Violinist György Pauk has Died, Aged 88

The Hungarian violinist was a renowned soloist and chamber player, and a respected pedagogue at London's Royal Academy of Music

The Hungarian violinist and pedagogue György Pauk, whose playing represented a close link to that of Joseph Joachim, has passed away at the age of 88.

Born in Budapest in 1936, Pauk began learning the violin at a young age at the urging of his mother. After losing both his parents in the Holocaust, he was raised by his grandmother in the Budapest Ghetto, where food, water, and heating were scarce. Despite these trying conditions he showed early promise on the violin, and was admitted to study at the Liszt Academy — where he would eventually become a pupil of Zoltán Kodály.

Early in his career, Pauk defected from Soviet-controlled Hungary and became a "stateless person" at only 22. At the urging of Yehudi Menuhin, he ultimately settled in the United Kingdom and became a British citizen in 1967.

Pauk was named the winner of the Paganini and the Jacques Thibaud International Violin Competitions and embarked on a thriving solo career that saw him perform concerti alongside conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Lorin Maazel, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Simon Rattle, and Georg Solti.

An accomplished chamber musician, Pauk performed frequently in a trio with cellist Ralph Kirshbaum and pianist Peter Frankl, the latter having been Pauk's chamber music partner since childhood.

Pauk is regarded as one of the world's leading interpreters of Bartók. He was also at the forefront of contemporary music throughout the twentieth century and gave the world premieres of works by Lutosławski, Penderecki, Schnittke, Maxwell Davies, and Tippett.

Alongside his highly successful playing career, Pauk was an acclaimed pedagogue and was awarded a professorship at London's Royal Academy of Music in 1987. There, he held the Ede Zathureczky Professor of Violin position. He was a leading authority on the Hungarian Violin School, which descends from Joseph Joachim — a collaborator of Johannes Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann.

Pauk played on the 1714 "Massart" Stradivarius, which he owned outright. He is survived by his wife Suzie and two children.

Our condolences go to his family, friends, and colleagues.