Tibor Szemző

Tibor Szemző (born 1955, Budapest, Hungary) is a Hungarian composer, performer, media artist. His pieces often include spoken texts, film and other media. He creates installations and composes music for his own and others’ films. Ever since the beginning of his career, he has been performing actively and widely in Hungary and abroad as well. Szemző was born in Budapest, into a middle-class family, declassed as a result of World War II and socialism. His family originates from former Upper Hungary. His musical training was conducted in accordance with the Kodály method. He attended an elementary school that specialised in music. Originally he studied fine mechanics at high school that he abandoned at the age of 17 to dedicate all of his time to instrumental studies. He completed the Béla Bartók Conservatory [hu] in two years and later studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (1976–79). He earned a Media Design degree at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (2014) and pursued a DLA from the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts (2017). In 1973, he founded the Szemző Quartet (originally a trio) playing improvised chamber music, which later merged into Group 180. Group 180 was founded in 1979 and was active until 1989. It was started by Szemző and his fellow students, friends (László Melis, András Soós, László Gőz). Group 180 played a prominent role in the distribution of international contemporary repetitive music in Hungary and disseminated Hungarian contemporary music abroad. The group achieved a remarkable domestic and international career. (During the ten years of its existence, the Group worked with such major figures of the genre as Frederic Rzewski, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Alvin Curran, Phill Niblock, Arnold Dreyblatt, Peter Kotik or László Vidovszky.) In addition, Szemző began his solo career in 1983. Besides his pieces composed for Group 180 in this period, he created Water Wonder, a piece involving live electronics. From 1987 to 2003, London-based Leo Records released his recordings, occasionally in co-operation with Hungary-based Bahia Records. His first solo release was Snapshot from the Island in 1987. His interest in cinematography was inspired by his ever-lasting collaboration with media artist Péter Forgács (Group 180's former narrator) and started with the compositions written for Forgács's films. Szemző began to create individual, music-based films in 1985, which is constantly present in his activity. In 1986/87 he founded Fodderbasis, an open music ensemble. The group's projects were partly multimedia events. They produced some publications, in connection with Forgács's films. In 1996, Szemző launched the Gordian Knot Creative Music Laboratory, which operated until 2007. His highly successful and award-winning film was made about the life of Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, pilgrim, linguist and tibetologist. The film, titled A Guest of Life – Alexander Csoma de Kőrös (1999-2006) is an intermix animation film and 8mm footage. Both the movie and its stage version are starred by actresses Susannah York and Mari Törőcsik. The direct antecedents of the film were the Invisible Story (1996-2000) based on Béla Hamvas’ prose and The Other Shore (Japan, 1996). Other prominent pieces in Szemző's oeuvre are Tractatus based on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1991-1995), the film Free Fall (1996), the Free Fall Oratorio (CD, 1999), and »K«Engravings, a multimedia-series on Franz Kafka, covering the ten-year cycle between 2008 and 2018. His regular co-operating partners include the Agon Orchestra from Prague, the Moyzes Quartet from Bratislava, Jenő Oláh's and János Sándor's Folk Ensemble, the Amadinda Percussion Group, the Moving House Company, the Moments Notice Trio, the Danubius Quartet, the Polish Teatr Ósmego Dnia association, the Opus Posth from Moscow and the Polish Camerata Vistula chamber music ensemble. Since the early 80s, according to the typical art practice of the era, Szemző's musical activity has been open to other arts (especially literature and fine arts, besides cinematography and theatre), often experimented with the boundaries of different art forms. He has taken part in or created numerous performances. He also creates installations. He regularly worked together with the members of the Vajda Lajos Studio of Szentendre, and with János Szirtes, with whom he was also a member of the New Modern Acrobatics performance group (1987-1991). Szemző often worked with fine and oboe artist Gábor Roskó, as well as with fine artist Tamás Waliczky in the early 90s. In his creations, verbality, speech sound, multilingualism, and motion picture play an essential role in a close unity. Kafka Islands 2025 – sound and film installation, Sound Dome, House of Music Hungary 2nd Sketch – Seems Like Kailash 2002/2024 for low flutes with electronics & big band with film Memory Shards – The Story of a True Love on The Island of Ada Kaleh in the Cigarette Factory During the Slow Flooding 2024 – cinematographic concerto for musicians, films and TJ Csoma Kaleidoscope 2023 – sound and film installation, Sound Dome, House of Music Hungary Two Morsels 2022 – for harp and saxophone - at the request of Duo Sera Memory Shards – Hommage á W.G. Sebald, In Memoriam MPÖ 2021 Two compositions for human voice, contra-alto flute and percussions with additional sounds Silverbird and the Cyclist – Alexander Csoma Arboretum 2020 cinematographic concert with narrator, vocal and instrumental soloist FLOW 2019 – »K«Engravings 2008-2018 Nineteen Multimedia Composition for human voices, various instruments, and films (text by Franz Kafka) Earth Time 2017 installation for film and video projectors, human voices, and music (text by Danilo Kiš) Early Sorrows 2015 piece for radio, text by Danilo Kiš, script: Gábor Németh, requested by the Hungarian Radio Hourglass 2014 text by Danilo Kiš, for instruments and human voices Stonewall Cake 2013 cinematic music performance The Message – dr Kafka's Last Love 2013 cinematic theater performance script: András Forgách, requested by the Palace of Arts Budapest An Imperial Message – 2010/11 piece for radio, text by Franz Kafka, script: András Forgách, requested by the Hungarian Radio CSOMA – a cinematic opera 2008 for human voices, storyteller and chamber orchestra, with film screening, text by László Sári, requested by ERA New Horizons (Wroclaw, Poland) and Palace of Arts Budapest Hamlet 2007 chamber opera for three voice and small ensemble (text: W. Shakespeare) requested by National Theater, Szeged, Hungary What Do You See? 2005 for chamber ensemble and the voice of Géza Ottlik, requested by the Hungarian Radio Csoma-Legendry (script by László Sári) 2004 for chamber ensemble and human voices (requested by the Hungarian Radio) Danube Exodus: The Rippling Currents Of The River 2002 with Péter Forgács, Getty Museum, Los Angeles Arboretuum 2002 for chamber ensemble and voices (requested by Off Dance Company) South Of No North – The Children of the Kosovo War 2001, ten movements for various instruments and human voices The Invisible Story 1996-2000 7 sketches for the text of Béla Hamvas 1996-2000 for mixed ensemble and human voice The Other Shore 1997 multimedia performance for narrators, chamber ensemble and films (shooting of The Other Shore) Free Fall with Péter Forgács 1996 video-oratorio Way Through? 1996 for 8mm phone, voice and bass flute, with moving pictures Symultan 1995-96 for human voices and various sounds Tractatus 1991-95 for human voice, musicians and narrators 33 Movements For String Quartet And Other Instruments 1994 for string quartet and various instruments Snap Two 1993 for bass flute, voice and electronics Gull 1992 choral variation for string quartet and tabla Quintet 1992 for table acrobat and string quartet Wittgenstein Tractatus 1991-92 with Péter Forgács 7 video movements Doppelkonzert 1989-91 installation-concerto for two performers, computer-driven synthesizers and radios requested by Soros