Interview with István Várdai, Artistic Director | Zene-Kar Magazine
“It’s important to recognize that professional musicians who are accepted into the best orchestras have essentially been practicing since the age of eight to such an extent that, by the time they officially begin working, they’ve already ‘prepaid’ the workload that in other professions typically takes decades to accumulate. In this light, it would be reasonable to expect that once their careers reach maturity, they should be able to play in an ensemble that offers both professional and existential stability,” said cellist István Várdai, Artistic Director of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, in our interview.
One of the most important factors in an orchestra’s life is long-term planning. How successfully can this be achieved?
The lack of predictability in annual funding plagues the entire Hungarian music scene, whereas abroad, leading ensembles typically know their available resources for a much longer time horizon.
– Absolutely. I think it’s also worth discussing the moral implications of this funding system for musicians in Hungary, and how it resonates on a societal level.
As I mentioned earlier, professional musicians have been training intensively since childhood, and by the time they formally enter the profession, they’ve already put in an extraordinary amount of work. This level of lifelong investment would rightly entitle them to a career path that provides professional and financial stability.
An orchestra’s reputation is demonstrated by its ability to perform and attract audiences. Moreover, supporting an internationally acclaimed ensemble also enhances a country's prestige. When these conditions are met, artists can truly focus on performance and personal growth. This, in turn, leads to successful concerts and helps preserve Hungary’s musical culture as a renowned international benchmark.
Another dimension to consider is what kind of career model we can present to talented young musicians — and how motivating that model is for students and their families looking to the future. It’s a tough issue, but one we must confront.
We also need to identify the ensembles capable of expanding the current market, introducing new venues and reaching new audiences. Audience size and composition matter. This is an integral part of our strategy, and we’re actively seeking innovative approaches. For instance, we launched a concert series of 60-minute programs designed to attract those interested in classical music. These concerts offer a vibrant and digestible program, interwoven with engaging anecdotes and context about composers and their works. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
We also believe it’s vital for children to experience live classical music early in life. In collaboration with the Bábozd Zöldre Foundation, we created two puppet-show concerts, which regularly sell out. With adequate funding, these productions could travel nationwide, offering musical experiences not only to children, but also to parents and grandparents. We also reach children through school concerts — we’ve developed an interactive, one-hour program full of thought-provoking questions, fun facts, and familiar musical excerpts that organically blend into the performance.
What was your biggest challenge when you joined the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra? Your arrival marked a period of renewal.
– The renewal had several layers, deeply connected to the pandemic and the resulting shutdowns.
At the time, there was a sense of aimlessness surrounding the orchestra. We were essentially starting from a low point, with much uncertainty about the outlook of COVID and its long-term implications for the music world.
One of the key moments was the inability to perform. To keep motivation alive, we consistently set goals that encouraged the musicians to develop individually. One tool was acquiring instruments — both as a motivational reward and a means of artistic development. Another was refining our collective sound. This period lent itself perfectly to internal “laboratory” work, where we focused on creating an ideal ensemble sound, rather than preparing for specific concerts.
Everyone embraced this process, which was the most valuable outcome of the pandemic period.
We also had time to reflect on the kind of management we needed, and which international partners we wanted to work with in order to resume touring at the scale and quality the orchestra is capable of. Importantly, we also needed to present a clear strategy to funders — one that showed how we could achieve realistic financial balance in the medium and long term.
Even in the best-case scenario, after a well-paid foreign tour, it’s rare for an orchestra to return with a financial surplus — breaking even or saving a small amount is more typical.
That said, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra is highly mobile and logistically manageable, which is an advantage we make good use of. We regularly perform abroad and already have engagements booked years in advance at venues like the Musikverein in Vienna, where the orchestra previously had little presence. We’re now frequently invited to festivals in neighboring countries, too.
What has been the sonic result of the instrument acquisitions?
– Let’s set aside the monetary value for a moment — although these instruments tend to appreciate in value rather than depreciate.
When a musician finds an instrument that resonates with them, it’s akin to discovering their own voice. In a string chamber orchestra, this is particularly crucial for achieving ensemble coherence. Unlike larger orchestras — where individual voices blend into a massive sound body — smaller ensembles function more like interwoven quartets, with each instrument’s tone individually perceptible, even within a unified sound.
Despite limited resources, we’ve made meaningful progress. For example, we were able to acquire a Gagliano violin for our concertmaster, Péter Tfirst. We’ve primarily focused on violins so far, but there’s plenty of room for further improvement. I often think of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s instrument list — the total value of our entire instrument pool is equivalent to just a couple of their instruments.
Yet in terms of quality — and I say this objectively and without bias — there’s virtually no difference between our musicians and theirs. Certainly not one that would justify the disparity in instrument value.
This area still needs significant development, especially since Hungarian philanthropy has yet to embrace the value of investing in instruments, even though the economic logic is quite clear. Take my own instrument, for example — I’ve had it on unlimited loan since 2016, when it was worth under 10 million euros. Today, its value is well beyond that.
We are working to reach more individuals with the means and mindset to understand that supporting a talented artist or ensemble by lending an instrument is also a mark of their own success — and enhances the instrument’s value as well. While this practice doesn’t have much tradition in Hungary, we hope that will change in time.
How has your personal journey paralleled the orchestra’s in recent years?
– From a professional standpoint, the type of work and broader perspective required for leading an ensemble or working on larger musical structures has had a very positive impact on me as a soloist.
But increasingly, I feel that labels like soloist, chamber musician, or orchestral player are merely obligatory categories. I’ve always considered myself a musician who happens to play the cello best — because that’s where I’ve invested the most time. I also teach, which is another area I’m well-versed in.
I can channel that expertise into my work with the chamber orchestra — and it feeds back into my own development as an instrumentalist.
My connection with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra is, in a way, a commitment to Hungary. It means I spend much more time here and, accordingly, I’m more engaged with systemic issues in the Hungarian musical landscape — because they affect the orchestra’s operations and my own as well.
There’s another benefit, too: I no longer feel the need to be on the road 220 days a year. The lifestyle I led between the ages of 25 and 35 had a kind of adrenaline addiction — you could call it workaholism.
Now I’m increasingly convinced that you don’t have to be everywhere all the time for your career to progress. I’ve come to love this type of focused workshop-style work — expanding the repertoire, creating new arrangements, and exploring different perspectives on familiar works, rather than simply reorchestrating for novelty’s sake.
What was the purpose behind your innovative image films?
– The image films were essentially our first steps toward marketing — an effort to make this ensemble, which represents serious artistic value, more visible.
In Hungary, we’re still at the beginning stages in this area, although there are many creative filmmakers here with fantastic ideas...
