Varga's piece won in the contest's symphonic work category and Bella's in the chamber piece category.
The runner-up in the chamber music category was Dániel Dinyés's: L'aria si rinnova, and Bánk Sáry's And Yet was in third place.
In the symphonic category, second prize went to Balázs Horváth for Borrowed Ideas, and third prize went to Péter Zombola for Symphony No. I./b.
The works by all of the finalists in the 2009 composer competition were performed by the UMZE Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Zoltán Rácz, and the Magyar Telekom Symphony Orchestra, conducted by András Keller, at Budapest's Palace of Arts (MUPA) on January 12.
The jury was headed by Zoltán Jeney.
Márta Schneider, state secretary at the Ministry of Education and Culture, which sponsored the second prize in the contest, said the opportunity must be given to young talents to perform their works.
The frequency of the contest was discussed as the jury decided on the winners as well as after the event, and the point was raised that it might be better to hold the competition every two years instead of annually, Schneider said.
Grants of HUF 25 million went to support contemporary music within the framework of Hungary's Renaissance Year 2008 programme, Schneider said.
András Szinger, who heads Artisjus, which sponsored the first and third prizes, said the competition was especially worthwhile for the audience.
Artisjus, which has 1,600 members, welcomes young professionals, Szinger said.
Maté Bella was also presented a special prize jointly by LFZE and the Bartók Music Academy.
The Óbuda Danubia Symphony Orchestra will add Judit Varga's work to their repertoire in the coming season.
The UMZE Chamber Orchestra commissioned a new work from Dániel Dinyés, and the Magyar Telekom Symphony Orchestra commissioned pieces from Dinyés and Péter Zombola. The city of Pécs's Pannon Philharmonic invited Máté Bella to an exclusive international composer's competition.
The concert was the brainchild of Budapest Music Center, which will release a recording of it.
Photo: sary.hu
