Tibor Varga, 82; Violin Virtuoso, Conductor Known for Teaching
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Tibor Varga, a conductor and violinist known for his teaching and his performances of Bela Bartok and other modern masters, died Thursday at his home in Grimisuat, Switzerland, according to his wife. He was 82.
Born in Hungary, Varga made his public debut with Mendelssohn’s E minor concerto when he was 10.
He began touring in Europe while a teenager, and studied in Berlin and Budapest, Hungary. After World War II, Varga performed widely as a violin virtuoso.
He moved to England in 1947; founded the Tibor Varga Chamber Orchestra in Detmold, Germany, in 1954; then moved to Switzerland, where he was based the rest of his life. He continued to conduct the Detmold-based orchestra until 1988.
Varga started a summer school in 1963, and organized the Tibor Varga Festival in Sion, Switzerland, the following year. An annual violin competition is held in Sion in his honor.
His repertoire covered baroque, classical and romantic works, but he was best known for his performances of modern composers such as Berg, Schoenberg and Stravinsky.
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