Julian von Karolyi ∙ Piano Recitals in Germany 1954-1956

Julian von Károlyi was well known for his interpretation of Chopin and Liszt. He studied with the renowned piano pedagogue Margit Varró in Budapest. He then continued his musical education in Germany, where he studied with Josef Pembaur Jr. in Munich, and with Max von Pauer, director of the Leipzig Conservatory. He auditioned for Alfred Cortot, who invited him to attend his piano class at the École Normale de Musique in Paris. Károlyi gave his London debut recital at Aolian Hall in 1929, and a highly praised debut in Paris at Salle Gaveau in 1933. Károlyi last teacher was Ernst von Dohnányi at the Music Academy in Budapest between 1932 and 1934. It was through Dohnányi’s good contacts in Berlin, that Károlyi was invited to give his first Berlin recital at Bechstein-Saal on 23 March 1934. The second World War didn’t interrupt his blossoming career, and he regularly performed in Hungary, Germany, Spain, and all three Scandinavian countries during the war. In 1945, Károlyi became a displaced person (DP) in Czechoslovakia, where he stayed in the U.N.R.R.A. camp. When the US military mission pulled out of Czechoslovakia, the entire UNRRA camp also had to leave. With some 9.000 persons in the camp, Károlyi travelled to Munich, which was then part of the American Zone of Germany, considered a safe refuge for DPs. Here, in various camps, he gave concerts at the refugee centers and played for U.S. troops in the western zone of Germany. His main residence became Munich, and his first post-war concert tour in 1947 laid the foundation for his great popularity in Germany. Since then he had toured Europe extensively as well as South America and Asia. He made his United States debut in a recital at New York Carnegie Hall in 1951. He eventually withdrew from active concert life in 1981 and turned to teaching in Würzburg at the Hochschule für Musik. His specialized courses for Chopin and Liszt were very much in demand. Károlyi retired in 1983 and spent the last years of his life in seclusion in Munich where he died after a serious sickness in 1993.