János Vajda

János Vajda was born in Miskolc, Hungary, on 8 October 1949. Between 1968 and 1975 he studied choral conducting with István Párkai and composition with Petrovics at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. From 1974 to 1979 he worked as répétiteur of the choir of Hungarian Radio and Television, after which he enrolled at the Amsterdam Conservatory to complete his training as a composer.

In 1981 he received the Erkel Prize and was appointed a professor at the Budapest Academy. His early works, written in a free twelve-note idiom, changed after his contact with repetitive music during his stay in the Netherlands. From then on his output followed two paths: light music for the ballet in Győr, and concert works such as the duo for two cimbaloms All that Music, in which repetition serves as a constructive principle.

Little by little Vajda assimilated Dutch influence and forged a personal, integrated style. The opera Márió és a varázsló (composed between 1980 and 1985) is a good example: its harmonic language is often modal, and recognisable elements take on increasingly surprising functions as the music progressively departs from what is happening on stage. Later works, such as the Nebenlieder of 1996, move in a neo-Romantic style.

Vajda is a composer whose development illustrates the dialogue between the Central European tradition and Western minimalist currents. His catalogue encompasses opera, ballet, orchestral, vocal and chamber music, and his works are published mainly by Editio Musica Budapest and Ascolta.