László Mesö

 

Born in 1939, László Mezö graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he studied violoncello under Antal Friss. He also completed studies with Pablo Casals and Gregor Piatigorsky.

A prizewinner of many major competitions, he was a diploma recipient in the 1957 Casals Competition, Paris; he won second prize at the 1961 Dvorák Competition, Prague; he won fourth prize at the 1962 Tchaikovsky Competition, Moscow; he was first prize winner of the 1963 Casals Competition, Budapest; and he was awarded a Ford scholarship to study in the USA in 1965 and 1966. In addition to being head of the violoncello department at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Mr. Mezõ maintains an active solo career, giving concerts in Hungary and abroad. He has also performed since 1957 as cellist and founding member of the distinguished Bartók Quartet (known as the Komlós Quartet until its 1963 renaming).

Mr. Mezö has served as adjudicator at many international cello competitions and has given master classes worldwide, including appearances in Weimar, Paris, Finland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, among others. In 1962, he collaborated with composer Zoltán Kodály to reach a pivotal agreement regarding the corrected edition of Kodály’s Sonata for solo cello, op.8. He has made numerous recordings for Hungarotron and currently serves as president of the Hungarian Cello Society.