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Zsuzsa Koncz

About:

7 March 1946

Szusza grew up in the town of Pély). At the start of the '60s, the Hungarian Television televised amateur contest called, 'Ki Mit Tud?' (What can you do?) She appeared with her high school classmate, Ágnes Gergely. After this appearance on TV, Zsuzsa Koncz was called by then amateur band Omega, followed by Illés and finally Metro with whom the following years she performed and joined with in her career pursuits. Eventually she recorded with Illés the single ‘Rohan az Idő’ which would become one of the first hits in Hungarian. In the following year (1967) she appeared in the Illés project called ‘Ezek a fiatalok’ (These Are the Youth). The movie was an attempt to make the general audience better acquainted with the youth culture of the time. Not also being a milestone in Hungarian rockmusic the project also gave Zsuzsa the opportunity to present herself to a broad audience. This enabled her to record her debut album released in 1968. In the lyrics she sung she often took a critical approach which would prove to form a difficulty as her career and popularity grew. In'73, the authorities had enough and for unexplained ‘political reasons’ ‘Jelbeszéd’ was banned. There was an official hearing to determine whether or not Zsuzsa Koncz as well as lyricist, János Bródy (former Illés and now working with his band Fonográf) may continue to freely express themselves. Eventually they could continue expanding Zsuzsa’s fame in the 1970s. She made several successful tours abroad, mainly in Central European countries as well as in West Germany (sometimes under the names Shusha Koncz and Jana Koncz in German-speaking countries), but also in France, the U.S., and Japan. With songs like 'A Kárpáthyék lánya', 'Ha én rózsa volnék', and 'Valahol egy lány' she became very popular with the Hungarian public. In 1977 she receives the Franz Liszt Prize for her work until then.

The start of the 80's her relationship with songwriter János Bródy cools a little also when his band Fonográf is ceasing to exist. After this, her albums are no longer presenting individual orchestral ensembles (at first, they were produced in the rehearsal rooms of Illés, and Fonográf). Expanded are the responsibilities of the producers while the cast of the musicians list is made longer. She starts working with young producers amongst which Tibor Bornai (KFT) who later takes over the role of László Tolcsvay and until the end of the 90's. At the start of the '80s, new members join the cast among whom is Tibor Bornai (KFT) who later takes over the role of László Tolcsvay and until the end of the 90's, and directs the music (on both recordings and concerts as one of the composers of the performed titles). While their first joint work was ‘Újhold’, the real true success was with the 1988 album ‘Fordul a világ’ which received much critical acclaim and commercial success. In 1989 she releases an album based on poems of classical and contemporary poets. During the Nineties Koncz only releases two studio albums but appears every year for a concert series at the Budapest Sports Arena, thus securing her popularity. In the new millennium she releases two projects around poetry of which one is fully dedicated to József Attila to commemorate his birth date in 1905.

In 2001 she becomes a French Legion Knight of Hungary. Which is doubled in 2008 by the highest cultural award in Hungary, the Kossuth Prize.

On the web:

- Zsuzsa's website: http://www.konczzsuzsa.hu/

If you like this, you probably like... / european counterparts:

Ornella Vanoni (Italy)

What do we think:

DB: In the beginning you had Zalatnay, Kosacs and Koncz as the female voices of the Hungarian beat-scene. Eventually Zsuzsa turned out to be the constant factor in an ever evolving pop & rock scene. With music that sometimes turned very folky (think the Hungarian Melanie) to uptempo pop-songs. A rich career and an icon in her own country. Every Europop-fan should have at least one album of her in the closet. She hardly made a bad album, a mediocre one at worst.

PR: Zsuzsa is a great vocalist who released many very stylish albums. She reallys developed a style of her own. IN a time that creating music must have been diffucult at some times (due to the political situation back then), she succeeded in building a both commercially and artistically very credible career. After a series of typical sixties and seventies beat pop, she turned towards a new musical direction at the end of the seventies. Integrating more contemporary elements (synths, reggae etc.) she produced some of her best stuff during the eighthies. And even until this date she is the constant female factor on the Hungarian music scene. A great talent and a genuine artist!

Albums:

♪♪♪ - Volt egyszer egy lány - 1969

♪♪♪♪♪ - Szerelem - 1970

♪♪♪♪ - Kis Virág - 1971

♪♪♪ - Élünk és meghalunk - 1972

♪♪♪♪ - Jelbeszéd - 1973

♪♪♪ - Gyerekjátékok - 1974

♪♪ - Kertész leszek (poems) - 1975

♪♪ - Ne vágj ki minden fát! - 1975

♪♪♪ - Koncz Zsuzsa IX…Elmondom hát mindenkinek - 1976

♪♪ - X. - 1977

♪♪♪ - Valahol - 1979

♪♪♪♪ - Menetrend - 1981

♪♪♪ - Újhold - 1985

♪♪♪♪ - Fordul a világ - 1988

Verslemez III (poems) - 1989

Illúzió nélkül - 1991

Jubileumi koncert - 1992

Ne veszítsd el a fejed - 1993

Unplugged I-II. - 1995

♪♪♪ - Miénk itt a tér - 1996

Ég és föld között - 1997

Csodálatos világ (duets) - 1998

Miért hagytuk, hogy igy legyen? - 1999

♪♪♪ - K i nevet a végén - 2002

József Attila verseit énekli Koncz Zsuzsa - 2005

♪♪♪♪ - Egyszerű ez (poems) - 2006

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided