Alexandra Balog on the inner landscapes of pianistic music

As part of the international festival “Chopin Piano Fest”, Alexandra Balog performed the recital “Exploring Inner Landscapes”, an artistic concept that, according to her, is built as a journey through the inner world of man. In the Amphitheater of the University Library, the audience was faced with a program that transcended the boundaries of styles. Classic, romanticism and contemporary creativity were in a single narrative line. During her performance in the first part, she said that the entire audience that was present was together and alone at the same time.

From Mozart and Chopin to Liszt, Kodály and contemporary American music, Hungarian pianist Alexandra Balog has brought to Pristina a program that has treated the piano as a tool for reflection and self-discovery. As part of the international festival “Chopin Piano Fest”, she has performed the recital “Exploring Inner Landscapes”, an artistic concept that, according to her, is built as a journey through the inner world of man.

At the University Library Amphitheater, the audience was treated to a program that transcended boundaries and styles. Classicism, romanticism, and contemporary creativity were woven into a single narrative. 
During her performance in the first half, she said that the entire audience present was together and alone at the same time. Together physically, but each one has their own journey within as they listen to her music. 

"The program for me is a historical journey. It's called 'Exploring inner landscapes' and I started this program exactly a year ago, in New York at 'Carnegie Hall', and then it traveled a little around the world, and this is almost the last concert, so next week in Paris will be the last concert of this concert series. This means for me an inner journey, because I think that listening to classical music can really help us reflect on what we have inside, and through this we can connect better with the world, because we all have our own journey, but we are still together in this house, so thank you very much again and enjoy the concert", she said on stage. 

The program opened with a selection from “Seven Pieces, Op.11” by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály. These piano miniatures combine folkloric motifs and the characteristic lyricism of one of the most important names in Hungarian music of the 20th century. Balog has treated them with particular sensitivity, highlighting their intimate character and rich melodic shades.
From the atmosphere of Kodály, the musical journey has moved to Mozart’s “Fantasia in C minor, K.475”, one of the most dramatic works in his pianistic repertoire. In Balog’s interpretation, the strong emotional contrasts and unexpected harmonic turns have taken the form of a continuous dialogue between tension and calm.

One of the most special moments of the evening was the performance of Chopin's "Nocturne in C minor, Op.48 No.1." For pianist Balog, the connection to this music is personal.

"These are really meaningful works for me. All in different ways. Some of them are older and I've even studied them for ten years or something like that and some of them are newer and connected to a specific feeling. For example, 'Nocturne in C minor' by Chopin. I think all of these works are emotionally deep and that's what I like. I prefer music that has a lot of depth and meaning. It gives you the opportunity to think more about the world, yourself inside and about society and everything in essence. I travel myself every time I play this program," the pianist said.

She also performed Franz Schubert's "Hungarian Melody", a short piece but with special weight in her repertoire.

"This was Schubert's Hungarian melody, which is a very sweet, short piece, very Hungarian. I really like how Schubert expressed something deeply Hungarian in a very subtle way in the music. And actually this short piece, it's about 3-4 minutes. This is the underlying theme of a big piece that he composed for a duo that were Hungarian sisters. It's a big piece, about 25 minutes, and this theme is in that piece. So, it's really connected. I really like this piece," the pianist explained.

Although the announced program included the sonata "The Curve" by composer Noah Max, Balog has instead brought the work "Love Letter" by American composer Joan Tower, as well as another untitled work of hers that was world premiered and was written especially for her. She has shown that the connection with these works is completely personal.

"This work is very personal because she composed this music for me and I simply cannot describe it in words," Balog said. 

But before performing Tower's work, he also performed one of Chopin's mazurkas, as an added work to the planned program. 

The recital concluded with Franz Liszt's "Vallée d'Obermann", one of the most monumental works of the pianistic romanticism. Inspired by the philosophical and existential research of the 19th century, the work served as the natural culmination of a program built on the idea of ​​inner reflection.

The festival's artistic director, pianist Lejla Pula, described Balog's performance as one of the special events of the edition.

"I am very pleased with the presentation and very beautiful performance of a relatively young artist from Hungary, who has just completed her post-graduate studies in America. She has returned directly to Pristina after several concerts she has held in Hungary," she said. 

He considered her a pianist with refined musicality. 

"It created a very beautiful atmosphere in the hall. It was a slightly different performance. Each recital brought its own colors with a special flavor. There were works by Mozart, Liszt, Schubert, Chopin, and even some modern composers like Zoltan Kodaly, who is a legend of Hungarian pianism, but also two very beautiful works by the American composer. We are very happy about this collaboration, we hope it will continue. She played extremely beautifully," Pula continued. 

Alexandra Balog belongs to the new generation of Hungarian pianists with an international career. After studying in Hungary, she completed her postgraduate studies in the United States of America and has appeared on renowned concert stages, including Carnegie Hall in New York. Her repertoire covers a wide stylistic range, from Mozart and Schubert to contemporary composers, paying special attention to the music of our time.

In Pristina, beyond a piano recital, he has also brought an artistic concept built as a reflection on the inner world. This is precisely the approach he brought with the concert "Exploring Inner Landscapes".