István Kassai (born 26 March 1959) is a Hungarian pianist. He graduated at the

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Liszt Academy of Music in 1982 studying in the class of

Pál Kadosa Pál Kadosa (; 6 September 1903, Léva, Austria-Hungary (now Levice, Slovakia) – 30 March 1983, Budapest) was a pianist and Hungarian composer of the post- Bartók generation. His early style was influenced by Hungarian folklore while hi ...

. Then in 1984 he pursued his second diploma in the Conservatoire Européen de Musique de Paris under the close supervision of

Yvonne Lefébure Yvonne Lefébure (29 June 1898, Ermont – 23 January 1986, Paris) was a French pianist and teacher. Born in Ermont, she studied with Alfred Cortot at the Conservatoire de Paris, taking a ''premier prix'' in piano and numerous other subjects. She ...

. During and after his studies he also undertook several master courses, such as the one led by

György Cziffra Christian Georges Cziffra (; born Cziffra Krisztián György; 5 November 192115 January 1994) was a Hungarian-French virtuoso pianist and composer. He is considered to be one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of the twentieth century. Among h ...

Senlis Senlis () is a commune in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. It is known for its Gothic cathedral and other h ...

and

Keszthely Keszthely (; also known by other alternative names) is a Hungarian city of 20,895 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton. It is the second largest city by the lake and one of the more important cultural, educational and economi ...

, too. During his career, he has won several first prizes in international competitions such as the International Youth Piano Competition in

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...

1972 in Czechoslovakia, the Hungarian Radio Piano Competition in 1979, and the Premier Grand Prix in the International Debussy Piano Competition, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Paris in 1982. He was acknowledged by the ARTISJUS-Prize in 1976, the Bonnaud-Chevillion-Prize of the

Fondation de France The Fondation de France ("Foundation of France") is an independent administrative agency which was established by the French government in an effort to stimulate and foster the growth of private philanthropy and private foundations in France.Fon ...

in 1986, the Nívó Prize of the Hungarian Radio in 1990, the Ferenc Liszt Prize in 2001 and the Weiner Leó Memorial Prize in 2010. He is a full member in the Hungarian Academy of Arts since 2013. István Kassai made CD recordings of the complete piano works of

Ernest Bloch Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As well as producing music ...

Ferenc Erkel Ferenc Erkel ( hu, Erkel Ferenc , german: link=no, Franz Erkel; November 7, 1810June 15, 1893) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist. He was the father of Hungarian grand opera, written mainly on historical themes, which are still o ...

Mihály Mosonyi Mihály Mosonyi (4 September 1815 in Boldogasszony, Austria-Hungary – 31 October 1870 in Budapest) was a Hungarian composer. Born Michael Brand, he changed his name to ''Mosonyi'' in honor of the district of Moson (where his place of birt ...

Leó Weiner Leó Weiner (16 April 1885 – 13 September 1960) was one of the leading Hungarian music educators of the first half of the twentieth century, and a composer. Life Education Weiner was born in Budapest to a Jewish family. His brother g ...

Jenő Hubay Jenő Hubay, Jenő Hubay von Szalatna, hu, szalatnai Hubay Jenő (; 15 September 185812 March 1937), also known by his Germany, German name Eugen Huber (), was a Hungarian violinist, composer and music teacher. Early life Hubay was born i ...

and

Sándor Balassa Sándor Balassa (20 January 1935 – 14 May 2021) was a Hungarian composer and music educator. Life Born in Budapest, Balassa attended a musical school and then studied music with Endre Szervánszky. In 1964 he started working at the Hungarian ...

, which was followed by more than a dozen of CD releases including works by

Ernő Dohnányi Ernő or Erno is a Finnish and Hungarian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ernő Balogh (1897-1989), Hungarian pianist, composer, editor, and educator *Ernő Bánk (1883-1962), Hungarian painter and teacher * Ernő Bér ...

Ferenc Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...

Robert Volkmann Friedrich Robert Volkmann (6 April 1815 – 30 October 1883) was a German composer. Life Robert Volkmann was born in Lommatzsch near Meißen, Germany. His father, a music director for a church, trained him in music to prepare him as a successor. ...

Imre Széchényi Count Imre (Emmerich) Széchényi of Sárvár-Felsővidék (15 February 1825, in Vienna – 11 March 1898, in Budapest), was a Hungarian nobleman and landowner, and Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian diplomat and politician. Grandson of Ferenc Szé ...

and

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

. At his concerts, he played the premieres or the first modern performances of numerous piano works i.e. pieces of Brahms and Bartók. The Hungarian Radio has archived many recordings of his performances. He has published numerous articles and studies on music and edited many volumes of sheet music by composers and musicians such as Liszt, Mosonyi, Hubay, Weiner and György Cziffra.

References

External links

Kassai on the BMC homepageKassai on Hübner's Who is WhoKassai's homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kassai, Istvan 1959 births Living people Hungarian classical pianists Hungarian male musicians Male classical pianists Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni