Founding Member of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Violist György Konrád, Passes Away at 99

Hungarian violist György Konrád-one of the founding members of the Budapest Festival Orchestra -- has died aged 99.

Konrád was one of the most important figures in Hungarian musical life. For thirty years, he played with the Tatrai Quartet -- one of the most prominent Hungarian string quartets after World War II -- with whom he recorded all of Bartok's and Haydn's string quartets. He became principal viola of the Hungarian State Opera House in 1976, and a member of the Hungarian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra in 1980. 

Three years later, Konrád became one of the founding members of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, whose musicians were, according to the Times, "drawn from the cream of Hungary's younger players." Its music director and co-founder, Ivan Fischer, remembered Konrád's "sunny personality" in an announcement of his passing. He also recalled how Konrád, whose family died in the Holocaust, escaped a firing squad in 1944. "I have always been lucky," he quoted the musician.

Konrád was born on Oct. 13, 1924 in Szeged. Despite his seven-decade career playing the viola, he actually first studied the violin under Pál Perényi, and only took up the viola at his first wife's request. In fact, Konrád described himself as "a violinist who is also good at playing the viola," adding, "I could not have made such a career on the violin, it would have required more technical knowledge."

Neither did he pursue a solo career. Konrád was perfectly happy performing in ensembles, although this almost got in the way of teaching, which he took up at age 59. He credited his colleague, Sándor Nagy, with lending a hand with "a list of the pieces to be taught for me, which I learned in parallel with my students."

Konrád was active well into his later years, playing sports until he was 92, and concertizing until he was 94. He stopped playing due to what he called "Menuhin phobia." "Yehudi Menuhin was an excellent violinist, but towards the end of his life he did not play at the same level as before." Even though he no longer appeared onstage towards the end of his life, Konrád still occasionally picked up his viola to play for his own pleasure.