József Balog Piano Recital A Zeneakadémia saját szervezésű programja

Put simply, he is one of the most talented pianists of his generation. And given that the great Zoltán Kocsis was of the same mind, this is no empty boast. It is no mere accident that Kocsis invited József Balog to play as soloist with the Hungarian National Philharmonic on several occasions. Balog has a huge capacity for work and enormous modesty; he maintains a simply astounding repertoire, as is evident in his piano recital at the Liszt Academy: nearly 300 years separate the opening Rameau piece and the concluding Boulez work. However, he is a unique feature on the modern pianist landscape not merely for the breadth of his repertoire but also because of his particular affinity for ‘specialities’. This is also apparent in this programme, as alongside three frequently played Bartók works there are also rarely heard works from Kodály and Lajtha. If there is yet another thing to add to the commentary about this pianist, it must be his remarkable technical and intellectual virtuosity. Aside from József Balog, there are very few other pianists in the world capable of playing Incises, the 10-minute composition from the pen of Pierre Boulez.