WFCC

Classical Fact

The story of Hungarian piano virtuoso Gyorgy Cziffra is one of unimpeded dedication in the face of unrelenting hardship. After Gyorgy's father and one of his sisters died of starvation, young Gyorgy helped to support his surviving family by playing piano at a circus. He attended the Budapest conservatory for a short time before being drafted into the Hungarian army during the Second World War. When the war ended, he worked to support his family by playing in jazz clubs and bars. When the Communists came to power in Hungary, Cziffra was imprisoned for political reasons. His captors, knowing he was a pianist, tortured him by beating his hands. It took six months after he was released to recover his skills. Cziffra and his family fled Hungary just ahead of the Soviet invasion. Their ten-day escape, on foot, ended in Vienna, and a succession of triumphant recitals propelled the pianist, born in a Budapest slum, to international stardom. The Cziffra family became citizens of France and Gyorgy restored the Royal Chapel of St. Frambourg, converting it into an arts center that bears his name.