Gergely Madaras on the “Golden Triangle”, whose every corner is connected to music
Budapest-born conductor Gergely Madaras is a citizen of the world, but, by his own admission, especially partial to Buda.
This often leads to a friendly rivalry wIth his wife, flautist Noémi Győri – who, on the other hand, is from the Pest side of Hungary’s capital. They live in London, from where Madaras, the music director of the Liége Royal Philharmonic, often travels to conduct his “musical family” in Belgium – as well as to the world’s greatest opera houses and orchestras where he serves as a guest conductor. It’s diversity, he believes, which provides cities with their individual character, while their interaction delivers a unique flavour to each city.
You have a passion for markets and enjoy tasting things while shopping, and once said that getting familiar with a score is like biting into an exotic fruit. How did you come up with this unusual, (flavourful) simile?
In French, a conductor is called a chef: they use the same word for it as for a cook working in a kitchen. For me, a score is like a recipe: all the ingredients and instructions are there; how much of each ingredient to use and where, but it is still up to the chef to decide exactly what, in what proportion and timing to add and what kind of balance to look for during the seasoning.
Gergely Madaras (source: Gergely Madaras)
Regarding a trio of venues – the Béla Bartók Conservatory, the Opera and the Academy of Music – you have said, “on every corner there is something related to music”. What else do you love about the capital?
This musical triangle is really important to me, as it’s where we studied and still to this day we often perform at these institutions. We bought a flat in Budapest a few years ago: it’s wonderful to walk out the door and run straight into these amazing venues. Once, I walked around Szabadság Square with some foreign guests, who, overwhelmed by the sight, said, “What imagination, what spiritual riches it must have taken to build such buildings, such a city!” Such instances make my heart flutter.
Gergely Madaras (source: Gergely Madaras)
Whenever I take a sightseeing tour with my guests on the Pest side, I like to start at the Chain Bridge, pass by the Basilica and then from Deák Square on to Andrássy Avenue all the way to Oktogon, past Liszt Ferenc Square, by the Academy of Music and back to Király Street, through Gozsdu Courtyard, then along Múzeum Boulevard down to Károlyi Garden and out to the Danube Promenade. This is the district that makes Budapest a metropolis: it’s the centre of culture and nightlife, where the museums, theatres and exceptional restaurants are. While on the Buda side there are the hills and forests, which are especially near and dear to my heart: I love climbing up to Normafa, Hármashatár Hill and Sváb Hill, because they remind me of my childhood and always fill me with a sense of calm, contentment and happiness.
See also:
Budapest's Cultural Riches Include Art of Photography
Unrivalled Exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts and Hungarian National Gallery
Budapest at the Gates of Heaven – as Interpreted by Pál Frenák
Trafó: A Theatre in No-man’s Land
Photo: Gergely Madaras (source: Gergely Madaras)
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