Life Path
Early Musical Years
Gábor Boldoczki was born on 16 September 1976 in Szeged. His exceptional talent was evident from a young age: in 1990, when he was fourteen, he won first prize at the national Imre Lubik Trumpet Competition in Zalaegerszeg, having previously laid the foundations for this achievement with a second-place finish three years earlier.
Musical Studies
Gábor Boldoczki’s father, Sándor Boldoczki, is one of Hungary’s most renowned brass instructors. He was born in 1944 in Kiskőrös. In 1962, despite his aspirations to pursue a career as a trumpeter, financial circumstances led him to obtain a vocational qualification in shoe upper making. He was finally able to follow his original plans in 1972, completing his studies at the Secondary School of Music in Szeged. In 1975, he earned his music teacher and primary school singing instructor degrees in Szeged as well. He taught music in Kiskunmajsa until 1981, after which he continued his career in Kiskőrös. From 1993, he served as the head teacher of the Kiskőrös Music School for five years. He retired in 2004, but remained active. Although his son is the most prominent Hungarian trumpeter, many of his other students also play or teach in prestigious ensembles both in Hungary and abroad.
Gábor Boldoczki began his musical studies at the State Music School in Kiskőrös under the guidance of his father. He later continued his training at the Leó Weiner Secondary School of Music with trumpeter András Kis as his teacher. In 1993, he won first prize at the Brass and Percussion Competition for Secondary Music Schools in Miskolc. He completed his studies at the Liszt Academy as a student of trumpeter Zoltán Szűcs, and subsequently refined his artistry at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe in the class of Professor Reinhold Friedrich.
In 2010, he obtained his DLA degree at the Liszt Academy with his dissertation “Methods of Trumpet Application in the Symphonic Poems of Richard Strauss”, which he defended with summa cum laude honours. That same year he began teaching at the academy, where in 2020 he was appointed professor and became head of the brass department.
The Beginning of His Career
His international career began in 1996, when he won third prize at the Geneva International Trumpet Competition and second prize at the competition in Porcia. The breakthrough came in 1997, when within a single year he achieved outstanding results in three major international competitions: he won second prize at the Prague Spring International Music Competition (no first prize was awarded), third prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich (neither first nor second prize was awarded), and first prize at the Maurice André International Trumpet Competition in Paris.
Maurice André’s recognition was particularly remarkable. The famous trumpeter had often been asked who the best trumpeter was. He would reply that Maurice André comes first, and there is no second or third place. He stood by this opinion—until he heard Gábor Boldoczki play. At the trumpet competition, André himself introduced the Hungarian artist with the words: “You are about to hear the Tomasi Concerto played the way I have always wished to perform it in my life.”
In 1997, Boldoczki achieved further successes: he won first prize at the National Trumpet Competition in Pilisvörösvár and at the Yamaha Music Competition, and in 1999 he triumphed again at the International Trumpet Competition in Pilisvörösvár. Salzburger Nachrichten praised his playing as follows: “Effortless articulation, maximum flexibility, extraordinarily secure technique, colouratura playing… a first-rate soloist who ennobles every work.” Süddeutsche Zeitung also described him as a “worthy successor to Maurice André”.
International Success and Recognition
His artistic achievements have been acknowledged with numerous awards: in 2008 he received the Junior Prima Award, in 2013 the Liszt Ferenc Prize, and in 2014 the Hungarian Academy of Arts honoured him with the “Musician of the Year” award. In 2018 he was named among the “50 Faces of Culture”, in 2019 he was awarded the Bartók–Pásztory Prize and was made an honorary citizen of Buda Castle District. In the 2022/23 concert season he was selected as Müpa’s “Artist of the Season”, and in 2023 he was elected a member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. The ARTE television channel broadcast a documentary about him, featuring musical excerpts performed by the Austro–Hungarian Haydn Orchestra under the baton of Ádám Fischer, recalling two of their joint concerts from the Eszterházy Palace and the Graz Musikverein.
Fame, of course, brought its share of criticism as well. Although he was never the target of unfair attacks, he did find himself the subject of some witty teasing. In his review of 7 August 2004, Miklós Fáy wrote: “The breakthrough comes with Gábor Boldoczki, though the situation remains somewhat complicated. On the one hand, one must know that the twenty-eight-year-old trumpeter is more or less a global star: his recordings are released by Sony, and his name and face are familiar to those who listen to classical music around the world. He plays well, he’s pleasant to look at, he represents a new generation; among the gentlemen in tails he dresses more like an Italian footballer appearing on television—dark blue long coat, splendid tie. The whole phenomenon is fresh, charming, and amusing, the way he moves to the music, and to make it easier to ‘place’ who we’re hearing, someone inevitably comes up with the idea that Gábor Boldoczki is the new Maurice André. […] Boldoczki is Boldoczki—and that really means something.”
The trumpeter does not respond to either praise or criticism. Together with his manager, he prepares thoroughly for every public appearance and offers only professional, music-focused answers. Most press reviews highlight his refinement and musicianship, as in Márton Devich’s article from 6 February 2019 about his joint recital with László Fassang: “It was the beginning of the second half of the concert that impressed me the most. As the organ improvisation drifted seamlessly into Fauré’s popular piece Après un rêve, Boldoczki’s delicate, velvety trumpet line enchanted the audience, and with another improvised transition Enescu’s beautiful Légende emerged. […] The evening was crowned by Handel’s festive Suite in D major for trumpet and orchestra, performed with glorious brilliance.”
Repertoire and Instruments
His repertoire is exceptionally wide, ranging from the works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759), Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767), Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741), Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) and Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837) through to contemporary music. He performs on B&S and Scherzer instruments.
Collaborations
Orchestras and Chamber Ensembles
A defining moment in his international career came with his 2004 debut at the Vienna Musikverein: one week before the concert, Maurice André had to cancel due to illness, and the organisers invited Boldoczki to step in. Although the challenge was considerable—the expensive tickets had all been sold under André’s (1933–2012) name—the performance was a great success. That same year he made history by becoming the first trumpet soloist to appear at the Salzburg Festival.
A particularly special experience for him was his collaboration with the ensemble I Musici di Roma, with whom he recorded Italian baroque, classical and romantic concertos. He still recalls the first rehearsal vividly, when he presented his ideas on Vivaldi’s music to the distinguished ensemble. Later he developed an equally fruitful partnership with Cappella Gabetta—together they made the album Tromba Veneziana, on which he played a modern valve trumpet accompanied by the ensemble on period instruments. At the time, this was regarded as a pioneering initiative.
He performs regularly in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Vienna Musikverein, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonie and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
During his university years, and for a short period afterwards, he was a member of the Hungarian Brass Quintet (together with Csaba Nagy – trumpet, Zoltán Holb – horn, István Péter Farkas – trombone, and József Bazsinka – tuba), with whom he performed at numerous concerts and made recordings. Once his solo career took off, he could no longer accommodate the ensemble’s engagements, but he has continued to teach chamber music to his students ever since.
Among Hungarian musicians, he maintains an especially close professional friendship with Gergő Bogányi, with whom he performed regularly in Germany for ten years (including frequent performances of Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto for piano and trumpet). He has also collaborated with distinguished artists such as pianist János Balázs and violinist Kristóf Baráti, with whom he has also recorded.
Contemporary Composers
He plays a prominent role in the field of contemporary music. The story behind Krzysztof Penderecki’s (1933–2020) last concerto is quite remarkable: he had to wait eight years for the composer’s trumpet concerto. Their relationship began when Penderecki wrote three cadenzas for the Handel concerto. Boldoczki wished to present these to the composer in person before the first rehearsal. It was then that the idea of a trumpet concerto emerged—but two months before the scheduled premiere, the work was still unfinished. Boldoczki travelled to Poland to visit the maestro and demonstrate the possibilities of the trumpet. Although Penderecki said only that “the sketches are in my head”, during lunch he called his publisher and committed himself to writing the piece. The work—which became Penderecki’s final concerto—was completed in time for the premiere.
Among Hungarian composers, he premiered Sándor Balassa’s Zene trombitára és zenekarra (lit. Music for Trumpet and Orchestra) in 2018 with the Hungarian National Philharmonic. He also gave the world premieres of all three of László Dubrovay’s trumpet concertos: he performed the Third Trumpet Concerto in Rostock in 2010, the Concerto trombitára és ütőhangszerekre (lit. Concerto for Trumpet and Percussion) later that same year at the Mecklenburg Festival (its Hungarian premiere took place in 2023), and the Second Trumpet Concerto in Brussels in 2011. Kristóf Csengery wrote the following about his Dubrovay premiere: “Gábor Boldoczki is regarded by connoisseurs as one of the finest trumpeters of our time, and hearing him play, one hardly doubts this judgement. This time he performed two works: a contemporary composition to close the first half, and after the interval a 19th-century bravura piece. László Dubrovay’s Third Trumpet Concerto was written at Boldoczki’s request and is dedicated to him. The world premiere took place in August 2010 at the Mecklenburg Festival, with the dedicatee as soloist. […] The piece concludes with an astonishingly virtuosic fast section—music whose character, on first hearing, led me to write down in my notebook the nickname ‘Dubrovay’s Bumblebee’. Boldoczki interpreted this highly effective and wonderfully idiomatic concerto with a level of technical assurance that seems to know no limits, playing with ease and flair—and, not least, with unfailing sensitivity to the character of the music.”
In recent years he has continued to premiere numerous new works: in 2021 he presented Péter Wolf’s Trumpet Concerto at the Budapest Music Center; in 2022 Miklós Malek’s Second Trumpet Concerto at the Pesti Vigadó; and Judit Varga’s Bending Space and Time at Müpa Budapest. In 2023 he gave five world premieres: Péter Eötvös’s ECHO for trumpet and organ in Cologne; Benjámin Eredics’s Lépések trombitára, ütőhangszerekre és vonósokra (lit. Steps for trumpet, percussion and strings) in Budapest; Ryu Jeajoon’s Trumpet Concerto in Seoul; Fazıl Say’s double-trumpet concerto in Budapest; and Nina Šenk’s Perspectives, also in the Hungarian capital.
Discography
His discography began in 2002 with the album Glanz der Trompete, released by Sony Classical, for which he won the Echo Klassik Award in the “New Artist of the Year” category. The recording was made with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra. It was while assembling this first album that he established his own guiding principle for the content of each recording. Every CD is preceded by a long period of planning to ensure that each release has a distinct thematic concept. On his debut album, Glanz der Trompete, he showcased the versatility of the trumpet through a colourful and varied programme.
In 2004 he recorded works by Haydn, Mozart and Hummel with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra; in 2005 he recorded Italian concertos with I Musici; and in 2006 works by Handel and Telemann with Sinfonia Varsovia. His 2007 album Gloria featured Hedwig Bilgram and László Fenyő. In 2010 his Bach album with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra earned him another Echo Klassik Award, this time in the “Instrumentalist of the Year” category.
In 2013 he released Tromba Veneziana, recorded with Cappella Gabetta—an ensemble playing on instruments of the period—featuring works by Vivaldi. The German magazine Fono Forum praised the album: “Boldoczki’s virtuosity is compelling in the brilliant fast movements, counterbalanced by his soft cantilenas in the slow ones.” In 2014 he recorded Festliche Trompetenkonzerte with Sinfonia Varsovia and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra.
His 2016 album Oriental Trumpet Concertos received two major distinctions in 2017: the ICMA Award in the contemporary music category and his third Echo Klassik Award in the “Instrumentalist of the Year” category. That same year he released Bohemian Rhapsody with the Prague Philharmonia. Writing about this album in Gramofon (2018/1), Ilona Kovács noted: “Our world-famous trumpeter, Boldoczki, has expanded his already impressive discography with a CD honouring the musicians of Bohemia. […] Each of the four concertos on the disc is an arrangement: Johann Baptist Georg Neruda originally conceived his for the hunting horn; Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf and Johann Nepomuk Hummel for oboe; and Johann Baptist Vanhal for double bass. The arrangements are by Soma Dinyés. I must say: if these composers could hear Boldoczki’s interpretations, they would not protest against the arrangements—in fact, they might wonder why the trumpet (or, in the case of the Vanhal concerto, the mellower-toned flugelhorn) had not occurred to them when they set about composing their works. […] Boldoczki’s interpretations make a convincing case that, alongside the three giants of Viennese Classicism, posterity has not judged these musicians’ works fairly.”
His 2020 album Versailles, recorded with Cappella Gabetta, included a remarkable discovery: an oboe concerto that had lain in the Versailles library for 300 years, performed alongside works by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) and François Couperin (1668–1733).
Colleagues and the New Generation
He considers Hungary’s brass tradition to be world-class, a standard he attributes above all to the country’s music school system and the outstanding work of its teachers. He regards it as particularly important that, in Hungary, music schools offer two instrumental lessons per week—unlike the prevailing international practice. At the Liszt Academy he currently teaches alongside colleagues of his own generation, including Szabolcs Zempléni and Roland Szentpáli, continuing the institution’s long-standing tradition of selecting from among the very best applicants.
Musical Credo and Pedagogical Principles
In his artistic credo, he follows the spirit of Ludwig van Beethoven. He believes that “Music is the only immaterial gateway to a world higher than knowledge, a world that surrounds a person without ever seizing them… What the mind receives through the senses is the embodied revelation of the spirit.” (Excerpt from the message he wrote in the Aranykönyv (lit. Golden Book) of Buda Castle, 2019.)
For Gábor Boldoczki, playing the trumpet is a way of life, requiring the same disciplined preparation as that of a professional athlete. His daily practice follows a carefully planned programme that takes into account both muscular workload and the necessary periods of rest. A central element of his artistic philosophy is the imitation of the human voice on his instrument. His aim is to reveal not only the trumpet’s natural, ceremonial brilliance, but also its versatility—its softer, more lyrical, vocal qualities.
The artist’s preparation is based on a unique methodology. He begins his instrumental practice with singing: he first learns each melody vocally, and only then transfers it to the instrument. To monitor his technical development, he regularly makes audio recordings of his practice sessions and analyses them afterwards. This time-consuming yet highly effective approach allows him to evaluate himself from an external perspective. In preparing for concerts, he also includes rehearsals with piano accompaniment. Consultations with the pianist Ferenc Rados form an important part of his professional development.
His approach to competition psychology and preparation is truly unique. He never concerned himself with the competitive setting, treating every appearance simply as a concert and paying no attention to the performances of the other competitors. He practises with the discipline of a professional athlete: “It’s like running a 100-metre sprint, but if I play several pieces in a concert, then it’s closer to a 1,000-metre race.” During his studies in Karlsruhe, at a moment of personal difficulty, he encountered Iyengar yoga, which has since helped him maintain his physical and mental balance—interestingly, one of the most famous students of this method was violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
He has been teaching at the Liszt Academy since 2010. In his pedagogical work, he prepares his students for all paths—teaching, orchestral auditions and the life of a soloist—but always emphasises that the final decision about their direction must be their own. The feedback he values most is not prizes or accolades, but the audience’s response: the shining eyes and grateful expressions he sees after a concert.
He believes that performers should not demonstrate their own technical skills, but should convey their thoughts and feelings to the audience through the music. This principle also guides him when creating or choosing arrangements for his repertoire—whether they are originally violin, flute, or cello concertos. He designs his concert programmes and recordings with the conviction that every piece of music should possess its own significance, yet at the same time offer listeners a sense of refreshment and renewal. In his view, the term “komolyzene” (“classical music”, literally meaning “serious music” in Hungarian) is misleading, since music—although it can be profound—is fundamentally diverse, and humor and playfulness are also an integral part of it.
[2024]