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Dierd TsifraHungarian virtuoso pianist
Date of Birth: 05.11.1921
Country:  Hungary |
Content:
- György Cziffra: A Hungarian Prodigy and Master Virtuoso
- World War II and Military Service
- Post-War Career and Political Imprisonment
- Personal Tragedies and Later Years
György Cziffra: A Hungarian Prodigy and Master Virtuoso
Early Life and ProdigyGyörgy Cziffra was born in Budapest, Hungary, into a poor Roma family. His father, also named György, played the cimbalom in Paris cabaret halls during the 1910s. However, with the outbreak of World War I, he was imprisoned as a citizen of an enemy state, and his wife and two daughters were deported to Hungary with only 5 kilograms of luggage. The family was reunited after the war.
Young György learned to play by watching his sister's lessons. By the age of five, the frail and sickly child had become a sensation in bars and circuses, improvising on popular tunes. He could also memorize and arrange any melody sung by customers. The boy's earnings helped his impoverished family survive, but these early performances later became a source of ridicule from critics.
At the age of nine, Cziffra enrolled at the Franz Liszt Academy, becoming the youngest student in its history. Among his teachers was the renowned Ernest von Dohnányi.
World War II and Military Service
In 1942, Cziffra was drafted into the army. Hungary fought alongside Nazi Germany, and despite the Nazi ideology, all German allies, including Hungary, used Jews and Roma as soldiers, holding their families hostage. Cziffra had a wife and a young son. Initially an infantryman, he later became a tank driver, but deserted when the opportunity arose, becoming the sole survivor of his battalion.
Post-War Career and Political Imprisonment
After the war, Cziffra resumed his piano career. However, in 1950, he was arrested on political charges. In prison, he was subjected to torture: knowing that Cziffra was a musician, his captors beat his hands and fingers and forced him to do labor that put strain on his wrists.
Upon his release in 1953, Cziffra struggled to regain the dexterity of his hands and fingers. In 1956, the pianist escaped with his family to Vienna. He soon gained international fame and toured extensively throughout Europe.
Personal Tragedies and Later Years
Cziffra's son, György Cziffra Jr., became a professional conductor. He performed and recorded with his father on several occasions. His career was considered promising, but he died in a fire in 1981. After this tragedy, Cziffra never worked with orchestras again.
György Cziffra passed away at the age of 72, suffering from lung cancer and a heart attack.
