Gilbert Varga, son of the celebrated Hungarian violinist Tibor Varga, studied under three very different and distinctive maestros: Franco Ferrara, Sergiu Celibidache and Charles Bruck. A commanding and authoritative figure on the podium, Varga is renowned for his elegant baton technique, and has held positions with and guest-conducted many of the major orchestras throughout the world.
Over recent seasons, Varga’s reputation in North America has grown swiftly; in the 2011/12 season he returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra with Yefim Bronfman, makes his debut with the Houston Symphony and returns to other orchestras, including the Indianapolis, Colorado, Utah and Nashville symphonies and the Minnesota Orchestra whom he conducts every season. Other ongoing relationships continue with the Atlanta, Saint Louis, Milwaukee and Baltimore symphony orchestras.
In Europe Varga regularly conducts the major orchestras in musical centres such as Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Cologne, Budapest, Lisbon, Brussels and Glasgow, with soloists such as Mørk, Ehnes, Vinnitskaya, Hamelin and Gerstein. Repeatedly acclaimed for his ability to draw out a broad range of colours and emotions from the orchestra, Varga’s programmes frequently feature the ballet suites, tone poems and symphonies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of a recent performance of Kodály’s Dances of Galánta, the Leipziger-Volkszeitung said: “The Hungarian gypsies were lascivious and witty under Varga’s baton, full of fire with ardent strings and blazing brass. The oboe, clarinet and horn gave beautiful solos, and the flutes and piccolo were so soft, that the delicate pizzicato sounded almost coarse.”
In the earlier part of his conducting career Varga concentrated on work with chamber orchestras, particularly the Tibor Varga Chamber Orchestra, before rapidly developing a reputation as a symphonic conductor. He was Chief Conductor of the Hofer Symphoniker between 1980 and 1985, and from 1985 to 1990 he was Chief Conductor of the Philharmonia Hungarica in Marl, conducting their debut tour to Hungary with Yehudi Menuhin. In 1991 Varga took up the position of Permanent Guest Conductor of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra until 1995, and from 1997 to 2000 was Principal Guest of the Malmö Symphony. From 1997 to 2008, Varga was Music Director of the Basque National Symphony Orchestra, leading them through ten seasons, including tours across the UK, Germany, Spain and South America.
Varga’s discography includes recordings with various labels including ASV, Koch International and Claves Records. His latest recording, released in January 2011, of concertos by Ravel and Prokofiev with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Anna Vinnitskaya on Naïve Records was given five stars by BBC Music Magazine.
Gilbert Varga is represented by Intermusica.
2011/12 season / 416 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.
Houston Symphony Orchestra, with Daniel Mueller-Schott (cello) / Haydn; Ravel
“Two distinguished Houston Symphony debuts lent a special sparkle to Thursday night's concert at Jones Hall - British conductor Gilbert Varga bringing a dashing presence and attentive style to the podium
Varga showed his command instantly with an astute reading of Haydn's Symphony No. 49, the opening work. In this rather somber work, Varga drew tight playing and clean sound from the orchestra, with deft control of dynamics.
The orchestra maintained crispness and spirit throughout the concerto, with clear communicative interplay between soloist, conductor and musicians.
Varga brought the requisite delicacy and color to Ravel's Mother Goose Suite...
With vivid playing under Varga's astute leadership, [Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2] proved a grand orchestral showpiece, from ethereal passages the aural equivalent of sunlight on rippling water, to the surging swells of sound in the finale's bacchanalian frenzy.”
Everett Evans, Arts Writer (Houston), 21 October 2011
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, with Marc-André Hamelin (piano) / Kodály; Haydn; Beethoven
“… the RSNO rounded off its concert with that very Kodály suite, under the invigorating direction of Hungarian conductor Gilbert Varga.”
“But if Varga seemed naturally at home in this music of his own homeland, his empathy for the Beethoven […] was no less impressive.”
“Nor was it for Haydn's pithy little Symphony No. 70, a real peach of work. Varga's performance focused on the music's wit and elegance, leaving our palates truly cleansed for the flavoursome pleasures of Háry János.”
Kenneth Walton, The Scotsman (Edinburgh), 11 April 2011
“… with Varga, the orchestra produced a clean and sizzling account of [Haydn’s] 70th Symphony, a performance that allowed the endlessly inventive imagination of the composer to stream through at every unexpectred turn.”
Michael Tumelty, The Herald (Glasgow), 11 April 2011
MDR Symphony Orchestra, with Patricia Kopatchinskaja (piano) / Bartók; Haydn; Kodály
“Classical music can be fun: there were enthusiastic cheers, shouts of ‘bravo’ and wild applause after each of the three sections of the MDR concert in the Gewandhaussaal on Sunday evening.”
“We needed a spiritual piece to calm the storm after the interval, and Joseph Haydn’s 70th symphony was just the job. The MDR Symphony Orchestra under Gilbert Varga performed Haydn’s symphony in four movements with light-footedness, and yet with verve and the necessary grounding. Whilst for Bartók’s 2nd Violin Concerto the London-born conductor Varga had been the calming influence who held the threads together through the complex rhythms and changes of tempo, here he coaxed Haydn’s subtle jokes out of the score with the most subtle of gestures. He untiringly subdued the strings to a pianissimo, and encouraged the filigree details from the brass section. The applause and ‘bravos’ were well deserved by both the conductor and the orchestra.”
“Zoltan Kodály’s Dances of Galanta were yet another reason for celebration. The Hungarian gypsies were lascivious and witty under Varga’s baton, full of fire with ardent strings and blazing brass. The oboe, clarinet and horn gave beautiful solos, and the flutes and piccolo were so soft, that the delicate pizzicato sounded almost coarse. And so the sixth concert of the MDR series lived up to its name: ‘the magic of music’.”
Birgit Hendrich, Leipziger-Volkszeitung (Leipzig), 5 April 2011
Colorado Symphony Orchestra, with Joseph Moog (piano) / Haydn; Liszt; Schubert; R.Strauss
“On the second half, the spotlight switched to guest conductor Gilbert Varga, who quickly showed himself to be a veteran, well-traveled in this repertoire. The orchestra has not sounded better this season.”
“He led an elegant, satisfying interpretation of Franz Schubert's well-known Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759, 'Unfinished', bringing out its inner dialogue, exerting nuanced dynamic control and adroitly shaping its shifting moods and textures.”
“There were many striking individual moments, such as Varga's soft but urgent rendering of the familiar climbing motif in the violins that is repeated several times.”
“Much the same could be said of the orchestra's spellbinding interpretation of Richard Strauss' tone poem, ‘Death and Transfiguration’, Op. 24, with Varga conveying the full depth and drama of this sweeping work.”
Kyle MacMillan, The Denver Post (Denver, CO), 12 March 2011
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, with David Elton (trumpet) / Mussorgsky; Richard Mills; R.Strauss
“Gilbert Varga directed a fine performance that characterised each section with precision and imagination.”
Stephen Whittington, The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), 15 February 2011
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, with Anna Vinnitskaya (piano) / Prokofiev; Ravel (Naïve V5238)
“… one of the finest Prokofiev Seconds on record […]”
Philip Clark, Classic FM Magazine (UK), April 2011
“Again, it’s the orchestral playing under Gilbert Varga which impresses. Well worth hearing […]”
Graham Rickson, TheArtsDesk.com, 26 February 2011
“Gilbert Varga’s direction is precise and detailed as well as being […] atmospheric […]”
David Nice, BBC Music Magazine (UK), five stars (recording), February 2011
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, with Marc-André Hamelin (piano) / Mozart; Claude Baker; Franck
“Those who might have come but didn’t missed an exciting concert with a first rate guest conductor, Gilbert Varga, returning from last season.”
“Varga has been in the top echelon of ISO guest conductors in the last two years; with the Franck, he once again affirmed his reputation.”
Tom Aldridge, NUVO (Indianapolis, IN), 10 January 2011
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, with Mikhail Simonyan (violin) / Glinka; Shostakovich; Stravinsky
“[Simonyan’s] memorable BSO debut coincides with that of Hungarian conductor Gilbert Varga, who's the real deal, too. There's one more performance of the all-Russian program Saturday night at the Meyerhoff; I'd say it's worth changing plans for.”
“To close, there was a sparkling and absorbing performance of Stravinsky's Petrouchka. Conducting from memory, Varga went far beyond the surface appeal of this prismatic piece to conjure up its sweeping drama and often biting humor. Rapid shifts of tempo and mood were seamlessly made, and Varga ensured that the subtlest of instrumental details registered as tellingly as the most blazing outbursts of the full ensemble. It sounded to me like the musicians were having a ball. I got a kick out of the performance, too.”
Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, MD), 23 October 2010
Minnesota Orchestra, with Anthony Ross (cello) / Rossini; Walton; Dvořák
“Varga, an exemplary partner [to Anthony Ross], found more sense than most conductors in [Walton’s Cello Concerto’s] cinematic patches.”
“Czech performers often seem to own a patent on this symphony. Few others get the rhythms and textures quite right; squareness and monumentality can threaten the music's flow. But under Varga's baton the piece percolated persuasively. The orchestra, sounding a bit less confined than it sometimes does, played with a dynamism that never forgot the music's roots in the dance. You're unlikely to hear better, even in Prague.”
Larry Fuchsberg, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), 14 October 2010
“The Minnesota Orchestra doesn't have a “principal guest conductor” position on its payroll, but, if it did, Gilbert Varga would be an ideal candidate for the job. An almost-annual visitor since 2002, Varga's developed a chemistry with the ensemble that was palpable all the way to the back of the balcony at Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall on Thursday morning. The silver-maned Hungarian conductor's enthusiasm and energy are a fine fit for this group, and it spreads to the audience whenever they perform.”
“But this may have been this collaboration's finest hour, as Varga and the orchestra approached each work as if thrilled to be playing it.”
“Conducting the Dvorak without a score in front of him, Varga underlined his confidence in his interpretation.”
Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press (St Paul, MN), 14 October 2010
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, with André Watts (piano) / John Mackey; Grieg; Dvořák
“The star pianist was featured in the advertising, but it was the conductor who shone the brightest on Friday night's concert by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Symphony Hall.”
“Gilbert Varga looks like a conductor from Central Casting, with his head of white hair; he's a commanding figure on the podium. Varga's a dynamic conductor who uses every kind of body language — from graceful gestures to fist punches — to communicate with the ensemble."
“His reading of the concert's second half, Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 in G major, was outstanding, from pugnacious passages to more lyrical moments, and with all its varied moods explored. The balance was excellent throughout; the big conclusion was perfectly controlled.”
“The SLSO responded like a well-tuned sports car on a mountain road, catching each cue and giving Varga everything he asked for. It was an impressive performance in every way, and the audience responded with a tremendous ovation.”
Sarah Bryan Miller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St Louis, MO), 9 October 2010
Minnesota Orchestra, with Marc-André Hamelin (piano) / R.Strauss; Ravel
“After guest conductor Gilbert Varga brought his gracefully enthusiastic style to an outstanding performance of Strauss' orchestral showpiece, Don Juan, Ravel responded with a bracing dose of darkness. […]"
“An exquisitely turbulent interpretation of 1920's La Valse proved an ideal last word from Ravel. Varga and the orchestra captured its beauty, mystery and madness, evoking a Vienna (or perhaps all of Germanic culture) that sounds as if it's dancing aboard an elegant ocean liner as it capsizes.”
Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press (St Paul, MN), 20 May 2010
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, with Horacio Gutiérrez (piano) / Enescu; Beethoven; Stravinsky
“Conductor Gilbert Varga cuts quite an elegant figure on the podium, with his leonine head of silver hair. He is frugal with his motion […] Sometimes, all he does is stand still, raise a hand and close his fingers.”
“And, Prospero-like, he releases a storm of magic.”
“In lesser hands, the orchestra might have overwhelmed the piano. Varga kept the symphony reined back just so […] The symphony players, Varga and Gutiérrez richly deserved the ecstatic applause that showered down.”
“The sounds that emanated from the stage felt almost three-dimensional; I half-expected strobe-lights and streamers to pour forth from the stage as the twinkly winds and spangled strings evoked a vivid town fair. The orchestra under Varga's baton was limber and agile as it transformed tinsel into a lightning storm that then splintered apart into shimmers and crashing timpani.”
“… the rapturous ovation filled the house to the rafters.”
Sumi Hahn, The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA), 16 April 2010
Utah Symphony Orchestra / Crawford Seeger, Mozart, Dvorak
"So this is how you take a work that most of the audience has heard at least a dozen times and make it sound fresh.
Gilbert Varga… led the Utah Symphony in an invigorating performance of Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 ('From the New World'). Conducting from memory, he made every moment of the ultra-familiar work feel alive and -- perhaps even more impressive -- unearthed numerous delightful details that even the most seasoned listener might not have noticed before.
Varga's Bernsteinian conducting style, far from being off-putting, seemed to energize the orchestra… the string chorale in the slow movement was sheer magic."
The Salt Lake City Tribune, February 2010
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra / Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schumann
“Guest conductor Gilbert Varga got dynamically sensitive playing from the musicians in Mendelssohn's Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Schumann's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat.
…the ISO … pulled together … to match the conductor's vision, mounting to a finale that was especially lively. What a treat to hear accents that breathed animatedly.
…the Mendelssohn overture was laced with the fairyland magic Varga spoke of enthusiastically at the preconcert "Words on Music.""
Indystar, February 2010
Frankfurter Museumgesellschaft / Boulez, Ravel, Saint-Saens
“Pierre Boulez only needed 6 instruments to create a beautiful mixture of tonal colours in his 'Derive 1'. And the Museum Orchestra under Gilbert Varga managed it with ease. This was a thoroughly sumptuous opening concert for the new season.
FNP, September 2009
“Guest conductor Gilbert Varga … revealed every colour in the score, set a swift tempo and created magnificent crescendi; yet left no doubt that Ravel's score has the character of a piece of chamber music, which was most evident in the Adagio so reminiscent of Mozart.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, September 2009
“Varga proved himself a master of nuance and of delicate French lyricism.”
Maintal Tagesanzeiger, September 2009
French Reviews
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Spohr, Beethoven & Tchaikovsky
"Le chef Gilbert Varga, lui, manie le fleuret. Rebondissante, chorégraphiée, sa gestique sautille avec une malice presque féminine. Dans la Symphonie n°8 de Beethoven, il fait des étincelles, allège le trait, déborde d'invention rythmique, aux commandes d'un OSR lumineux et précis. Une belle réussite."
Le Temps, September 2008
"Les vacances vont bien à I'OSR. La reprise de l'orchestre pour son premier concert de la saison au Victoria Hall l'a révélé dans une forme olympique. Dynamique, soudé, souple et d'une clarté sonore étincelante, le Romand a accompagné avec brio Hilary Hahn dans les deux concertos pour violon qu'elle est venue donner pour la série du Credit Suisse. Et dans la 8e Symphonie de Beethoven, les musiciens n'ont pas lésiné sur les élans virevoltants, un rien désinvoltes, que leur imprimait le chef. Gilbert Varga, dansant plus avec luimême qu'il ne répondait aux violences de contrastes de la partition, a poussé l'œuvre vers une légèreté toute champêtre, à l'énergie joyeuse."
Tribune de Geneve, September 2008
German Reviews
MDR Sinfonieorchester / Bartók; Haydn; Kodály
“So macht klassische Musik Spaß: Am Sonntagabend wird im rappelvollen großen Gewandhaussaal gejubelt, Bravo gerufen, ausgiebig applaudiert.“
“Da braucht es einen seelischen Wogenglätter nach der Pause: Joseph Haydns 70. Sinfonie had das Zeug dazu. Mit dem MDR Sinfonieorchester unter Gilbert Varga kommt Haydns Viersätzer leichtfüßig und doch mäßig schwungvoll mit der gebotenen Portion Bodenhaftung. War der in London geborene Dirigent Varga bei Bartók der ruhende Pol, der die Fäden zusammenhielt bei der vertrackten Rhythmik und den Temposwechseln, so kann er jetzt mit subtilen Gesten Haydns Witz aus der Partitur kitzeln. Unablässig dämpft er die Streicher ins Pianissimo, ermuntert Bläser zu filigranen Details. Da gelten Beifall und Bravi eindeutig dem Orchester und seinem Dirigenten."
"Grund zur Begeisterung liefern auch Zoltán Kodálys Tänze aus Galantá. Lasziv und launig werden die ungarsichen Zigeunerweisen unter Vargas Schlag, feurig auch mit leidenschaftlichen Streichern und strahlendem Blech, steuern Oboe, Klarinette und Horn schöne Soli bei, klingen Flöte und Piccolo so zart, dass das hingehauchte Pizzicato fast derb erscheinen muss. So ist der Name Programm bei der sechsten Ausgabe der MDR-Konzertreihe. Denn so muss er wohl klingen und wirken: der ‘Zauber der Musik‘."
Birgit Hendrich, Leipziger-Volkszeitung (Leipzig), 5 April 2011
Frankfurter Museumgesellschaft / Boulez, Ravel, Saint-Saens
„Nur sechs Instrumente braucht Pierre Boulez für sein 'Dérive 1' um eine schöne Mischung der Klangfarben zu erreichen. Das Museumsorchester unter Gilbert Varga hat das bestens bewältigt. Das war durchaus ein opulentes Eröffnungskonzert der neuen Saison.“
FNP, September 2009
„Gastdirigent Gilbert Varga ... blieb der Partitur keine Klangfarbe schuldig, sorgte für ein temporeiches Spiel und grandiose Crescendi, ließ aber dennochkeinen Zweifel daran, dass Ravels Werk prinzipiell einen kammermusikalischen Charakter aufweist, der nicht nur im Mozart nachempfundenen Adagio Tragen kommt.“
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, September 2009
[Varga hat sich] „als ein Meister der Zwischentöne und der feinen französischen Lyrismen vergestellt.“
Maintal Tagesanzeiger, September 2009
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra / Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Mussorgsky
"Es ist ein plastischer Abend, eine Metamorphose vom Klang zum Bild. Gilbert Varga und das Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin entlassen den Zuhörer nach zwei Stunden irgendwo zwischen erdrückt und beglückt. Rachmaninows Tondichtung „Die Toteninsel“, inspiriert vom Gemälde Böcklins, ist im Konzerthaus Auseinandersetzung mit der Kunst: Jeder hat das Bild im Programmheft vor sich, und doch pausen Varga und das RSB nicht ab, sie zeichnen weiter. Nach subtilster Melodiebehandlung im ersten Satz wechseln sich in den Mittelsätzen flimmernde Streicherteppiche mit gewaltsam herausgearbeiteten Tutti-Explosionen ab."
Daniel Wixforth, Tagesspiegel, April 2009
Gürzenich Orchestra / Kodaly, Ravel, Chausson & Scriabin
"Der Dirigent Gilbert Varga ist beim Gürzenich-Orchester seit langem ein gern gesehener Gast. Dass hier die Chemie stimmt war nun wieder im Abo-Konzert zu sehen und zu hören.
Wie... Varga die innere Struktur der Musik liebevoll ausformt, sie kammermusikalisch auslotet, das ist schon von besonderem Reiz."
Kölnische Rundschau, December 2008
"Gilbert Varga ist nicht nur ein universell gebildeter Dirigent, sodern auch ein Animator ganz eigener Art. Er pflegt ein artistisch ausgeklügeltes Gestaltungs- und Schlagrepertoire, das aber nie übertrieben, lächerlich oder störend wirkt – das aber auch der Musik nicht aufgepfropft, sondern aus der Musik gewonnen wird, das sie beflügelt, belebt und beschwört."
Kölnische Stadt-Anzeiger, December 2008