Mon Musée Musical - 2e partie Quatuor Hongrois, courte biographie

Courte biographie

1er violon: Sandor Vegh (1935), Zoltan Szekely (1935-1970)
2e violon: Peter Szervansky (1935), Sándor Vegh (1935-1940),
Alexandre Moskowsky (1940-1959), Michael Kuttner (1959-1970)
Alto: Dénes Koromzay (1935-1970) alto
Laurent Halleux entre 1952 et 1953 (*)
Violoncelle: Vilmos Palotaï (1935-1956), Gabriel Magyar (1956-1970)

Le Quatuor Hongrois en 1938, de gauche à droite
Dénes Koromzay, Alexandre Moskowsky, Zoltán Székely, Vilmos Palotai

Fondé en 1935 à Budapest (à ne pas confondre avec un premier quatuor hongrois fondé en 1909 à la demande de Bartok et Kodaly), le Quatuor Hongrois s'établit en Hollande dès 1937, puis aux États-Unis en 1950, où il devient quatuor-résident de l'Université de Californie du Sud. Il est dissous en 1970.

Dès sa fondation le Quatuor hongrois s'illustre en défendant la musique comtemporaine, notamment celle de Bela Bartok dont il donne la première audition hongroise du quatuor No 5 lors de sa première saison. Son répertoire va des classiques au XXe siècle.

Szekely jouait sur un Stradivarius de 1718, le Michelangelo, Kuttner sur un P.Guarnerius de 1704, le Santa Theresa, Koromzay sur un Michel Deconet de 1766, Magyar sur un Alessandro Gagliano de 1706 (selon le Dictionnaire des Interprètes d'Alain Pâris).

(*) Laurent Halleux a remplacé temporairement Dénes Koromzay entre 1952 et 1953, ce qui est documenté dans l'ouvrage de Claude Kenneson, «Szekely and Bartok: The Story of a Friendship»:

a) Extrait de la page 250(334)
"[...] After the Bay Area concert in the summer of 1952, violist Dénes Koromzay withdrew from public performances for a period of one year, after twenty intensive years of stage appearances. During his absence from the Hungarian Quartet, Laurent Halleux joined the ensemble as violist.[...]"

Les numéros entre () sont ceux des pages du fichier de l'ouvrage référencié ci-dessus)

b) Extrait de la page 424(508)
MEMBERS OF THE HUNGARIAN STRING QUARTET AFTER 1952
"[...] Laurent Halleux (b.1897) . Halleux was violist of the Hungarian String Quartet during the 1952-53 season when Dénes Koromzay was on leave from the ensemble. Halleux was born at Hodimont Verviers, France, on 24 January 1897 and was a violin pupil of César Thomson. He was a member of the celebrated Belgian Pro-Arte String Quartet and alternated as leader with Alphonse Onnou during the early years of that quartet. Later he was second violinist. After 1940 he was in residence at the University of Wisconsin, then took up the viola and played in the MGM studio orchestra in Los Angeles, and with both the Roth and Hungarian string quartets.[...]"

C'est pendant cette période avec Laurent Halleux qu'ont été faits les enregistrements pour Concert Hall:

Extrait de la page 259(343)
"[...] In the fall of 1952, with Laurent Halleux as violist, the Hungarian Quartet recorded Schubert's Quartet in D Minor ("Death and the Maiden") in a private studio in Los Angeles for Concert Hall Society. A few weeks later they recorded three additional works for them in a New York studio: Dvorak's Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96 ("American"), Glazounov Five Novelettes, Op. 15, and Tchaikovsky's Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11. These three works were recorded in two sessions on a single day. The amazing quality of these recorded performances is very much akin to the so-called "live performance" recordings of a later era. With the availability of these Concert Hall Society recordings, the quartet's large following in North America had access to the ensemble's recordings for the first time. Their earlier recordings made in London had not been marketed in the United States.[...]"

Extrait de la page 437(521)
Antonin Dvorak
String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 ("American")
The Hungarian String Quartet (Székely, Moskowsky, Halleux, Palotai)
Recorded in private studio in New York City for Concert Hall Society in September 1952
Concert Hall Society CHS 1157

Extrait de la page 438(522)
Alexander Glazounov
Five Novelettes, Op.15
The Hungarian String Quartet (Székely, Moskowsky, Halleux, Palotai
Recorded in private studio in New York City for Concert Hall Society in September 1952
Concert Hall Society CHS 1183

Extrait de la page 440 (524)
Franz Schubert
String Quartet in D minor, Op. Posth., D 810 („Death and the Maiden“)
The Hungarian String Quartet (Székely, Moskowsky, Halleux, Palotai)
Recorded on Los Angeles for Concert Hall Society in September 1952
Concert Hall Society CHS 1152

Extrait de la page 442 (526)
Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 1
The Hungarian String Quartet (Székely, Moskowsky, Halleux, Palotai
Recorded in private studio in New York City for Concert Hall Society in September 1952
Concert Hall Society CHS 1183

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