Krisztián Oláh Quartet
An important part of Krisztián Oláh's music is both classical musical elements and compositional techniques, as well as the improvisational drift and abstract rhythms of contemporary jazz. His main musical motivation is to combine and synthesise these two musical worlds in as organic a way as possible, with the aim of creating a dynamic, living contemporary musical world. The Quartet is Krisztián's most important musical project, and this is evident not only in the songs, but also in the atmosphere that the four musicians are able to create.
Schedule
The orchestra's programme is based on Krisztián's own compositions, but the members are also all great improvisers, so spontaneous and collective improvisation is an integral part of their performances, which carries the spirit and musical tools of today, creating a fresh and complex sound.
At the age of 17, pianist and composer Krisztián Oláh won the soloist prize at the International Jazz Competition in Târgu Mures, and in the following years he has performed with great success at several European competitions in England, Lithuania and the Netherlands. At the age of just 20, he won third place at the Montreux Jazz Festival, which gave him the chance to attend a two-week academic training course and perform with musicians such as Al Jarreau, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Joe Sanders. He has won the Junior Prima, Creative Art and Gramophone awards, has twice been awarded the Orszáczky Prize and in 2018 was the first Hungarian jazz pianist to qualify for the Washington DC finals of the Thelonious Monk Institute International Piano Competition. In 2020, his piece 11:11 was awarded at the Müpa Budapest Music Competition, in December 2022 he received the Artisjus Prize and in February 2023 the Cziffra Festival Creative Artist Award.
His thinking about music and composition changed fundamentally when he started studying composition at the Liszt Academy in 2020. Compared to the debut album At the back of my mind (2020), Crescendo (2022) is a trace of Krisztián's process of turning from impulsive, instinctive writing to consciousness. Their third full-length album, Music for 24/7, was released in the spring of 2023, featuring one of Britain's emblematic wind sections, TRYPL Horns (Ryan Quigley, Paul Booth, Trevor Mires). The Quartet premiered the new material with this expanded, seven-piece line-up to a full house at the Hungarian House of Music.
Opus Jazz Club
Adventurous European jazz and great Hungarian cuisine in the heart of Budapest
