2022)


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Repertoire

Please contact us for a full list of 21st Century repertoire

Concerto
  • Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel

    • Concerto in A major

  • Beethoven

    • Triple Concerto

  • Boccherini

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in B-flat-major (arr. Grützmacher)

  • Dazzi, Gualtiero

    • Boulevard de la Dordogne

  • Dvořák

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in b-minor
    Rondo
    Silent Woods

  • Elgar

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in e-minor

  • Haydn

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in C-major
    Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in D-major

  • Klengel, J.

    • Double Concerto for Two Cellos in e-minor

  • Lalo

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in d-minor

  • Lalo

    • Cello Concerto n d-minor

  • Moór, E.

    • Concerto for Two Cellos and Orchestra in D-major

  • Prokofiev

    • Sinfonia Concertante

  • Rózsa

    • Cello Concerto

  • Saint-Saëns

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in a-minor

  • Schumann

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in a-minor

  • Shostakovich

    • Concerto No. 1 in E-flat-major
    Concerto No. 2

  • Tchaikovsky

    • Variations on a Rococo Theme
    Pezzo Capriccioso
    Andante Cantabile
    Nocturne

  • Vajda, János

    • Cello Concerto

  • Vivaldi

    • Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in b-minor
    Double Concerto for Two Cellos in g-minor

    Solo Cello
  • Bach, Johann Sebastian:

    • Six Solo Suites

  • Bottermund-Starker:

    • Variations on a theme of Paganini

  • Cassado:

    • Solo Suite

  • Dutilleux:

    • Trois Strophes sur le Nom de Sacher

  • Eötvös, Péter:

    • Two poems to Polly for a speaking cellist

  • Gabrielli, Domenico:

    • Ricercar No. 7

  • Jost, Christian:

    • lautlos II

  • Kodály:

    • Solo Sonata

  • Kukal, Ondřej:

    • Violoncelliana – 2. Rhapsody for solo cello

  • Kurtág, György:

    • Az Hit
    Pilinszky: Gérard de Nerval
    Shadows
    Hommage á Cage
    The Hilary Jig

  • Ligeti:

    • Sonata for cello solo

  • Lischka, Rainer:

    • Suite for Violoncello Solo

  • Paganini:

    • Capriccio No. 13 „Devil’s Laughter“

  • Papandopulo, Boris:

    • Rhapsody for cello solo

  • Penderecki:

    • Preludio from the Suite for solo cello

  • Resch, Gerald:

    • Al fresco

  • Rózsa, Miklós:

    • Toccata capricciosa

  • Saariaho, Kaija:

    • Petals for solo cello with electronics

  • Smolka, Martin:

    • Like Ella

  • Szabó, Csaba:

    • Suite for solo cello and cowbells

  • Williams, Lenny:

    • Scherzo

  • Ysaye:

    • Solo Sonata

    Cello and Piano
  • Bach, Johann Sebastian:

    • Air from Suite No. 3 for orchestra

  • Bartók:

    • Rhapsody No. 1
    Rumanian Folk Dances

  • Beethoven:

    • Sonata No. 1 in F-major
    Sonata No. 2 in g-minor
    Sonata No. 3 in A-major
    Sonata No. 4 in C-major
    Sonata No. 5 in D-major
    12 Variations on “See the conqu’ring hero comes” from Händel’s Judas Maccabaeus
    12 Variations on „Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen“ from Mozart’s Magic Flute
    7 Variations on „Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen“ from Mozart’s Magic Flute

  • Boccherini:

    • Sonata in c-minor G.2
    Sonata in A-major G.4
    Sonata „L’Imperatrice“

  • Brahms:

    • Sonata in e-minor
    Sonata in F-major

  • Britten:

    • Sonata in C

  • Casals:

    • El cant dels ocells

  • Cassado:

    • Dance of the green devil
    Requiebros

  • Chopin:

    • Introduction et polonaise brillante
    Sonata in g-minor

  • Couperin:

    • Pièces en concert

  • Davidov:

    • At the Fountain

  • Debussy:

    • Beau soir (for guitar and cello)
    Sonata in d-minor

  • De Falla:

    • Suite populaire espagnole

  • Dvořák:

    • Rondo
    Waldesruhe (Silent Woods/Klid)

  • Elgar:

    • Salut d’Amour

  • Fauré:

    • Après un rêve
    Elégie

  • Franck:

    • Sonata in A-major

  • Francoeur:

    • Sonata in E-major

  • Goldmark, Karl:

    • Sonata in F-major

  • Grieg:

    • Sonata in a-minor

  • Halphen, Fernand:

    • Romance

  • Kodály:

    • Adagio
    Romance lirique

  • Martinu:

    • Variations on a Theme of Rossini

  • Mendelssohn:

    • Sonata in B flat major
    Sonata in D-major

  • Pejacevic, Dora:

    • Sonata in e-minor

  • Piazzolla:

    • Le Grand Tango
    Invierno Porteño (for guitar and cello)

  • Poulenc:

    • Sonata

  • Popper:

    • Gavotte in d-minor
    Mazurka
    Vito
    Gnomentanz
    Gavotte in D-major
    Dance of the Elves (Elfentanz)
    Spinning Song
    Menuetto
    Tarantelle
    Russische Fantasie

  • Prokofiev:

    • Sonata in C-major

  • Rachmaninov:

    • Vocalise

  • Rimsky-Koraskov:

    • The Flight of the Bumblebee

  • Rostropovich:

    • Humoresque

  • Saint-Saëns:

    • The Swan from Carnival of the Animals

  • Schubert:

    • „Arpeggione Sonata“ in a-minor
    Die Nacht
    Der Leiermann (for guitar and cello)

  • Schumann:

    • Adagio und Allegro
    Fünf Stücke im Volkston
    Phantasie-Stücke
    Träumerei

  • Shostakovich:

    • Sonata in d-minor

  • Strauss:

    • Sonata in F-major

  • Stravinsky:

    • Italian Suite

  • Szabó, Csaba:

    • Sonatina „Looking back“ in Do

  • Tchaikovksy:

    • Andante cantabile
    Nocturne
    Pezzo capriccioso
    Valse sentimentale

  • Valentini:

    • Sonata in E-major

  • Van Parys, Annelies:

    • Chacun(e) sa chaconne

  • Villa-Lobos:

    • Aria, from Bachianas Brasileiras (for guitar and cello)

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