Photos from Mátyás Seiber Concert, Exhibition and Celebrations

On Sunday May 4, 2025, a celebration of the 120th anniversary of the birth of composer Mátyás Seiber (1905-1960) was held at the Hungarian Cultural Centre (Liszt Institute) near London's Trafalgar Square. The celebrations were curated by Norbert Meyn, building on recent research about Mátyás Seiber and his music during the Music, Migration and Mobility project at the Royal College of Music from 2019 to 2023, which explored the legacies of migrant musicians from Nazi Europe in Britan. The event was supported by the Mátyás Seiber Trust, the Hungarian Cultural Centre, and Seiber’s publisher, Schott, and coordinated at the Hungarian Cultural Centre (Liszt Institute) by event manager Virág Muzslai. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this project!

The artists with Julia Seiber Boyd (with the hat). Photo: Bálint Herczeg

One of the favourite students and a lifelong friend of Zoltán Kodály, Mátyás Seiber moved to Germany in 1928 and taught Jazz at the Hoch Conservatoire in Frankfurt before being expelled by the Nazis in 1933 because he was Jewish. After emigrating to Britain in 1935 he composed tonal and atonal chamber music, choral and orchestral works as well as folk song arrangements, light music, and film music – for many prominent soloists including Dennis Brain, Julian Bream, Tibor Varga, Max Rostal and Peter Pears. He was a member of the International Society for Contemporary Music and a founding member of the Society for the Promotion of New Music in Britain. Regarded as one of the foremost composition teachers in the UK, he attracted many pupils from around the world – whom he taught from home in Caterham. He also taught part-time at Morley College from 1942 onwards.

The celebratory concert brought together professional musicians and students from Hungary and the UK: Zsófia Bódi (soprano), Katalin Koltai (guitar), Tyrone Landau (tenor), Norbert Meyn (tenor), Christopher Gould (piano), László Stachó (piano), as well as Márton Sárréti (violin) and Áron Rátkay (cello) from the Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest), and Sophia Lim (piano) and Christian Hoddinott (clarinet) from the Royal College of Music (London). It presented outstanding pieces of chamber music and vocal music, including the world premiere of Seiber’s recently discovered ‘Minnaloushe’ Songs for voice and guitar and a screening of the iconic Halas & Batchelor animation film The Owl and the Pussycat with live music.

from left to right: Julia Seiber Boyd (the composer's daughter), Christopher Gould, Sophia Lim, Áron Rátkay, Márton Sárréti, Zsófia Bódi, László Stachó, Katalin Koltai, Tyrone Landau, Norbert Meyn, Christian Hoddinot. Photo: Bálint Herczeg

Tenor Tyrone Landau performed the world premiere of the Minnaloushe Songs for tenor and guitar by Seiber, with guitarist Katalin Koltai. The songs were recently discovered in the estate of the guitarist Julian Bream. Photo: Bálint Herczeg

Soprano Zsófia Bódi and clarinettist Christian Hoddinott performer the Three Morgenstern Songs for soprano and clarinet. Photo: Bálint Herczeg

Violinist Márton Sárréti and pianist Sophia Lim performed Seiber's serial Concert Piece. Photo: Bálint Herczeg

Norbert Meyn (right) and Christopher Gould performed Seiber's song cycle To Poetry, originally written for the British tenor Peter Pears. Photo: Bálint Herczeg

The concert was preceded by a two day masterclass on May 2 and 3 with László Stachó (Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest) and Norbert Meyn (Royal College of Music, London), working with students from the Liszt Academy and the Royal College of Music.

László Stachó (right) working with Soprano Zsófia Bódi (recent doctoral graduate of the Liszt Academy) and clarinettist Christian Hoddinott (RCM). Photo: Norbert Meyn

Violinist Márton Sárréti (Liszt Academy Budapest) with pianist Sophia Lim (recent RCM graduate) and László Stachó during the masterclass. Photo: Norbert Meyn

A panel discussion before the concert on May 4 was moderated by Norbert Meyn (Royal College of Music) and brought together Julia Seiber Boyd (Seiber's daughter), musicologist Florian Scheding (Bristol University), and László Stachó (Liszt Academy of Music Budapest). The panel was introduced by the Director of the Liszt Institute, Botond Zákonyi.

from left to right: Norbert Meyn (Royal College of Music), Julia Seiber Boyd (Seiber's daughter), musicologist Florian Scheding (Bristol University), László Stachó (Liszt Academy of Music Budapest), Botond Zákonyi (Director of the Liszt Institute). Photo: Bálint Herczeg

In addition to the masterclass, panel discussion and concert, the celebrations included an exhibition about Mátyás Seiber and other emigre musicians from Nazi Europe in Britain. Curated by Norbert Meyn, the exhibition brought together a special display about Seiber with photographs and historical documents, a 'washing line' installation showing the title pages of approx.120 published scores by the composer and the mobile exhibition 'Music, Migration and Mobility' created during the AHRC-funded MMM project at the Royal College of Music.

Special display about Seiber's life. Photo: Norbert Meyn

'Washing line' display of sheet music covers. Photo: Norbert Meyn

parts of the 'Music, Migration and Mobility' exhibition. Photo: Norbert Meyn

Parts of the 'Music, Migration and Mobility' exhibition. Photo: Norbert Meyn

'Washing line' display. Photo: Norbert Meyn

Cut-out of a Seiber caricature by Gerhard Hoffnung. Photo: Norbert Meyn

You can also read an informative news article about this project on the website of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, both in English and Hungarian.