Violinist
Zsolt Kalló is a major force in the historical performance movement in his native Hungary. The founder of the
Authentic Quartet and the director of the chamber orchestra
Capella Savaria, he has also performed as a concertmaster or soloist with a variety of other ensembles.
Kalló was born in Győr in northwestern Hungary, between Budapest and Vienna, on March 6, 1967. He enrolled at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary's premier music school, in 1985, studying there with Eszter Perényi and graduating with honors in 1990.
Kalló went on for further studies at the Salzburg Mozarteum with famed violinist
Sándor Végh. After completing his studies, he performed with a variety of early music ensembles, including Sonora Hungarica,
Concerto Armonico, and the
Orfeo Ensemble. As his solo career grew, he was often featured on Hungarian radio and television. At a time when historically oriented performances were fairly rare in Hungary, he founded several influential groups, Trio Antiqua and then, in 2002, the
Authentic Quartet, of which he remains the first violinist. The latter group has appeared at the Haydn at Esterháza Festival and has recorded world premieres of various Classical-era quartets, including those by
Beethoven's teacher Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Joseph Wölfl, and Franz Krommer. Later,
Kalló became director of
Capella Savaria, which is based in Szombathely (and bears the Roman name of that city) and has performed across Europe; he continues to hold that position.
Kalló has made various recordings with
Capella Savaria for the
Hungaroton label, beginning with an album of Telemann violin concertos in 1995. These have included not only Baroque and Classical-era works but also a performance of the
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, and Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 90 ("Italian"). In 2020,
Kalló and
Capella Savaria, under conductor
Nicholas McGegan, issued a new recording of
Mozart serenades.
Kalló has taught at Szombathely Conservatory of Music, the Tibor Varga Institute of Musical Arts, and István Széchenyi University.