Gergő Oláh Patrik is barely in his twenties and already has many successes to his name: he regularly makes his mark at the Beethoven Composer Competition in Buda, but he has also presented his pieces at the Sziget Festival. The young composer claims that nothing happens by chance..…
– He started his musical studies at the age of eight at the Gyula Váczi Elementary School of Art in Salgótarján. Why did you choose the violin as your instrument?
– As a little boy, I actually wanted to play the piano for the first time, I really liked the way the instrument stood out! However, there was no place in the music school, so I chose the violin. I had heard my cousins play the stringed instrument several times before, but my grandfather also played the notes in a self-taught way. Eventually, music became such a part of me that I continued my studies in this field. I started high school at the Béla Bartók Vocational High School of Music, and I am currently studying composition at the Academy of Music.
– When did you get your first piece?
– I was in elementary school when my first rudimentary attempts resulted in a few “amateur” pieces, and then I composed smaller pieces of music more and more in parallel with my piano lessons. At that time, I still based it on the cutting of various pieces, I even incorporated a Szekeres Adrienn song into it. I was in eighth grade when we played one of my compositions for the audience for the first time at one of my friend’s graduations. It was a great success, but I admit that I wouldn’t do that publicly today! I wrote my first truly accepted work – a string quartet – at the conservatory for the national Sugár Rezső Composer’s Competition, with which I was able to stand on the second step of the podium. And this result gave us a lot of impetus to continue…
– After that, the successes came one after the other. Which results do you still look back on fondly?
– I like to test myself in various competitions, because the recognitions confirm me every time that I am on the right path. As a first-year student of the Academy of Music, I won shared first place at the 1st Budavár Beethoven Composer’s Competition last year. The victory came as a huge surprise, because I started with the calmness of the underdog. I also managed to win first place at the Academy of Music’s house competition, where master’s students can also compete.
In addition, I look back fondly on a competition in the Czech Republic, where, although I did not achieve an outstanding result, it was still a great experience to meet foreign students like me. In addition, one of my pieces of music was played at two venues in Italy this year, which was a huge honor to hear live.
Youtube link: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C9V4-oH09hI
– What do you think, will you be able to make a living just composing music?
– When people talk about composers, they usually focus on Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. However, there are just as many composers today as there were in the past. I would like to believe that the profession has a future! I used to be attracted to the financial field, and I worked as a consultant for almost a year. Today, however, there is no question that I could not live without music. I need the applause and the show…
– This year you performed on the main stage of the Sziget Festival. What was the experience like?
– Unforgettable! By the way, this was not my first “island” experience, because years ago I was a violinist on the classical music stage, while last year I worked as an organizer of a symphony orchestra. This year it was a great honor to be invited to the main stage, although I didn’t want to do it at first. Finally, they talked me into it, and I believed that I could do it! Performing in front of more than 45,000 people was a real ecstasy!
– Do you consider yourself a composer or a musician?
– Composing is my path, but I also really like playing my own pieces. The fact that I was asked to write the first mass in the history of music in Lovári, which we will present at the beginning of next year in the capital, in the basilica, with the participation of Attila Kökény and Nikoletta Szőke, is very decisive in my career as a composer. In addition, in 2020 this piece can also be played at the World Eucharistic Congress in the presence of the Pope.
– How would you describe your compositions?
– Those who know me well are always surprised when they hear one of my compositions, saying that it’s not even me! My works are primarily depressive, because I release negative energies from myself while creating. If someone listens to my pieces, it’s always worth thinking about the story further…
– What’s your motto?
– It may be a commonplace these days, but it’s true: nothing happens by chance…
The composer is seduced by America
As a member of the Salgótarján Symphony Orchestra, Oláh Patrik Gergő played for the first time in front of the general public at the József Attila Cultural Center.
– With the orchestra, we performed Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto in B minor, which is still defining in my life. The composer’s pieces have had a profound effect on me since childhood, but I also like the depth of Beethoven, the complexity of Bach, the genius of Mozart, and the simplicity of Haydn. In addition to classical music, I am the biggest fan of dupstep and techno music! – said the young composer, who above all wants to complete the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at the Academy of Music.
Gergő revealed that he also has competition plans in mind, and wants to return to the Czech Republic next year to return home with the best possible ranking. He would also like to try his hand as a concert organizer, but his big dream is to get a doctorate at Harvard University.
– If I could make it in America as a classical composer or a dubstep DJ, that would be heaven! Gergő added.
The original article is available at: https://www.nool.hu/helyi-kultura/2019/11/45-ezer-ember-elott-lepett-fel-a-salgotarjani-zeneszerzo
The article is available for download: NOOL – 45 ezer ember előtt lépett fel a salgótarjáni zeneszerző
