BIOGRAPHY
Geza Hosszu Legocky, was born in Lausanne, with Swiss nationality into Hungarian- Ukrainian parents. The elegant bohemian has an exotic provenance. He is the descendant of a line of renowned musicians from whom he inherited the traditional and mysterious knowledge that guards the spirit of the coveted Gypsy and Klezmer world. His Hungarian blood boundaries even relates him with György Cziffra. He proudly cultivates the values of his Jewish and Roma ancestors, channelling his authentic roots through what he is: an international concert violinist.
A very restless child prodigy, Geza kept playing with every instrument he could lay his hands on, but only when he was handed a violin, he did experience inner calm. More than anything he wanted to play music with his father.
Through Professor Dora Schwarzberg, he received the teachings of the Russian Violin School of David Oïstrakh and Yuri Yankelevich. Acknowledged at age six by Dora Schwarzberg, who selected him for admission to the Vienna Music Academy, by the next year he was already touring Italy with The Udine Orchestra, and at nine, won the first prize at the International Competition “Prima la Musica” which brings him to a wider audience. A year later, François Gérard invites him to play in the Hollywood movie “The Red Violin”, alongside with actor Samuel L. Jackson.
He continued this upward trajectory with a concert through Eastern Europe and then was chosen by Montserrat Caballé to perform with her in Moscow with the Russian National Orchestra, out of 10’000 children.
At the age of twelve, being already a star prodigy, he is invited to perform at the Verbier Music Festival as a special guest performance with legendary Ida Haendel and Vadim Repin, where he receives a standing ovation.
He returned to Vienna and that same year at Verbier’s Festival he met Martha Argerich. The legendary pianist was fascinated by the depth and mystery of his interpretation of “Zigeunerwissen”.
During the following years, his mentors were Marina Sorokova, Dora Schwarzberg, Ruggiero Ricci, Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel and Tibor Varga.
The exceptional musical world of Geza bears a striking resemblance to the violin titans of the past.
At the age of 14 he makes his big Debute Performances, as guest soloist he performed with major orchestras and conductors, such as the NHK Philharmonic Orchestra with Charles Dutoit, and also with other Orchestras such as The Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung and Thierry Fisher, the Swiss-Italian Radio Orchestra under Jacek Kapszsyk. Geza had also the great privilege to construct projects with Chamber Orchestras such as The Kremerata Baltica with Gidon Kremer, performing the Bach Concerto No.1 at the great “Salle Pleyel” in Paris.
2001 was a significant year for Geza. He was among the few young artists selected to participate in the prestigious Dorothy Delay Symposium and Masterclasses at the great Juilliard School of Music in New York. He has been acclaimed to be the most gifted Violinist of his age not only by Dorothy Delay but by American Violinist Robert McDuffie, who invites him a few months later to perform at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, reaching over three million of listeners on NPR Evenings, “Special Hour” show.
One year later, Martha Argerich included him in her documentary “Evening Talks” in 2002, and started performing with him across the world.
Chaque note est une flamme, une brûlure
His interests in bringing his qualities in classical music to other genres such as, Folk, Gypsy- Jewish, Jazz music, has made him an individual figure. Geza’s performance at the opening of the Ramatuelle Festival, with legendary film composer Michel Legrand and Catherine Michel, performing the own compositions of Michel Legrand, such as the famous “Umbrellas of Cherbourg”, “Summer of 42” and some of his Oscar nominated movie compositions, revealed his extraordinary ease in Classical, Jazz as well as Gypsy repertoire.
Geza never forgot his roots in not only rendering the well-known classics of the great Violin repertoire, but also proudly presenting his beloved Hungarian-Russian & Gypsy Jazz music, honouring his ancestors in fascinating crossover projects and finally creating his Award- Winning Ensemble “The 5 DeViLs” in 2003.
Performing at the Progetto Argerich, the “5 DeViLs” had an immediate success. The concert was recorded by EMI classics and was chosen among Grammy Nomination. One year later he comes back to the same Festival to perform the Schumann Sonata No.1 with mythical pianist Martha Argerich, which was chosen as best chamber music performance of the year 2004. Since than he followed touring all over Europe, South America, The United States and Asia.
For his exceptional gift for music and his capacity to transmit his emotions directly into the heart of his Audiences, lead him to share his career with living legends such as, Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky, Charles Dutoit, Yehudi Menuhin, Ruggiero Ricci, Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel, Gidon Kremer, Myung-Whun Chung, Michael Guttman, Jascha Heifetz, Nathan Milstein, Wynton Marsalis, Maxim Vengerov, Sergei Babayan …
At the special request of renowned artists Lorin Maazel, Kyung Wha-Chung and Janos Starker, The Nippon Foundation granted Geza Hosszu Legocky the ex-Joachim Aranyi Stradivarius (1715). Today Geza performs on a “Lorenzo & Tomasso Carcassi” Violin dating from 1766, on generous loan to him by great Violinist and Artistic Director of “Pietra Santa in Concerto” Michael Guttman.
Geza’s exceptional talent and passionate temperament have earned him the reputation of possessing a demonic virtuosity, a term that has been attributed to the great Paganini himself. However, despite his intense and sometimes excessive approach to music, Geza’s ideals are noble and he always chooses to give his all with generosity. In every concert, he delivers the authentic musical message of his inner voice, pouring his heart and soul into every note as if it were his last performance.
Embodying in his sound an intensity beyond compares, Geza’s playing pierces the heart of listeners
His rare and beautiful expression transmutes and glows at every moment, tantalizing the audience with fire. His greatest power is an enormous gift to communicate the dramatic meaning of life, embodying in his sound and intensity beyond the unusual, that pierces the hearts and awakens sensitivity. Most probably it is for this reason he has even been compared to the divine Maria Callas.
Geza’s passion for music extends beyond his performances, as he is also a dedicated teacher and mentor to young musicians. He has taught masterclasses and workshops at prestigious institutions across the globe, from South America to Asia and he is committed to passing on his knowledge and experience to the next generation of musicians.
Geza Hosszu-Legocky is a true artist, with a deep understanding and appreciation for the power of music to transcend boundaries and connect people from all walks of life. His unique blend of classical and traditional music, combined with his talent and passionate spirit, has made him one of the most exciting and inspiring musicians of our time.
He is currently involved in the ambitious project “Gezalius & The Bohemian Virtuosi”. Bridging generations and styles, twelve musicians in chamber orchestra formation share the stage and play solos in turns, presenting tailor-made arrangements of major works.