Péter Komlós (25 October 1935 – 2 May 2017) was a Hungarian violinist, known particularly as the founder of the Bartók String Quartet.

Life

Péter Komlós was born in Budapest in October 1935, and studied at 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 ...

with Ede Zathureczky,

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 ga ...

and others.Bartók String Quartet first violinist Péter Komlós has died, aged 81
''The Strad'', 3 May 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.Obituary – Péter Komlós
Liszt Academy, 5 May 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017. In 1957, with other graduates of the Academy, he established the Komlós String Quartet, in which he played first violin; the other members were , and . In 1960 replaced Mező (and there were further replacements in later years). The quartet was renamed the Bartók String Quartet in 1963.Bartók String Quartet
Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 30 September 2017. In 1964 the quartet won first prize at the International String Quartet Competition in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, Belgium, and subsequently the quartet had an international career. There was a wide repertoire, with an emphasis on Béla Bartók's string quartets. A number of Hungarian composers dedicated their works to the quartet. Komlós was

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra from 1960 to 1969. From 1982 he was an associate professor at the Franz Liszt Academy.Violinist Péter Komlós dies at 81
Daily News Hungary, 2 May 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017. He received the Liszt Prize in 1964, and the Bartók-Pásztory Prize in 1986. In 1970 he received the

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize (, ) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1936, by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and grou ...

; in 1997 he and the other members of the Bartók String Quartet received a further Kossuth Prize. Péter Komlós died on 2 May 2017, aged 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komlos, Peter 1935 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Budapest 20th-century Hungarian classical violinists Concertmasters Recipients of the Kossuth Prize Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni