Balázs János wins Cziffra-competition

2012. October 01.

The annual music competition of the Cziffra Foundation was held on 22 September in Senlis, France with János Balázs, Junior Prima-award winning pianist coming out victorious, playing Liszt, Schubert and Cziffra pieces. As he said, the victory means a great deal to him as he has always considered Cziffra one of his role models. His next performance is on 5 October at the Palace of Arts where another one of his old dreams will come true when he plays Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, considered by many to be one of the most difficult works in the history of piano music.

“Playing at the chapel which György Cziffra had renovated and playing for an audience who had the chance to still hear him play was an unbelievable experience. There were some who told me that no one before me had the nerve to play Cziffra pieces here, but I think my boldness paid off,” - said János Balázs. The young pianist triumphed at the International Liszt Competition in Pécs, Hungary at the age of 16, becoming the youngest ever winner in the history of the contest. From this point on his career took off and he has since performed at Europe’s major music centres and performs regularly in New York, Washington, Chicago and Aspen, but has also graced the stage in Japan.
He has played at the Palace of Arts on several occasions and will be performing at the next Symphonic Discoveries night on 5 October with the Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok.
“Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 plays an important role in the movie Shine, which was a defining film for me when I was young. When I saw the movie, I just knew that one day I will be playing this piece. Learning it takes significant effort, but I can hardly wait for the day when I perform it at the wonderful Béla Bartók National Concert Hall” - he added.

1.10.2012