“The brilliant Katona Twins … Formidable virtuoso technique …. their performances could hardly be bettered for charm, zest, wit and colouristic flair.”
Katona Twins, guitar duo
Critically acclaimed by the Daily Telegraph as “the classical world’s best-known guitar duo,” Peter and Zoltán Katona effortlessly transfer from strictly classical, into more popular musical genres. They have given recitals in the major concert venues throughout the world including performances at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Philharmonie in Berlin. In 2009, as the soloists of the “Night of the Proms” they performed live to half a million people in arenas across Europe. They played together with renowned musicians such as Yo-
The Katona Twins have won numerous prizes, both individually and together. In 1993, they won first prize at the most prestigious duo-
In 1998, they won the Concert Artists Guild Competition held in New York, followed by a tour of the United States including their Carnegie Hall debut. In 2004, they were awarded the prestigious Borletti-
The wide repertoire of the duo spans from Bach and Mozart to Piazzolla’s tango music to their arrangements of pop classics. Their programs also include concertos for two guitars and orchestra by Rodrigo, Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Tedesco. Several composers have written and dedicated their works to the Katona Twins.
The Katona Twins have been invited on numerous occasions to record for the BBC and other international television and radio stations. Their CD releases include music by Scarlatti and Handel; Rodrigo; Albéniz, Piazzolla and Manuel de Falla.
The Katona Twins studied both individually and as a guitar duo in Budapest, Frankfurt and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. During their studies, their teachers included Julian Bream and John Williams. Peter and Zoltán Katona were born in Hungary; they are German citizens and live in Liverpool, England.
For more information, please visit www.katonatwins.com
Program Suggestions:
PROGRAM 1 Hollywood & Swing
PROGRAM 2 Madrid – Buenos Aires
PROGRAM 3 From Bach to the Beatles
PROGRAM 1
Hollywood & Swing
M.C. Tedesco: 2 Preludes and Fugues (Well-Tempered Guitars Op. 199)
(1895 –1968) C# minor and E major
Henry Mancini: Pink Panther
(1924 – 1994)
Ennio Morricone: Themes from Once Upon a Time in the West
(1928 – )
Astor Piazzolla: Introduccion – Otoño – Porteno
(1921-1992)
Stanley Myers: Cavatina (The Deer Hunter)
(1930 – 1993)
Los Lobos: Desperado “Canción del Mariachi”
Django Reinhardt: Nuages
(1910 – 1953) Minor Swing
– INTERMISSION –
Peter Katona : Smerdyakov
John Williams: Schindler’s list.
(1932 – )
Ramin Djawadi: Game of Thrones (main theme)
(1974 – )
Leonard Bernstein: From the West Side Story
(1918 – 1990) – Maria
– I feel Pretty
– Mambo
– Somewhere
– America
PROGRAM 2
Madrid – Buenos Aires
(Music from Spain and Argentina)
I. Albéniz (Arr. Katona) El Puerto
(1860-1909) Mallorca
Asturias
Enrique Granados (arr. Katona) Oriental (Spanish Dance No.2)
(1867 –1916)
Astor Piazzolla Tango Suite
(1921-1992) Allegro
Andante
Allegro
– INTERMISSION –
Astor Piazzolla Introduccion – Otoño – Porteno
(1921-1992)
F. Tarrega-Peter Katona: The Tarrega Duets
– Capricho Arabe
– Alhambra Inspiration
– Gran valse
Manuel de Falla(arr. Katona): El amor brujo (Excerpts)
(1867-1946) – Introduccion
– Danza del Terror
– El Circulo Magico
– Pantomima
– Danza Ritual del Fuego
PROGRAM 3
From Bach to the Beatles
J. S. Bach Arr. Katona Twins: French Suite Nr. 5 (BWV 816) (Excerpts)
(1685-1750)
Allemande,
Courante,
Sarabande,
Gigue
Béla Bartók Arr. Katona Twins: Rumanian Folk Dances
(1881-1945)
Peter Katona: Meditation and Passacaglia
Brothers Karamazov
Django Reinhardt: Nuages
(1910 – 1953) Minor Swing
INTERMISSION
Peter Katona : Smerdyakov
Leonard Bernstein: From the West Side Story
(1918 – 1990) – Maria
– I feel Pretty
– Mambo
– Somewhere
– America
Beatles: Lennon–McCartney: Eleanor Rigby (arr. Katona Twins)
Penny Lane (arr. Leo Brouwer)
The Fool on the Hill (arr. Leo Brouwer)
Come Together (arr. Katona Twins)
Quotations:
“The brilliant Katona Twins… Formidable virtuoso technique… their performances could hardly be bettered for charm, zest, wit and colouristic flair.”
– Daily Telegraph, London
“ground breaking…utmost virtuosity”
– Hamburger Abendblatt, Hamburg, Germany
“superb combination of virtuoso technique, musical understanding and complete rapport” – Belfast Telegraph, Belfast, Northern Ireland
“virtuosos who play with an almost eerie unanimity of style and considerable charm.” – The New Yorker
“precise, brilliant and nevertheless intimate”
– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurt, Germany
“The technical command was absolute…full of striking virtuosity, high spirits, and humor..an unusual and distinctive recital”
-San Francisco Classical Voice
“dazzling guitar virtuosity”
– Liverpool Echo
“Few guitar ensembles can match the special qualities of the Katona Twins”
– IRISH TIMES
“the best performance of the festival”
– Istanbul, Andante. Istanbul, Turkey
“supernatural quality…..full of mystique, mischief and vivacity”
– Berlingske Tidende, Copenhagen, Denmark
“unsurpassed accuracy of ensemble”
– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“perfect balance of tempo and sound. Their style is personal with a unique clarity of feeling.”
– Gendai Guitar, Tokyo, Japan
“the twins astounded and enchanted the audience ”
– Münchener Merkur, Munich, Germany
“Magnifico..versatilidad en la tecnica…Excelente…”
– La Patria, Bogota, Colombia
“Sweet Bad Black or White Spirit”. Night of the Proms (Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2009).
Manuel de Falla: El Amor Brujo: Danza Ritual del Fuego
minor swing by Django Reinhardt
Arrangement of Mambo from the West Side Story by Bernstein
J.S.BACH: French Suite No 5
WITH ORCHESTRA
Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto Madrigal For Two Guitars And Orchestra: Fanfare (Allegro Marziale)