Judit Varga is a Vienna-based composer, film
composer, pianist, and university professor. Her
compositions combine classical music tradi
tions with the most up-to-date experimental
trends. Her works are performed in such
prestigious festivals and concert halls, as: the
Wien Modern, the Hungarian State Opera, Cité
de la musique Paris, the Juilliard School, Elb
philharmonie Hamburg, the Budapest Autumn
Festival, the Mini Festival, Konzerthaus and
Musikverein Wien, Muffathalle München, and
at Warsaw Autumn. She works with leading
orchestras and ensembles around the world,
including: the Ensemble Modern, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna
Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Ensemble Kontrapunkte, and the Riot
Ensemble London. She has been awarded 1st Prize at numerous prestigious
international piano and composition competitions. She is a three-time
recipient of the Zoltán Kodály Scholarship (2002, 2003, and 2006) as well as a
two-time recipient of the Tokyo Foundation Scholarship (2001 and 2004). In
recognition of her outstanding artistic performances, she has twice received
the Creative Award from the Austrian Education and Training Ministry (in
2011 and 2014), as well as in 2012 from the city of Vienna. In 2017, she received
the Bartók–Pásztory Award for her contribution to Hungarian contemporary
musical and cultural life and in 2018 received the prestigious Erkel Prize.
In 2016, her opera, Love, won the Hungarian State Opera’s Composers’
Competition, premiering with huge success. In 2019, she was awarded the
TONALi19 Composers’ Prize for her solo piano piece, Pendulum, which was
presented at the Elbphilharmonie in the same year. She has written more than
30 works for theater performances and films. In 2013, 2014, and 2020, she was
an Austrian Academy of Films nominee in the category of “Best Soundtrack”.
In 2014, she won an award for her music composed for the film: Deine Schönheit
ist nichts Wert. From 2013 until 2019, she taught composition and applied
composition at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Simultaneously,
she has also been a lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts
in Vienna where she was appointed professor of composition and media
composition in 2019. In March of 2021, she became the institution’s head of
composition, electroacoustics, and tonmeister education.
OPERAS
Love (2016), solo voices, 2 speakers, SATB, symph. orch. Lib: Composer
(after Tibor Déry, Károly Makk, Péter Bacsó) SR: comp. hp.
ORCHESTRAL WORKS
Piano Concerto, No. 2 – Quasi una cadenza (2004–2005), pno., symph. orch.
Le Temps retrouvé (2008), symph. orch. SR: BMC CD S05
Concerto Imaginario – Piano Concerto for an Imaginary Pianist (2011),
stereo tape (pno. solo), symph. orch. SR: BMC PCD 28
…alles Fleisch… – In memoriam Zoltán Gyöngyössy (2012), symph. orch.
Pub: Universal Edition
Urlicht (2015), A, symph. orch. SR: comp. hp.
Black and White – Kinetic Loop for String Orchestra (2018) Pub: Universal
Edition
Mosar II (2019), str. orch. Pub: Editions Bim
Happy Birthday, Major Ludwig! – Kinetic Music for Orchestra (2019), symph.
orch. Pub: Editions Bim
Around Roundabout – For Large Orchestra (2020), symph. orch.
Pub: Universal Edition
Landslide (2021), symph. orch.
CHAMBER WORKS
In memoriam J.V. (2005), ens. Pub: Universal Edition SR: comp. hp.
Entitas (2012), ens. Pub: Universal Edition SR: comp. hp.
Dietro la musica (2013), fl., cl., vl., vla., vlc., pno. SR: comp. hp.
Mosar (2017), vl., vla., vlc. Pub: Editions Bim
Puzzle (Black Hole Edition) (2018), 6 trb., 2 B trb. Pub: Universal Edition
Escapex2 (2019), vlc., pno.
Ombres densément tissées – String Quartet, No. 3 (2019) Pub: Universal
Edition
Anamorphoses 02 (2019), cl., vlc., pno. Pub: Universal Edition
Tiny Little People, Big Big Feelings (2019), vl., vla., vlc., pno.
Variazioni con Tema (1. Beethoven is Fading Away; 2. Beethoven is Angry;
3. Beethoven is Dead) (2020), ens. Pub: Universal Edition
Blumenstück (2020), vl., vlc., pno. Pub: Universal Edition
Fenster – Zwölf wundersame Welten im Lockdown (2020), cl., vlc., pno.
Pub: Universal Edition
VOCAL WORKS
Pocket Requiem (2017), SATB Pub: Kontrapunkt
A Wreath (2018), SATB Lib: George Herbert Pub: UMP EMB
The Night (2018), SATB Lib: Hermann von Gilm zu Rosenegg
Pub: Kontrapunkt
#perspektiven:los (2019), S, fl., vlc., guitar Lib: Renate Aichiger
Pub: Universal Edition
SOLO WORKS
Barcarole pour Frédéric et George (2010), pno. Pub: Universal Edition
SR: comp. hp.
13 Lieder for Bass Clarinet and Live Electronics (2005) Pub: Universal Edition
SR: comp. hp.
Pendulum (2019), pno. Pub: Edition Sikorski
The Silly President for a Speaking Percussionist (2021) Pub: Universal
Edition
FILM MUSIC
Deine Schönheit ist nichts Wert/Your Beauty is Worth Nothing (2012)
Dir: Hüseyin Tabak SR: comp. hp.
Mr West – Unterhaltsame E-Musik zu: “Die seltsamen Abenteuer des
Mr. West im Land der Bolschewiki” von Lev Kulešov, 1924 – Silent Movie
(2016) Dir: Lev Kulešov
Gypsy Queen (2019) Dir: Hüseyin Tabak
