István Kertész

István Kertész was a Hungarian conductor and composer who was active during the mid-20th century. Born in Budapest in 1929, Kertész studied music at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and then pursued conducting at the Vienna Music Academy.

Kertész is best known for his interpretations of the works of Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss, among others. He is also renowned for his interpretations of modern works by composers such as John Cage and György Ligeti.

Some of Kertész’s standout albums include his recordings of Johannes Brahms’s Symphonies No. 1 and No. 4, which he conducted with the London Symphony Orchestra, and Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which he conducted with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Kertész also recorded several of his own compositions, including “Songs of Love and Longing” and “In Memory of My Father”.

An interesting fact about István Kertész is that he was the first Hungarian conductor to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1966. He conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1.