Obituary
Frigyes Hidas (1926–2007)
Photo: Stormworks Europe
The Hungarian composer and first President of the Hungarian WASBE Section, Frigyes Hidas, died in Budapest on 7 March 2007. He was associated with WASBE from the beginning, having composed the WASBE Fanfare for the 1st WASBE Conference in Skien, Norway in 1983.
Hidas was born in Budapest on 25 May 1928. Following his studies in composition at the Budapest Academy of Music from 1946 to 1951, he served as Music Director for the Budapest National Theater from 1951 to 1966. From 1974 to 1979, he was Music Director of the Budapest Operetta Theater.
Encouraged by László Marosi, he began composing for wind band in 1980. His wind band music came to attention of the international wind community when Edition Musica Budapest displayed his works at The International Conference for Symphonic Bands & Wind Ensembles at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in 1981.
He was a prolific composers who wrote operas, ballets, concertos, orchestra music, and a great amount of chamber music as well as music for films, television and theater productions. His compositions for wind band/ensemble include: Ballet Music, Capriccio, Circus Music, Concertino for Wind Band, Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble, Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Symphonic Band, Concerto for Symphonic Band, Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Symphonic Band, Concerto No. 2 for Oboe and Wind Ensemble, Concerto Semplice for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble, the ballet suite Coriolanus, Double Concerto for Oboe and Bassoon and Wind Ensemble, Flute Concerto No. 2, Fantasy and Fugue, Fantasy for Cello and Wind Ensemble, Fantasy for Symphonic Band, Farewell, Festive Music, Folksong Suite No. 1, Folksong Suite No. 2, Laudate Dominum for Choir, Organ and Symphonic Band, Magical Oregon, Merry Music, Missouri Impression, Requiem for SATB Soloists, Choir and Symphonic Band, Rhapsody for Bass Trombone, Quintetto concertante for Brass Quintet and Wind Band, the symphony Save the Sea, Sax Fantasy for Alto Saxophone and Symphonic Band, Saxophonia for Alto Saxophone and Symphonic Band, Sprightly Tunes, Suite for Wind Band, Swiss Rhapsody, Symphonic Movement, Te Deum for 3 Solo Voices, Choir and Wind Band, Tuba Concerto, Tutti Frutti, The Undanced Ballet, Violina for Solo Violin and Wind Ensemble, and Vjenne.
His musical style is well grounded in the Romantic tradition. In fact, Hidas said of himself, “I am the last Hungarian Romantic composer!” His wind band music is a nice fusion of Romanticism, folk music and theater music.
He was a jovial person, who enjoyed life to its fullness. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him personally.