Jenő Jandó (; 1 February 1952 – 4 July 2023) was a Hungarian pianist and Professor of the

Franz Liszt Academy of Music The Franz Liszt Academy of Music (, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the Liszt Collection, which features several ...

in Budapest. He was the first house pianist for

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

and recorded more than 60 albums.

Background and education

Jandó studied piano at the Liszt Academy with Katalin Nemes and

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 his ...

, later going on to win many major international piano competitions, including the

Georges Cziffra Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia * Georges Quay (Dublin) * Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses * Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 1 ...

and Ciani Piano Competitions. His professional career began when he took third prize at the Beethoven Piano Competition at the age of 18. He was also the winner of the 1973 Hungarian Piano Concours and took first prize in the

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

category at the Sydney International Piano Competition in 1977.

Recordings

Jandó began recording exclusively for

in 1988 as the label's first house pianist. Naxos describes him as "one of the most prolific artists in the history of classical music recording". Jandó recorded over 60 albums, including music by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, Bartók, Chopin, and many other composers. His (chamber) music recordings range from the complete Beethoven sonatas to

's '

Trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

' Quintet and Beethoven's '

Ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

' and '

Archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

' piano trios. He worked with Takako Nishizaki in recordings of the

, Franck, and

Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of N ...

violin sonatas, the complete

sonatas, and the

sonatas, some of which are highly ranked by '' The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music''. His style of collaborating is evident in Kodály's Cello Sonata (Op. 4), as well as in a more recent recording of Dohnányi cello sonatas with Maria Kliegel. Jandó was known for singing while playing and stopped this by putting an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

Death

Jandó died on 4 July 2023, at the age of 71.

Awards

He received the Franz Liszt Prize and the Knight’s Cross of the

Hungarian Order of Merit The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of Merit of the K ...

In popular culture

Jenő Jandó's recording of the Theme from

Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman", K. 265/300e, is a piano composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composed when he was around 25 years old (1781 or 1782). This piece consists of twelve variations on the French folk song "Ah! v ...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

was used as the intro song in the '' Brainy Baby'' video series as well as in the first video in the ''Baby Genius'' video series, ''Mozart and Friends''.

References

External links

Jenő Jandó biography and discography at Naxos.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jando, Jeno 1952 births 2023 deaths Hungarian classical pianists Hungarian male musicians Hungarian male classical pianists Academic staff of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music Piano educators Classical accompanists People from Pécs Sydney International Piano Competition prize-winners Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni Naxos Records artists Jewish classical pianists Knight's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil)