István Lantos is one of the most distinctive figures of the generation of performing artists who emerged in the 1970s. He became known not only as a pianist and chamber musician but also as an organist with exceptional improvisational ability. Over the course of his career, he also earned renown as a dedicated and inspiring pedagogue.
István Lantos was born on 10 July 1949 in Budapest. His commitment to music seemed almost predestined, as he was already playing the organ of the Bosnyák Square church at the age of four. His artistry and personal charisma immediately won him the affection and admiration of his surroundings. Although the organ was his first instrument, the piano soon became equally important to him.
Between 1964 and 1968, the young Lantos studied at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music in Budapest. His piano teacher was Erzsébet Tusa (1928–2017), the wife of the distinguished musicologist Ernő Lendvai. Their teacher–student relationship was reportedly a close one and later evolved into a fruitful professional collaboration, culminating in their recording of the lesser-known Liszt four-hand works. At the same school, Lantos also studied organ under Ferenc Gergely (1914–1998).
After graduating from secondary school, in 1968 he was admitted to the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, where he received his diploma as a concert pianist in 1972 under Péter Solymos (1910–2000), thus becoming, in a sense, the “musical grandson” of Ernő Dohnányi (Solymos had attended Dohnányi’s master class between 1932 and 1934). Lantos developed a close personal bond with his teacher at the Academy as well. In December 1980, together with Mária Albert and Pál Kadosa, he paid tribute to Solymos on his teaching jubilee in the journal Muzsika and later delivered one of the farewell speeches at his mentor’s funeral.
Lantos achieved his first major success as a pianist in 1969, when he appeared as soloist in Béla Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (BB 127) at the Festival Junger Künstler Bayreuth (International Youth Festival in Bayreuth). He returned the following year, in 1970, performing Olivier Messiaen’s Piano Concerto under the baton of one of the foremost figures of contemporary music, Pierre Boulez (1925–2016).
After obtaining his diploma, he was immediately appointed soloist of the National Philharmonic (Országos Filharmónia), a position he held until 1992, when this form of contract was discontinued. From 1972 onwards, alongside his domestic concert appearances, he toured regularly abroad with the State Concert Orchestra (Állami Hangversenyzenekar) – in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands – under János Ferencsik until the conductor’s death in 1984. His first American tour took place in 1972, followed by his first Japanese tour in 1976.
Lantos’s discography – all released by Hungaroton – is dominated by recordings of Liszt’s works, several of which were premiere recordings. He also recorded compositions by Haydn, Schubert, and Dohnányi, and as a chamber musician, works by Brahms and Bottesini. He further participated in recordings of works by contemporary Hungarian composers such as Durkó, Szelényi, and Geszler. In the 1981 Bartók Centenary series, he appeared as piano accompanist in a collection of Bartók songs.
The fact that István Lantos’s solo career did not bring even greater public success can be partly attributed to the circumstance that his generation was somewhat overshadowed when a slightly younger group of pianists trained by Pál Kadosa – Dezső Ránki (1951–), Zoltán Kocsis (1952–2016), Jenő Jandó (1952–2023), and András Schiff (1953–) – came into the spotlight. Nevertheless, Lantos’s career reached full maturity, as evidenced by his many awards and distinctions: he received the Liszt Prize in 1976, the Cziffra Foundation Award in 1991, and the Bartók–Pásztory Prize in 1992. In 1998 he was received the Artist of Merit prize, and in 2001 he received the Andor Földes Memorial Medal. His artistic achievements were further recognized with the title of Artist of Excellence of Hungary in 2016. Both the Hungarian Radio and the National Philharmonic honoured him several times with quality awards.
István Lantos began his teaching career in October 1973, initially substituting for his professor who was then teaching abroad, but he soon started to teach independently. On 1 January 1984 he was appointed head of department, and in 1993 he became a full professor.
From October 1986 to July 1989 he taught in Japan – following in his former master’s footsteps – at the Kyoiku University of Education in Sapporo. There, in addition to being professor of piano, he also led seminars in music history and analysis, focusing on topics such as Haydn, Schubert, and Parsifal. His connection with the Far Eastern university did not end after his three years of intensive work: from the 1990s onwards he has regularly returned to Japan as a visiting professor four times a year, giving concerts and lectures. Among his distinguished students are Márta Gulyás, Petra Somlai, and Fülöp Ránki, among others.
Lantos István belongs to those musicians who see performance and pedagogy as inseparable, mutually enriching callings. He integrates the experiences gained from his concert tours and radio recordings into his teaching, while applying the insights of teaching and learning to his performing practice.
In March 1994, Lantos applied for the position of Rector of the Liszt Academy. In his programme statement he emphasized the importance of restoring human relations and expressed his belief that “every problem can be solved if relationships are in order and values and energies do not cancel each other out but instead mutually reinforce one another.” He served as Rector from 1994 to 1997, a politically and educationally turbulent period. During his tenure, the university’s PhD programme in musicology was launched, and preparations began for the Doctor of Liberal Arts (DLA) programme. After stepping down, he returned to head the Piano Department and the Master’s Training Programme, positions he held until 2004.
Lantos regularly gives masterclasses abroad (in Italy, Denmark, Finland, and Japan) and often serves on juries at national and international piano competitions, such as the National Piano Competition for Music Teachers in Szekszárd.
In addition to all these achievements, Lantos has also engaged in conducting and composition, though his natural modesty has kept these aspects of his work largely out of the limelight.
He has also been active in artistic and scholarly circles. In 1994 he became President of the Liszt Ferenc Society, a position he held until 2012, when he was named Honorary President for life. That same year, he was elected a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. His inaugural lecture bore the title Improvisation during the Performance of Classical Music.
[2015]