Nicola Lisle talks to 'guitar freaks' the Katona twins ahead of their show at the Sheldonian

The last two CDs released by the Katona Twins could not be a greater contrast — a recording of Bach music last October, and then Guitar Freaks, a classical crossover album, in February this year.

And that just about sums about the eclectic output of Peter and Zoltán Katona, who are as comfortable strumming Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody as they are baroque music or a bit of Spanish flamenco.

“We play a lot of Spanish music because the guitar is a Spanish instrument, so we play a lot of Rodrigo, de Falla and Granados,” says Zoltán . “But we also play a lot of baroque music, because baroque music sounds great on all kinds of instruments! We play arrangements of famous pop songs and some of our compositions as well.”

There won’t be any Queen tomorrow night, but the Hungarian-born twins, now resident in Liverpool, will nevertheless treat Oxford audiences to a varied programme that ranges from Bach and Handel to some of their own compositions and arrangements.

Included in the programme is the English Suite No.3 from their Bach CD, and Peter’s Meditation and Passacaglia from the Guitar Freaks album, as well as some of their favourite Spanish music and their own arrangement of music from Bizet’s Carmen. So how did they decide which pieces to select from their vast repertoire?

“We just select pieces we think will make an interesting programme, so we throw everything in!” says Peter. “And we wanted to put in some pieces from our recent recordings.”

The twins’ interest in music took root in their native Budapest, where they studied guitar from the age of 10, initially at Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music, and later in Frankfurt and the Royal Academy in London. They have since notched up a number of prestigious prizes, but perhaps the most significant career breakthrough was being winners at the Young Concert Artists Trust competition in 1997.

“That was one of the reasons we stayed in the UK, because they started managing us for five years,” says Peter. “Then we won a similar competition in New York, so those two competitions were important in our careers.”

Another significant moment came in 2009 when they were selected as soloists for the Night of the Proms, which saw them playing in major arenas across Europe.

“That was an interesting thing to do because it opened our eyes to other kinds of music,” Peter says. His twin agrees: “That was a great opportunity for us because we could play for huge audiences — 10,000 people a night.”

The Sheldonian may not offer quite the same capacity as those vast arenas, but the brothers are excited about returning to Oxford after a gap of seven years.

“We have been quite busy meanwhile,” Zoltán says. “Since then we’ve recorded quite a few CDs, so that’s exciting. And we’ve changed our style — we stand and sit, and some pieces we play like flamenco players and others are more classical. So we’ve evolved quite a bit since then, I think.”

“I don‘t think we‘ve played at the Sheldonian before,” Peter adds.

“So we’re looking forward to returning, and I hope the audience enjoys it as well.”

Katona Twins
Tomorrow, 7.30pm
Sheldonian Theatre
Tickets: Call 01865 244806 or visit musicatoxford.com