Péter Tornyai was born in 1987. He gradu
ated from the Liszt Academy of Music in Buda
pest in 2012, studying composition (under
Zoltán Jeney), violin, and chamber music.
From 2012 until 2013, he was a student at the
Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, Italy. In
2021, he completed his doctoral (DLA) degree
at the Liszt Academy of Music, where he now
teaches composition, orchestration, analysis,
and contemporary music studies; in 2015,
he was mentored by Péter Eötvös. As both a
violinist and violist he often plays classical and
contemporary music with chamber ensembles
such as THReNSeMBle, the Ludium Ensemble (specializes in Kurtág’s
music), the Dohnányi Quartet, the Classicus Ensemble (Artist in Residence of
Central European University), and the Classicus Quartet, UMZE. Since 2013,
he has held the role of artistic director of the Anima Musicae Contemporary
Music Workshop. He is a founding member of CentriFUGA Contemporary
Music Group as well as the Hermina Artist Collective. He has won numerous
competitions, including the New Hungarian Music Forum (2011, 2013, 2017);
the Wiener Konzerthaus’s Composing Competition “Towards the Next 100
Years” (2012); the Gerhardus Prize (2011); the Junior Prima Prize (2016), and
the Artisjus Prize (2017). His pieces have been performed by such ensembles as
the JACK Quartet, the Stadler Quartet, the Asasello Quartett, the Benyounes
Quartet, the Kelemen Quartet, UMZE, the Hungarian National Philharmonic,
the Hungarian Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Concerto Budapest, the
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Wiener Kammerorchester, the
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz, as well as across Europe, the United
States, and New Zealand.
CONCERTOS
Hollán-fák/Arbres de Hollan (2011), vlc., symph. orch. SR: comp. hp.
Monochrome – Concerto (be)for(e) piano (2013), pno., symph. orch.
SR: comp. hp.
ORCHESTRAL WORKS
Ach Gott und Herr (2011), str. orch. SR: comp. hp.
szinfonal (2012), symph. orch.
Diaphonia (2015), str. orch., 2 conductors
Sospiro congelato (2015), symph. orch.
Chorus Sturnorum (2017), symph. orch.
für den Alten Fritz (2018), str. orch.
Contrapunctus, No. 5 (= Intermezzo) (2018), symph. orch. Pub: UMP EMB
Kunst oder Fügung (2020), symph. orch. Pub: UMP EMB
Contrapunctus a 25000 punti – Hommage à Károly Keserü (2020), symph. orch.
Pub: UMP EMB
AbsCHied – Adagio (2020), symph. orch. Pub: UMP EMB
ENSEMBLE
…langue de la pleine lune (2008), A fl., cl., bs., vla., vlc., 2 pno. SR: comp. hp.
Abfall-Musik (2009), fl., cl., rec., vl./vla., vlc., perc., pno., live electronics
SR: comp. hp.
QuatreQuatuors (2010), ens. Pub: UMP EMB
Fukla Hegozovi/Flucla Vivipivi (2010), fl., cl., vl., vlc., pno., vibr.
Cordes à vide (2013), vl., ens.
For the Public (2013), concert-audience (min. 30 people)
Canzone 75-80 (2015), ens.
Sprechgesang (2015), fl., B cl., vl., vlc., pno., perc.
Studi dal vero (2016), 12 vl.
trasparente – In memoriam K. K. (2017), 5–100 players, glasses, water
6:3 Overture (2018), ens.
k.lang homage (2018), gamelan ens.
Ferne (2019), pno., str. trio, 2 perc.
New Anamorphoses (2019), fl., ob., cl., vl., vla., vlc., pno., perc. Pub: UMP EMB
Symphonies of Strings (2020), str. ens.
csak hallomásból – For Barnabás Dukay (2020), str. ens.
Simone Weil-Meditations (2021), undefined ens.
CHAMBER WORKS
Bonsai-Sonata (a) (2007), vl., pno. SR: comp. hp.
Bonsai-Sonata (b) (2010), vlc., pno. SR: comp. hp.
Fl-ores (2007), 4 fl.
Improvisations in Tetrahedron (2007), vl./vla., cl./B cl., pno./harps.
Twins (2008), 2 cl.
(be)for(e) piano (2009), fl., cl., vl., vla., pno./triangle
(be)for(e) piano – Greeting to John Cage (2012), melodica, vl., vlc., acc.,
voice, pno./triangle
Le Folie (2009), cl./ob., cimb./pno. SR: comp. hp.
…upon the last words of J. H. (2010), str. quartet SR: comp. hp.
doubleaf (2010), str. quartet SR: comp. hp.
Streichquintett (2010, rev. 2013), 2 vl., vla., 2 vlc. SR: comp. hp.
dialoghi…pezzi…con ombre (2010), vl., vlc., pno. 4 hands SR: comp. hp.
Sitio (2011), str. quartet
antik-rom (2011), hn., vlc., pno.
Two Gamba-Sonatas (2011), viola da gamba, guitar, vlc., pno.
Lisztharmatos elégia/Elegy (2011), vlc., harp, pno., harmonium
Three Pieces for String Quartet (2011, rev. 2013)
Violin Duos (2011)
MOON-ZOOM (2011), str. quartet
da camera (2012, rev. 2014), fl., trb., guitar
glass-metamorphosis (2013), prep. pno., 3 assistants
Ten Hungarian Folk Songs (b) (2013), 10 guitars SR: comp. hp.
Quinette.zip (2014), 2 vl., 2 vla., vlc.
…zu jenen Höh’n (2014), vl., vla., vlc.
a Monument of Preconception (2014), cl., vl., pno.
Note-Turnes II. (2015), 2 fl.
Narcissus – Scene and Still Life (2015), A sax., harp
Miniature in Two Frames (2015), vlc., music box
Chaconne in Tempus Perfectum (2015), vl., vla., vlc.
Tafelmusik (2015), 2 vlc., cimb.
Can(z)oni dell’infinito (2015), fl., cl., vl., vlc., pno.
Silence of Stalactites (2016), mar., pno., lights
(smoke signals) (2016), 3 fl.
fiori sfiorati (b) (2016), vlc., cl., perc.
Ricercar – a3 (2017), vl., vla., vlc.
Sisyphus Violin (2017), vla., vlc., tape
Vier Wiegenlieder Gleichzeitig (2017, rev. 2018), 4 fl.
Quant(z)um-duo (2017), rec., fl.
Einstimmung (2018), 4 pno. (detuned)
Ede Variations (2018), vl., pno.
Ferne (2018), pno., vl., vla., vlc.
Fritz und Franz (2018), str. quartet
Versteckspiel mit Franz (2018), str. quartet, timp.
l’alone del silenzio (2018), pno., vl., vlc.
Two Little Canons for Greetings (2018), vl., pno.
Prelude Without Borders (2019), vl., org.
Weitere intime Briefe (2019), str. quartet Pub: UMP EMB
Impronte (Piano Trio, No. Last-But-One) (2019), vl., vlc., pno.
FuGA (2019), 3 vlc.
Iniciálék – Six Bagatelles (2020), str. quartet
Interludes anachroniques (2020), 3 viola da gambas
Canon for Baptism (2020), str. quartet
Transkripte (2020), 2 pno.
Sequenza infinita (2020), 2 cl.
Fosforesque Flute (2021), vla., harp, acc.
Wohltemperierte Zeit – Zwei polyrhythmische Studien für String Quartet
(2021)
VOCAL WORKS
Introitus and Canon (a) (2007), S, A fl., guitar, marimbaphone, bongos
Lib: Sándor Weöres
Introitus and Canon(b) (2013), S, cl., guitar, vla., bongos Lib: Sándor Weöres
Corodiatonicos (2008), S, A, T, B, 2 fl., 2 cl./B cl., sax., perc. Lib: Euripides
…about time (2008), female voice, vlc., guitar, tape Lib: Faulkner, Wheeler,
Thoreau SR: comp. hp.
Hälfte des Lebens (2010), S, vl., ens. Lib: Friedrich Hölderlin
Hölderlin-Translations (2012), 8 singers Lib: Friedrich Hölderlin SR: comp. hp.
Lectiones (2012), 4 singers, 2 SATB, children’s chr., symph. orch. Lib: Biblical
[sic?] transit (2013), female voice, vlc., guitar, live electronics Lib: Gabriel
García Marquez
Cantata di Narciso (2014), 2 speakers, fl., bs., vla., db., pno. Lib: Ovid
SR: comp. hp.
Oft denk’ ich… (2014), T Lib: Friedrich Rückert
the rest is silence (2015), S Lib: György Petri
Psalm-Canons (2016), SATB Lib: Molnár Szenczi Albert, Márton Luther
Anamorphoses (2016), T, vlc., harps., pno. Lib: William Shakespeare
Dixit (2017), A, T, male chr., vlc., perc. Lib: Biblical
Luminaria (2017), chr., vlc. Lib: Biblical
Buborék-szonett/Bubble Sonnet (2017), voice, vla./vl./cl./fl. Lib: Ottó Orbán
Unison (2018), 4 voices, perc. Lib: Composer
Amphion and Zethus (2018), voice, chr., cimb. Lib: Euripides
Aus seinen Schriften (2018), B
Esti kérdés/An Evening Question (chanson trouvée) (2019), voice
Lib: Mihály Babits
Hymne à la nuit (2020), voice, pno. Lib: P. Llouys
Sequenze (2020), voice, sax., harp Lib: Thomas Celanus
SOLO WORKS
Sonata for Solo Violin (2005)
Tumtuobbi ilperu (2008, rev. 2009), fl.
Message (2010), undefined instr.
In a Nearly Desert Island (Island of Bali?) (2011), rec. SR: comp. hp.
solitary hallucinations (2011), vla.
eine Minute (2011), vlc.
lines in trapezium (2012), cimb. SR: comp. hp.
Four Morpheus-Fragments (2013), vl., tape SR: comp. hp.
Quant(z)um (2013), A fl./fl.
Hommage à Aesopus (2013), A rec.
Triton – Hommage à G. L. Bernini (2013), duduks SR: comp. hp.
Narcissus or Echo (2014), vlc., video
Note-Turnes – Five Nocturnes (2014), fl. SR: comp. hp.
Fantasie per (tre) tastiere (2014), clavichord/other keyboard instr.
…voraus gegangen… (2014), cimb./pno.
Unicorn (2014), hn.
Viginti spiritus (2016), tr.
fiori sfiorati (2016), vlc.
Voilà for Viola (2016)
Gleitende Glocken (2017), pno., tape
subito piano (2018–2019), pno., tape
Esti kérdés/An Evening Question (2019), db., tape
Triptychon nach Schubert (2019), cl.
Berceuse sans touche (2020), guitar
come l’acqua dal robinetto (2020), cimb.
talán-lom (2021), vl.
ELECTROACOUSTIC WORKS, INSTALLATIONS
Prelüd (2009), tape
Ten Hungarian Folk Songs (a) (2009), MIDI-pno.
Fractal-Duo – Live Electronics (2009)
Sibelius-Variations (2010), MIDI-pno.
Ricercari dello spazio/Ricercars of the Space (2013), tape
Urban Crickets – Installation (2015), 6 music boxes
Constellations – Hommage à Dukay (2016), 2 music boxes, lights
Still Life (Contrapunctus) (2016), 12 tuned metal boxes, water
Wireless – Music for Animated Film by Szandra Pataki (2016), tape
Bartók bogárgyűjteménye/Bartók’s Bug Collection (2016), 20-track installation
Helix – Music for Animated Film by K. Papp Kása (2017), tape
PEDAGOGICAL WORKS
2 Studies on Music History (2012), vl., pno.
little pieces for recorders (2011–2012), rec. Pub: UMP EMB
January (2014), children’s chr., pno.
