Born: 1939, Szeghalom
Academic degree, university position: professor, person in charge of the cello sub-department
Subjects: Cello
Studies:
1947-1954: Music School of Békéstarhos – teacher: Antal Friss
1954-1957: Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music – teacher: Antal Friss
1957-1962: Franz Liszt Academy of Music – professor: Antal Friss
1965-1966: Julliard School of Music (Ford scholarship)
Puerto Rico: Pablo Casals
Los Angeles (Piatigorsky)
Competition awards:
1957: Paris, Casals Competition - 'Diploma' (Mention according to the 5th Award)
1961: Prague, Dvorak Competition, 2nd Award
1962: Moskow, Tchaikovsky Competition, 4th Award
1963: Budapest, Casals Competition, 1st Award
Teaching activities:
He has taught at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music since 1961. Illustrious students: Gábor Bálint, András Bruhács, László Fenyő, Balázs Kántor, György Kertész, Ottó Kertész Jr., Dóra Kokas, Tamás Koó, László Papp, Rezső Pertorini, Péter Somodari, Ildikó Szabó, Péter Szabó, Tamás Varga, István Várdai.
Invited lecturer, master classses:
1985-87: Weimar (Germany); Finland
1986-1987: Paris
1999: Brno (Czech Republic)
1999-2002: Figeac (France)
2000-2003: Nurmes (Finland)
2002-2004: Jyväskylä (Finland)
2003: Monflanquin (France)
2003: Hvar (Croatia)
2006: Korčula (Croatia)
2008: Milna, Brač (Croatia)
2013: Tokio
Competition jurying:
2007: Tchaikovsky Competition, Moskow
2013: Janigro Competition, Zagreb
2014: Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, Moskow
Further jurying: Budapest, Poreč, Brno, St.Petersbourg, three times at the Prague Spring International Music Festival
Orchestral memberships:
He has been a founding member of the Bartók String Quartet since 1957.
As member of the Bartók String Quartet, he has recorded the complete string quartets of Bartók, compositions of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Debussy, Ravel and numerous contemporary composers, furthermore, the C Major two-cello quintet of Schubert and the G Minor two-cello quintet of Vivaldi (with the contribution of Miklós Perényi). The repertoire of the Quartet encompasses the whole spectrum of the string quartet repertoire, and he has played some of the Bartók string quartets more then seven hundred times. Many of the Hungarian contemporary composers (Bozay, Durkó, Láng, Mihály, Szokolay, Petrovics) composed works especially for this ensemble.
Other activities:
2000-2008: President of the Hungarian Cellists' Society
Recordings:
Hungaroton:
Valentini: Sonata in E Major
Kodály: Solo sonata for Cello, Op. 8. (1962)
Locatelli: Sonata in D Major (1963)
Stravinsky: Italian Suite
Britten: Solo Sonata Op. 72 (1967)
Chamber Music of Kodály – Sonatina, Capriccio; Kodály- J. S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in D Minor
Videoton compact Ltd.:
Mező CD: (Under the auspices of the NKA – National Cultural Fund) The CD of the Mező family
Discography of the Bartók String Quartets:
Bartók: Quatuors à Cordes No. 5-6 (Erato, 720 132)
Bartók: Les Six Quatuors de Bela Bartok par le Quatuor Bartok de Budapest (Erato, STU 70396-98)
Bartók: Complete String Quartets (Pony Canyon, PCCL – 00129 ST)
Beethoven: String Quartets (Complete) (Hungaroton Classic, HCD 410003/4)
Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 130/133 (Hungaroton, SLE 6010)
Bozay: The Three String Quartets (Hungaroton, HCD 32117)
Bozay: Quartetto per archi, Op. 9 (Hungaroton, LPX 11412)
Brahms: Chamber Music for Strings – with György Konrád and Ede Banda (Hungaroton Classic, HCD 11591-93)
Brahms: Chamber Music-Quintets – with Dezső Ránki and Béla Kovács (Hungaroton Classic, HCD 11596)
Brahms: Quartets for Piano and Strings – with Csilla Szabó, István Lantos and Sándor Falvai (Hungaroton Classic, HCD 11597-98)
Durkó: String Quartet No.1 (Hungaroton, LPX 11363)
Dvorak: String Quartets, No. 12; No. 14 (Hungaroton, SPLD 12577)
Dvorak: String Quartet, No. 12, 14 (White Label, HRC 122)
Haydn: String Quartet in D Major (Qualiton HPLM 1554) – First album of the Komlós String Quartet
Haydn: String Quartets (Canyon Classics / Arton, PCCL 00271)
Hungarian Contemporary Music (1989-2004) (BMC, PCD 0015)
Mendelssohn: String Quartets Op.44 No.1, Op.12 (Hungaroton Classic, HCCD 31107)
Mendelssohn: Octet; Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (Hungaroton Classic, HCD 31351)
Mozart: Six String Quartets (Qualiton, LPX 11400-02)
Mozart: Flute Quartet K.285, Oboe Quartet K.370, Trio K.498 – with Attila Lajos, Béla Kovács, Péter Pongrácz, and Ferenc Rados (Qualiton, LPX 11422)
Mozart: String Quartets K.465, 458, 387 (BMC, CD 079)
Petrovics: String Quartet No.1, No.2 (BMC, CD 017)
Schubert: String Quintet, D.956 – with Miklós Perényi (Hungaroton Classic, CLD 4035)
Schubert: „Trout" Quintet (Hungaroton Echo Collection, HRC 2039)
Schumann: Piano Quintet Op.44 – with Endre Hegedűs (Hungaroton Classics, HCD 31560)
Major publications:
Concert Pieces for Cello 1-2. Editio Musica, Budapest
Kodály: Capriccio. Editio Musica, Budapest
Starker: String-Play Tutor. Editio Musica, Budapest
Awards and honours:
1968: Liszt Ferenc Prize
1981: UNESCO Prize
1981: Excellent Artist
1987: Bartók–Pásztory Prize (as the membe of the Bartók String Quartet)
1997: Kossuth Prize
2006: Chevalier du violoncelle (Bloomington, Indiana)
2007: Weiner Leó Prize
2007: Weiner Leó Prize
2008: Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, Medium Cross with the Star (civilian category)
2009: Prima Prize (as the membe of the Bartók String Quartet)
2009: Prima Prize (as the membe of the Bartók String Quartet)
Contact: mezoritmus[at]yahoo.com