Have you counted how many CDs will need to be issued to cover all of your work?
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Not exactly, but hopefully there will be more to come. I will probably keep writing music and so the number will keep growing. But I think it currently stands at around 25. I have released many more albums, but we merged a few things, for instance all of the film music has been collected on one CD. Of course we could issue a lot more things, but it is a lot of work to find them all. We have found the songs for my first score from 1981, and put two of them in the collection, which I'm very happy about.
Has it been so difficult to find? One would think that you just open the drawer and pull out the master tapes.
I have asked Hungaroton to put everything together. And they did what they could. But, for instance, there is a missing Trio Stendhal recording because both of its master tapes went missing at the radio. They once asked me to lend it to them, in case they needed music for interviews. They said they would copy it and then return it. What's more, this recording never came out on CD, only on cassette and the publisher has also disappeared.
So will Tom-Tom release all of your records from now on?
No, Tom-Tom is only in charge of the complete works collection. I have had my records published by three different publishers, so when one is sold out let's say by Sony, then the re-release is also published by them.
I have counted that you currently have 23 CDs, four DVDs and four sheet music publications. That means if I want all of your works on my shelf at home, it would cost at least HUF 100,000.
You are right, although I never added that up. It would be good to come up with a scheme that would give people a discount when they buy all of the CDs in a certain genre. And of course it would be possible to package the CDs already collected by genre, but that also costs extra. As things stand now, every publisher thinks twice about what they want to spend on.
You are the only one in Hungary today who has such a series of recordings published.
Indeed, it would be good if more composers and musicians had their works collected and published in a series. Such collections have existed in Western Europe and America for 40 years. My career is perhaps a little unusual because I have worked in many genres and so my target audience is also very diverse.
Have they maintained the original sound of the recordings?
Yes, all they did was digitalise it. A lot of old recordings only existed on tapes and these were improved and modernised, but of course the original sound was maintained, and mastering was done in a way to meet current requirements. There are a few changes in the contents, for instance the Supergroup LP published in 1982 included only two of my compositions, with me also playing one of these, and so these two songs were taken and added to the second Dimenzió CD, Avec plaisir, which now differs from the original vinyl edition.
To what extent were you involved in this work?
They did not need me much. The publisher would send me the completed material, I would listen to them at home and always found them satisfying. The same happened to the covers, because these have become historic documents. Still, there is a common design. We marked the different genres with different colours and inserted a booklet into each cover, describing in detail how the recordings were made and who were involved.
Is there any genre that you have not worked in but would still like to?
No there isn't. I have performed and composed contemporary music, which has been published already. I have written and played jazz, songs, music for films and theatre... Actually, I have not made a recording of songs for myself but I wrote music for a ballet last year.
Does it require a different way of thinking when you compose in different genres?
Certainly. Let's take two very remote examples: songs and jazz. Songs are very strict and regulated in form, where every beat counts. If the structure is not well-built then it does not work. Then it won't be a good song. One must also take it into consideration that lyrics will be added to it. In the case of jazz, I must compose a theme, which is also a tight structure, but one must take into consideration the improvisations and some sharp and distinct musical changes that will also be included. What's important here is that when the music unfolds, it should remain valid despite the brave structural changes. There are different things to take into consideration in the case of every genre and there are different ways of expression. In the case of film scores, one must pay attention to ensure that the music is in the service of the scenes.
You probably did not know this right from the start...
I watched a great number of films, with my score-goggles on. And then during the work itself, you get to learn what makes things work. After the raw material is finished, they dress up the film. The director "cheats" a lot during post-production, with effects, noises, editing, music and tricks. But after a while, the whole thing comes together and what you get is very different from what was originally shot on film. I am happy to participate in this cheating process, if the director is creative and inspiring. Probably some think that I am an old fox, with a lot of successful work behind his back, so it is difficult to work with me. This is not true. I am very conscientious, in every respect, and I try to do my work as perfectly as I am able to. I am open and I try to accomplish whatever we agree to do. It has happened that I finished a project, was happy with it, but the director did not like it at first. In the end, however, he realised that it worked well.
I suppose a great number of people must contact you and ask you to write music for film, musical or theatre. How do you choose?
I have read so many scripts and plays that I can make a guess about what will work and what won't.
Would you be able to write a song for anyone?
Probably, if I wanted to. But I don't. You can put together something for anyone. When I am writing for four such actors as those featured in Man and Woman, it is very inspiring. Four distinguished actors who are good to think of and I have a certain image in my head about them, also in private terms. Some associations about films and theatre plays. It is obviously good to work with talented people, it is good to do something for them.
You sometimes say that while on tour, you cannot compose, and while you write music, you cannot play concerts.
There has been a long period now that I was touring with Man and Woman and I was involved in the complete works issue. And I decided to write an album of songs for myself, which pushed many other projects into the background, because one cannot do everything at the same time. Of course, I still play live from time to time. There was a project at the opera last year and also this year which involved jazz musicians writing ballet etudes and that turned out to be an exciting concert. I have recently returned from Sofia where I played live with Snétberger and I was touring with Esterházy in Transylvania. I also have several big compositions planned. But these days, I do not write jazz. I have written the albums Sections and Street Music, music on which I usually work for weeks and months before it's completed. At the moment, I am busy with my album of songs. And if it works out, I will go on tour with it. It is the best experience, when you perform live, for an audience. It's another question, whether there is an audience that's interested and whether they will like it. I sang two songs at the Comedy Theatre on the Day of Hungarian Song and I have three songs at the Man and Woman show. Based on the reactions to these, I hope that this work will not be in vain and perhaps audiences will like this record, too.
Interviewer: Zsófi Rick / Source: Fidelio.hu
Photo: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
