Marta Hidy

Marta Hidy

Marta (Iren) Hidy. Violinist, teacher, conductor, b Budapest 11 Jan 1927, naturalized Canadian 1963, d Hamilton 4 Nov 2010; Performance Diploma (Franz Liszt Academy) 1946, honorary FRHCM 1978. She studied 1935-46 with Ferenc Gabriel and Ede Zathureczky (violin), Leo Weiner (chamber music), and Zoltán Kodály (folklore) at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and in 1943 won the Reményi Competition for the academy's outstanding violin student. She subsequently played 1946-51 in the Hungarian Radio SO, led a prize-winning string quartet in the 1950 Prague International Chamber Music Competition, was a winner in the 1952 International Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poland, and was a Hungarian State Soloist 1953-7, during which time she appeared with orchestras in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Rumania.

Hidy emigrated to Canada in 1957, settling in Winnipeg, where she established the Hidy String Quartet and served 1957-65 as concertmaster of the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra and assistant concertmaster of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The quartet languished when, with its cellist Klara Benjamin Belkin and the pianist Chester Duncan, she formed the Hidy Trio (1961-8). The latter produced the recording Music at the Canadian Pavilion (1967, CBC Expo 24). She left Winnipeg to serve 1964-74 as concertmaster and 1969-74 as assistant conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. She began teaching violin and chamber music at McMaster University in 1965, and continued there in 1991. She also served 1967-77 as artistic director of the Philharmonic Children's School. In 1973, with Arthur Ozolins and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, she formed the Hidy-Ozolins-Tsutsumi Trio, which has performed throughout Ontario and on the CBC. In 1974 with 11 strings (from the Hamilton Philharmonic) and harpsichord she formed the Ensemble Sir Ernest MacMillan. The latter was inactive during Hidy's term as the conductor of the Chamber Players of Toronto (1977-9), but was revived in 1980 and continued to be active in 1991. In 1978 Hidy founded Trio Canada (with cellist Zdenek Konicek and pianist Valerie Tryon), and she also played in the McMaster String Quartet 1978-89.

Despite a busy regimen of teaching, orchestral playing, chamber music performance, and conducting, Hidy maintained a significant solo career. With the pianists Ada Bronstein and Chester Duncan in Winnipeg and Leo Barkin and Antonín Kubálek in Toronto and Valerie Tryon in Hamilton, she has given many recitals in public and for CBC radio and TV. She gave the premieres of S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté's Suite for Violin Solo No. 4, Pacific (8 Feb 1970 at the inaugural concert in Town Hall, St Lawrence Centre, Toronto) and Hugh Hartwell'sWaltz Inventions (January 1978 in Hamilton). The work by Eckhardt-Gramatté was commissioned for Hidy by the CBC. Hidy made her Toronto debut 11 Apr 1962, and for the next day's Globe and MailJohn Kraglund wrote: 'the greatest technical demands were never allowed to interfere with the musicality of the interpretation'. After her London debut at Wigmore Hall, with the pianist Geoffrey Parsons, the Times critic wrote (4 Oct 1972), 'Their performance of the Debussy Sonata was one of the most distinguished I have heard'. Hidy appeared as concerto soloist with the TS, the Winnipeg SO, the Hamilton Philharmonic, and the Regina Symphony Orchestra. In addition to giving concerts in North America, Hidy appeared as a soloist in New Zealand, Hungary, Japan, China, and Hong Kong.

Discography

Franck Sonata for piano and violin - Weinzweig Sonata for violin and piano. Ozolins piano. 1974. CBC SM-276

Grieg Sonata No. 3, Opus 45 - Debussy Sonata for violin and piano. Barkin piano. 1968. CBC SM-54

Morawetz - Bloch - Bartók - Prokofiev - Kodály. Barkin piano. 1966. CBC SM-28/CBC SM-135 (does not include the Prokofiev)

Ravel - Bartók - Prokofiev. Taussig piano. 1971. CBC SM-161

Somers Sonata No. 1 - Adaskin Canzona and Rondo. Duncan piano. 1965. RCI 221/RCA CCS-1015/(Somers) 10 ACM 7/(Adaskin) 5-ACM 23

HIDY-OZOLINS-TSUTSUMI TRIO

Smetana Trio, Opus 15 - Shostakovich Trio, Opus 67. Ozolins piano. Tsutsumi violoncello. 1975. CBC SM-288

HIDY TRIO

Eckhardt-Gramatté Piano Trio. (1985). 5-ACM 21

Music at the Canadian Pavilion/Musique au pavillon du Canada: Perrault Trio - Shostakovich Trio No. 2, Opus 67. 1967. CBC EXPO-24