Sándor Balassa (20 January 1935 – 14 May 2021) was a Hungarian composer and music educator.
Life
Born in
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 ...
, Balassa attended a musical school and then studied music with
Endre Szervánszky. In 1964 he started working at the Hungarian Radio where he created music programs. Since 1981 he also taught at the Academy of Music. He retired from this position in 1996.
Balassa was awarded the
Kossuth Prize
The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 (on occasion of the centenary of the March 15th revolution, the ...
in 1983.
Recipients of the prize in 1983
on Archiv. org
Orchestra compositions
* Dimenziók (Dimensions; Dimensioni) for flute and viola, Op. 8, 1966;
* Zenith, op.10, for alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...
and orchestra, 1971;
* Hárfástrio (Harp Trio), Trio for violin, viola and harp, Op. 19, 1971;
* Iris, op. 22, for orchestra, 1971;
* Glarusi ének , op. 29, for orchestra, (The Song of Glarus), 1978;
* Az örök ifjúság szigete, op. 32 for orchestra, (The End of Eternal Youth), 1979;
* Hívások és kiáltások, op. 33 for orchestra, 1981;
* Egy álmodozó naplója, op. 35 for orchestra, (Diary of a Daydreamer), 1983;
* Három fantázia zenekarra, op. 36 for orchestra, (Three fantasies), 1984;
* Szőlőcske és halacska, op. 40 for orchestra, 1987;
* Tündér Ilona, op. 45 for orchestra (with Elfje Ilona), 1992;
* Csaba királyfi, op. 46 for string orchestra, (Prince Csaba) 1993;
* Bölcskei concert, op. 49, for string orchestra, 1993;
* Mucsai táncok - avagy egy komolyzenei Lagzilajcsi fantazmagóriái, op. 50 for orchestra (Dancing from Mucsa), 1994;
* Fűzérke (Little Garland) for flute, viola and harp, Op. 51, 1994;
* A nap fiai, op. 54 for orchestra (Sons of the Sun), 1995;
* Négy arckép szimfonikus zenekarra, op. 56 for orchestra (Four Historical Portraits), 1996;
* 301-es parcella, op. 58 for orchestra (Package No.301), 1997;
* Pécsi concerto öt szólistára és vonószenekarra, op. 61 for violin, cello, oboe, bassoon, harp and string orchestra (Concert for the City of Pécs), 1999;
* Magyar koronázási zene, op. 63 for orchestra (Hungarian Coronation Music), 1998;
* Hunok völgye, op. 69 symphonic poem for orchestra, (Valley of the Huns), 1999;
* Október virágai, op. 77 for orchestra (Oktoberbloemen), 2003;
* Naphegyi kirándulás, op. 81 for string orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...
(Trips to Naphegyi), 2003;
* Szegedi concerto, op. 88 for string orchestra (Concert for Szeged), 2004;
* Nyári zene, op. 89 for flute and string orchestra (Summer Music), 2003;
* Üdvözlet Violának (Greetings to Viola) for viola solo, Op. 90, 2005;
* Civisek városa, op. 91 for orchestra (Music for Debrecen), 2005;
* Utazások Biharban, op. 93 for orchestra (Excursions to Bihar), 2005;
* Lovagi erények dicsérete, op.100 for orchestra, 2007.
The Hungarian music label Hungaroton
Hungaroton is the oldest record and music publisher company in Hungary.
Hungaroton was founded in 1951, when its only competitors in the Hungarian music market were record labels like Melodiya, Supraphon and from other socialist countries. Pre ...
has published some of Balassa's orchestral works and recorded his opera ''Karel en Anna''.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Balassa, Sandor
1935 births
2021 deaths
20th-century classical composers
Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni
Academic staff of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
Hungarian classical composers
Hungarian male classical composers
Hungarian opera composers
Composers from Budapest