Bach, Complete Flute Sonatas, Volume I Szabolcs Szilagyi & Laszlo Borbely

• J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750): Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV1031:
• 1 J.S. Bach: Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV1031, Allegro moderato 03:35
• 2 J.S. Bach: Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV1031, Siciliana 02:50
• 3 J.S. Bach: Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV1031, Allegro 04:12
• Sonata in C Major, BWV1033:
• 4 J.S. Bach: Sonata in C Major, BWV1033, Andante 01:57
• 5 J.S. Bach: Sonata in C Major, BWV1033, Allegro 02:20
• 6 J.S. Bach: Sonata in C Major, BWV1033, Adagio 02:03
• 7 J.S. Bach: Sonata in C Major, BWV1033, Menuet I. - Menuet II. - Menuet I. ab initio 03:03
• Sonata in E Minor, BWV1034:
• 8 J.S. Bach: Sonata in E Minor, BWV1034, Adagio ma non tanto 03:45
• 9 J.S. Bach: Sonata in E Minor, BWV1034, Allegro 02:32
• 10 J.S. Bach: Sonata in E Minor, BWV1034, Andante 04:05
• 11 J.S. Bach: Sonata in E Minor, BWV1034, Allegro 04:39
• Sonata in A Major, BWV1032:
• 12 J.S. Bach: Sonata in A Major, BWV1032, Vivace 03:19
• 13 J.S. Bach: Sonata in A Major, BWV1032, Largo e dolce 03:19
• 14 J.S. Bach: Sonata in A Major, BWV1032, Allegro 04:39
• Total Runtime 46:18

Info for Bach, Complete Flute Sonatas, Volume I

"Bach's flute sonatas are particularly sensitive, penetrating and soul-stirring music. If I had to use a single word to describe the four sonatas on this disc, surprisingly, I would have to use something far from idyllic. But why should Bach be so idyllic? His perfect structures (far beyond the 'idyllic' sound we imagine) remind us of the tragedy of our finitude and imperfection. And perfection never 'anaesthetises'. With Bach, even the simplest-seeming music (or movement) explores the darkest spheres (along with the lightest, of course) that the human psyche can scarcely imagine. Just listen to the soaring, inducible phrases of the slow movement of the Sonata in C major, over and over again. Like the stems of a plant spreading towards the light, tirelessly bursting forward, upwards towards the surface, towards the light. If you listen to it once with deep attention, you will never forget the opening movement of the Sonata in E minor, with its almost brutal phrasing, and then the fiery even movements that rush in as a counterpoint. But also the shifting moods of the A major Sonata in the two outer movements, or the 'heartbeats missing' in the slow movement. In these Bach prophetically foreshadows the rebellious structures of modernity. And we haven't even mentioned the second movement in the Sonata in E flat major, which evokes the Passions ..." (László Borbély)

László Borbély, piano
Szabolcs Szilagyi, flute

Szabolcs Szilágyi
flutist graduated from the Liszt Academy in Budapest. He then went to London to continue postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music with Susan Milan. Meanwhile, invited by the maestro, he attended Sir James Galway’s international seminar in Weggis, Switzerland, on several occasions.

Szilágyi has been a member of the Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra since 1995. He played with the Frankfurt Chamber Opera in Germany, and was a regular member of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of pianist/conductor Tamás Vásáry and later of world renowned conductor Ádám Fischer.

As an orchestra musician Szilágyi has toured in nearly all European countries, Russia, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, the Middle East and the USA. He has made TV, DVD and Radio and CD recordings for Hungaroton, BMC, Teldec/Warner and Naxos. Since 2017 Concerto Budapest has recorded for Tacet Musikproduction of Germany.

As a soloist, beside the Concerto Budapest he played with the world renowned Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, the Weiner-Szász Chamber Symphony and the Amadinda Percussion Group, with the latter’s performance released on CD by Hungaroton Records. He is a regular guest at the world's most prestigious flute festivals and gives master classes and lectures throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Szilágyi premiered in Hungary the works of such composers as Lowell Liebermann, Mike Mower, David Heath and Aaron Jay Kernis. Szilágyi is the founder and artistic director of the Budapest Flute Academy. Since 2018 he has recorded exclusively for Hunnia Records on DSD platform. In 2020 he become a Haynes Artist, and plays on 1a 9,5 k custom gold flute with Platinum headjoint. He is a flute lecturer at the Szeged University Béla Bartók Faculty of Arts.

Szabolcs Szilágyi is one of the authors of the volume "The past two hundred years of Hungarian flute playing and its European integration" published in 2022.

László Borbély
In 2007 László Borbély got his diploma with honours (Master of Music in Performance and Teaching) then his doctoral degree (Doctor of Liberal Arts) at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music Budapest, where he is an assistant professor of Piano Faculty.

He played concerts at international festivals such Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander (Spain), International Holland Music Sessions in Bergen (The Netherlands), TCU/Cliburn Institute in Fort Worth (USA), FestivaLiszt in Grottammare (Italy), Liszt Festival in Raiding (Austria), Liszt Festival in Bayreuth (Germany), International Bartók Festival Ankara (Turkey), International Conservatory Week Festival Saint Petersburg (Russia), Festival der Klänge in Vienna (Austria), Budapest Spring Festival (Budapest) etc.

He won numerous prizes at national and international competitions. He won 2nd Prize and a special prize for the best performance of the set piece  at the EPTA International Piano Competition in Osijek (Croatia) in 2001. In the same year, he won the Great Prize of the national competition of secondary music schools in Békés-Tarhos. In 2002, he won the Yamaha Scholarship Award and also two 2nd and one 3rd prizes in different divisions of the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition where he won two special prizes too: prize for the „most artistic performance” and a special prize of the American Liszt Society. In 2003 he got the special prize of the Hungarian Ministry of Cultural Heritage at the national competition of the Hungarian Radio. Next Year he was first prizewinner at the Andor Földes national competition. In 2005 he won „Educational Award” at the London International Piano Competition. In 2006 he was 2nd prizewinner at the International Liszt-Bartók Piano Competition in Budapest where he got also a special prize of Budapest City. In 2009 he won 3rd prize and four special prizes at the National Haydn-Mendelssohn Piano Competition of the Hungarian Radio. He got the Annie Fischer Performers’ Scholarship three times (in 2008, 2009 and 2010). In 2009 he got „Junior Prima Prize”one of the most prestigious prize given for young artists. He had lessons with Zoltán Kocsis, György Kurtág, Murray Perrahia, Menahem Pressler, Ferenc Rados, András Schiff, Elisso Virsaladze, Mikhail Voskresensky, Tamás Vásáry etc.

He played concerts with prestigious artists such Zoltán Kocsis and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Barnabás Kelemen (violin), Lajos Lencsés (oboe), Alessandro Carbonare (clarinet), Lajos Rozmán (clarinet) etc. He has recitals regularly in Hungary and other countries too.

He made recordings for Hungarian Radio and TRT Ankara. His first solo CD released in 2016 (edited by: Bayer Music Group) He took master classes in Geneve (Switzerland), Würzburg (Germany), Tbilisi (Georgia) and gave podium-lectures in Izmir (Turkey) and Saint Petersburg (Russia). He is member of Metrum Ensemble.

Booklet for Bach, Complete Flute Sonatas, Volume I