Born in Debrecen on August 11, 1933, Tamás Vásáry is a Hungarian pianist turned
conductor. A child prodigy at the local conservatory, he gave his first public
concert at the age of eight and studied with composer and pianist Ernő Dohnányi,
before entering the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, where his father was
appointed State Secretary after the Second World War. After winning the Academy
competition at the age of fourteen, he played in cabarets to support the family
following political unrest that led to his father losing his job and being
placed under house arrest. In 1953, c...