The piano is not one but a hundred instruments

For Éva Szalai, music education is as equally important as performing in prestigious concert halls, or at the wedding of a prince from the Dutch royal family. In addition to such accolades, the young pianist has already received a number of international awards.

“I have first performed as a soloist with an orchestra in 2004 when I was still in high school. The Symphonic Orchestra of Kecskemét has invited outstanding young talents, offering me the opportunity to play Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor accompanied by them. It was a wonderful experience, followed by a wave of incredibly enthusiastic reviews – I was simply over the moon for days”, Éva Szalai recalls the beginnings of her career. The French-Polish composer whose piece she played has stayed with her throughout the years: as a PhD student of the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy, she is writing her thesis on the Chopin-interpretations of French pianist Alfred Cortot. Besides that, her favorite performance and one of her most precious memories was a concert from last year, entitled The Unknown Chopin, at the Music Academy. “I put together the concept and the program. I have enjoyed every note that I played, I felt so at home on stage. I love to play these rarities, because they are beautiful, yet not overly popular.”

When she started planning her first album, choosing ‘unknown’ pieces was again a priority for her. “I can share that I would like to record Romantic song transcriptions that cannot be heard that often. These are not the first pieces that come to mind when you think about Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Grieg or Schumann. Most of them are not even recorded yet, therefore, many of them would have their debut on this album.”

She considers it especially important to distinguish the various layers in a musical work in an almost visible, perceptible way, for the melody to emerge as vocals from the accompaniment, which can sometimes be thought of as a string, a wind or even a plucked string instrument. “The thousands of sounds that can be brought out of the piano are really magical. It is a relatively rigid percussion instrument, but it still has a lot of sounds. According to Anton Rubinstein, the piano is not one, but a hundred instruments. We need to lure these hundred musical instruments out of the black and white monster.”

Éva’s talent has been recognized in several international competitions: she took home the first prize from France in 2008 and 2010, and from Italy in 2016. However, in many respects, she does not like competitive situations. “A contest or a hearing is an artificial situation: you have a few minutes to show every shade of your self. I do not think this is possible, because it inevitably is a simplification, therefore the truth is diminished. I prefer people to spend more time getting to know an artist, another person.” She also thinks of her own qualities as manifesting themselves in the long run. She considers the inherent beauty of the works more important than their immersive virtuosity.

In addition to concerts and international competitions, she and her husband, Endre Tóth regularly hold educational evenings, where the program is accompanied by special stories and talks. They have already organized a sightseeing tour covering the important life events and significant locations of Ferenc Liszt’s life in Budapest. How- ever, in order to be credible, they have to succeed in the professional community, otherwise it is more difficult to reach people. “No matter how good a musician is, if you don’t have professional awards and accolades behind your name, you will unfortunately get fewer opportunities.”

The pianist’s opinion is that traditional concerts and educational programs are two different forums, but she thinks both are equally needed. “Our world has changed and the culture of classical music is increasingly being pushed out of it because it is an experience that requires deep understanding and slowing down. This is why I think it is important to spread the word to bring this genre closer to people who haven’t met it yet. If one is excited to illuminate the background of the musical works and the emotions they express, they can provide an opening for other people and accept the value that classical music carries for them.”