“It was the magic of music that lead me to discover the world. Sounds and melodies have made it beautiful and ’visible’ for me. (…)

Nothing else interested me except the myriad sounds of the piano. When I could recognise notes better, I translated the noises into music. The tram, for example, was braking in F-sharp, and I even played the train’s whistle on the piano. Well, this is how it all began, and if you are interested in what followed, the road that took me to practically all the prestigious concert halls in the world, then read my story as told by my mother.”

Tamás Érdi

MY SHINING DARKNESS
THE STORY OF CONCERT PIANIST TAMÁS ÉRDI
By Márta É. Szabó
Preview by Judit Petrányi
This is one of those life stories that could be taken for a fairy-tale. Or the proverbial folk tale where
the smallest son of the poor man wins the hand of the beautiful princess in the end. Here you have a
seventy-gram (!) baby born ahead of time who loses his eye-sight in an ill-adjusted incubator
growing up to become one of the best and most popular concert pianists in his country. His awards
include the most prestigious tokens of appreciation a musician can receive, including the Hungarian
Order of Merit and the Liszt Prize. His concerts have drawn standing ovation in dozens of countries,
at venues including the Carnegie Hall in New York and Lazienki Park where he is invited to play
Chopin to thousands under the composer’s statue every year. But just as important, at the age of 40
when this book is published, he is a happy man whose world may be presumed to be dark by others
but is in fact as bright as can be.
How was that possible? Well, thanks to a lot of good luck, starting with the three-year-old child
discovering the piano of his grandparents, a mother acting on the realization that her child may be
playing with his favorite toy exceptionally skilfully and a teacher who invented for him a unique
method to help him learn, practice and perform without a printed score. When he was not admitted
to the Liszt Academy in Budapest (how could a blind boy hope to become a concert pianist?), his
parents took him to Vienna, then to Toronto where the famous Leon Fleisher accepted him as his
pupil.
Were those years difficult? Yes, they were. Were there obstacles? Yes, there were galore.
But it would not be a fairy-tale if help was not just around the corner. A Japanese eye surgeon was
ready to try the impossible and from Boston to Florida, numerous Hungarian ex-pats, most of them
strangers, offered their home, loving care and friendship to the persevering family.
The book is an account of all that – and much more. It is also a journey on the train of parental love.
Those two people struck by fear and dispair when Tamás was born were two nationally known,
popular and ambitious TV personalities. Sándor Érdi had launched Studio, to this day the mmiérost
memorable weekly prime time cultural magazine show and Márta É. Szabó, the producer and
presenter of equally unforgettable programs for children on Hungarian Television. Both gave up
their profession to put Tamás’ life and career on track. True, Márta and Sándor were pushed in that
direction when in the politically turbulent 1990-ies, their programs were cancelled and in a mass lay-
off, they found themselves dismissed. Some consolation: travelling with Tamás could be combined
with taping a series of interviews with some great Hungarian emigrés well-known in the world but
little known in socialist Hungary. Fortunately, the book also offers a glimpse into the lives of these
outstanding cultural personalities.
One of the last pages advertises the Balaton Summer Festival, an event now in its seventh year that
has been attracting thousands of music lovers to dozens of venues in the Balaton region every year.
Its art director is Tamás Érdi.
And the final picture in the book shows Tamás on he side of Réka who has been holding his hand and
has been with him every step of the way ever since their wedding in 2013. So, you see, the smallest
son has won the hand of the princess. Those dark glasses do hide a shining world. I told you it was a
fairy-tale.

The concert in the Great Hall of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music on March 16, 2017, was recorded live
in "MVM Concerts - The Piano" series by the Academy S Aviso Studios.

Hangversenyrendező / Concert organiser: Jakobi Koncert Kft - Jakobi László

Sound Recording producer: Weisz József

Sound Engineer: Lakatos Gergely

Stage manager: Haás Vander Zsófia

Stage technician: Mátyus Zsolt

Gaffer: Nagy László

Video engineer: Kocsis Márton Lajos

Colourist: Árendás Csaba

Cameramen: Barta Zoltán, Endrédi Tamás, Faunhoffer Dávid, Horváth Ildikó

Production manager: Szentmiklósi Sára, Munkácsi Zsuzsanna

Editor: Trenka Márton

Directed by / Rendezte: Petrovics Eszter

Pianist Tamás Érdi lost his eyesight as a result of an oxygen overdose in a defective incubator. His interest in music was discovered at a very young age. His teachers use a unique method called “the structural method” to teach Tamás play the piano, whereby he virtually “recomposes” the music he is introduced to.

At 15, he plays a Mozart piano concerto at the prestigious Budapest Spring Festival with leading conductor Tamás Vásáry. At 17, he wins the Louis Braille International Piano Competition in Moscow and gets admission to the Music Academy in Vienna.

At 18 they win the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition with a five-piano arrangement in Salt Lake City. In 2002 Tamás graduates from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto as piano artist instructed by Leon Fleisher. During his studies in Toronto he plays with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Iceland Symphony, Symphony Orchestra of the Hungarian Radio, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sverdlovsk Symphonic Orchestra.

In 2012 he is closing act of the Liszt Bicentennial events in Romania with the Enescu Symphonic Orchestra. He performs at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, plays in Siberia, Russia, Kuwait, Lebanon, US, Canada and several European cities, most recently in London at the Barbican Centre and works with all symphonic orchestras in Hungary. He plays for 4,000 people under the famous Chopin statue in Warsaw, Poland several times.

In 2008 Tamás receives the Junior Prima Prize Awarded to talented individuals under 30 and wins Prima Primissima in 2010, which is the most prestigious professional recognition for Hungarian individuals by the private sector. In 2012 he receives the “Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, Knight’s Cross” state decoration.

Tracklist:

1 - 4.  Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1   22:25

5 - 7.  Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ''Mondschein''   15:22

8-10.  Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2   23:05

DETAILED:

1. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1: I. Allegro 5:46
2. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1: II. Adagio 5:09
3. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1: III. Menuetto. Allegretto 3:35
4. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1: IV. Prestissimo 8:01
5. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Mondschein”: I. Adagio sostenuto 4:59
6. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Mondschein”: II. Allegretto 2:15
7. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Mondschein”: III. Presto agitato 8:14
8. Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2: I. Largo. Allegro 8:25
9. Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2: II. Adagio 7:41
10. Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2: III. Allegretto 6:59

The path of the brilliant blind pianist is drawn by his mother, É. Márta Szabó, the well-known television personality, is the editor of Cimbora and many other cultural programs, mainly for children. Tamás's father, Sándor Érdi, the editor of the program Stúdió, is also present on every page of the book. The book, full of excitement, follows the unusual fate of Tamás Érdi from his birth, even earlier, until he became world famous.

Dr. Richárd Hardi, ophthalmologist, monk and lay member of the Catholic Community of the Eight Beatitudes. 
He has been practicing medicine in the Congo for twenty years. 
He performed ten thousand operations and restored sight to countless sufferers. 
Pianist Tamás Érdi lost his sight in infancy. He has performed in twenty-three countries so far. From New York to Vörösberény, from London to Cluj, he achieved unforgettable success with his concerts. Erika Simon is a high school teacher and editor specializing in Latin history. So far, he has published fifteen volumes of interviews. Pilinszky and Bach's memorial book is among them. His writings were published in Lyukasóra, Vigilia, A Szív, and Christian Life.

Hungarian concert film, 93 minutes, 2010
Tamás Érdi's 30th birthday concert at the Museum of Fine Arts on November 19, 2009
Tamás Érdi: Liszt - Sposalizio; Schubert - Impromptu
Bori Keszei - Tamás Érdi: Kodály: Nausicaä
Vásáry-Érdi - Schubert - Fantasy in F minor
Érdi - Chopin: Nocturne in C sharp minor
Tamás Vásáry and Zoltán Kocsis: Schubert Divertissement á la Hongroise, Second Movement
Mozart - Piano Concerto in A major K.488 performed by the Grazioso Chamber Ensemble 
conducted by Zoltán Kocsis, with Tamás Érdi playing the piano. 
Encore: Schzubert: Marche Militaire Kocsis-Érdi
Cast:
Creators
Actor:
Tamás Erdi
Director:
Tamás Horváth
Cameraman:
Zoltán Denes
Peter Dubovitz
Gábor Halász
Lajos Nádorfi
András Szobrász

The CD Internal light, produced by Duna Televízió, contains the recording of the candlelit Chopin concert given by the exceptionally talented pianist in 2008 in Szatmárnémeti.

Tracklist:

BELA BARTOK (1881-1945)
1 - 8.  Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs Op.20. BB 83   11:22

FERENC LISZT (1811-1885)
9.  Sposalizio R 10b No. 1   7:47
10. Funérailles “Octobre, 1849” R 14 No. 7   10:46

BELA BARTOK (1881-1945)
11. Allegro barbaro BB 63   2:45

FERENC LISZT (1811-1885)
12. Waldesrauschen R 6 No. 1   4:15
13. Mephisto Waltz R 181   11:17

BELA BARTOK (1881-1945)
14-19. Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm BB 106 Vol. VI. Nos 148-153   8:40

FERENC LISZT (1811-1885)
20. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 R 106   7:34

• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K467 
• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K488
• Mozart: Rondo for Piano & Orchestra in D major, K382

Tracklist:

 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K467 'Elvira Madigan' - Andante  28:19

    Budapest Chamber Symphony
    Tamás Vásáry
    Tamas Erdi (piano)

I. Allegro maestoso 14:22
II. Andante 7:13
III. Allegro vivace  6:44


Mozart: Rondo for Piano & Orchestra in D major, K382  - 10:45

    Budapest Chamber Symphony
    Tamás Vásáry
    Tamas Erdi (piano)

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K488  - 27:09

    Budapest Chamber Symphony
    Tamás Vásáry
    Tamas Erdi (piano)

I. Allegro 11:37
II. Adagio 7:09
III. Allegro assai 8:23

JAMILA MUSAYEVA, HIROKO SASAKI, VANESSA M. DIAMOND / CHOPIN, SCHUBERT, MOZART, BRAHMS / WEINER-SZÁSZ KAMARASZIMFONIKUSOK / CONDUCTED BY PÁL TAMÁS

Tracklist / Song list:

1. Chopin - Ballade No. 1 in G Minor
2. Schubert: Ave Maria
3. Schubert: Fantasie in F minor, D.940 
4. Mozart:Sonata for Piano and Violin in E Minor, K. 304

5. Mozart: E-flat major piano concorto for two pianos, K.365
6. Brahms: Lullaby
7. Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Op. 22
8. Chopin: Fantasie Impromptu

Tamás Érdi (Budapest, November 23, 1979 -) Ferenc Liszt Prize-winning pianist.
Schubert's solo CD made from a live concert recording was released in 2003, and Chopin's solo CD was also released in 2004.
In February 2005, he performed at the Palace of the Arts, his highly successful concert, which was also released on DVD, is also the Palace's first classical music disc.
In 2006, his new solo album was released, on which he played works by Bartók and Liszt, as well as both Mozart CDs.
He performed with practically every symphony orchestra in Hungary. In 2007, he played Chopin's piano concerto with the Pannon Philharmonic in Pécs, invited by Zoltán Kocsis, and in Budapest he performed Mozart's piano concerto in D minor together with the National Philharmonic.
In 2008, he won the Junior Prima award, which goes to talented young people under the age of 30. In December 2008, he gave a concert at the United Nations Palace in New York on the International Day of the Disabled.
He has performed in 23 countries around the world.