On the occasion of her piano recital at the Liszt Institute London on the 27th May 2025, Alexandra Balog was in conversation with Virág Muzslai.
Virág Muzslai: Hi Alexandra, how are you? How was your week here in London?
Alexandra Balog: It was very nice. I had two concerts; one here, on the new piano, which I really enjoyed, and yesterday at the Roehampton Club, which has a very intimate setting, and it was very nice.
V.M.: Thank you. Yeah. We are, we are quite happy about the new piano. Always, always advertising that we have a lovely piece. So, I wanted to, like, have a short intro or ask you to say a few words. I know it's very ceremonial, but basically, why I want you to have this little chat or little introduction, is because quite a lot has happened recently in your life since you’ve last been here. We haven't even done a video with you. I want to share this with our audience who has known you for a long time. So, what's happened in the last six months? Any big news, any big concerts?
A.B.: Thank you for asking. I guess I know what you’re thinking about that…
V.M.: Maybe…
A.B.: … that I had my debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. A bit more than two weeks ago. And it was a very beautiful experience for me. Both inside and out. That was a very lovely audience. And, since we are in, you know, the Liszt Institute in London, I have to say that the Liszt Institute in New York supported this concert. So, I'm also very thankful for them.
And I was very happy to play the same programme here the other day. And my plan and my dream is to play this programme in several places, countries, and cities around the world. So, I'm working on this.
V.M.: And, do you have any upcoming international concerts? Other than in the US or the UK?
A.B.: Yeah. So tomorrow I'm going to China. I'm going to play… Well, it's going to be a huge tour. China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia are the destinations. And I have a solo programme. I have a chamber programme with a cellist. And I will also play Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto near Shanghai. So that's very exciting.
V.M.: That's lovely. And, so I wanted to ask you about what you said, you know, this chamber music programme. I know that you are quite focused on community and working together with people. Can you tell me a little about how this started and about your current endeavours with Altalena?
A.B.: Yeah. I'll tell you that it's a long story. It started 12 years ago already, which is quite a long time. And it started as a music camp for Hungarians. And then it became an international music camp and a festival because the teachers who were there and the students and we, the organisers, just started to play concerts, of course, in the evenings.
So as time passed, we actually now have two legs, one festival and masterclass in Tuscany, Italy, which, of course, is for me, it's also like a bit of a holiday as well as work. And then we have our original place in Hungary, in Telki, which is just next to Budapest. And both events have really wonderful teachers, actually, many, many teachers come from London, from the Royal Academy, I think, at least four this year.
So it's a lot. And then we have teachers from Budapest, of course. And now we have someone from Lyon, Fabrice Pierre. I think he used to be a visiting professor at the Royal Academy as well. So, it's a very nice hub for musicians like myself or younger.
And our team, the organisers, and we have an ambassador team, which we try to promote this event. So we are like musicians, late 20s, early 30s, like those who are just starting our international career, and, you know, we had to learn a lot. And we visited many masterclasses, and we have a lot of experience, both good and bad.
So, we want to provide something for the next generation where we actually work with all the best ones we've experienced. And something that's very important for me with my own story is to take care of our mental, physical and psychological, and emotional well-being. So that's really the core of the project; we want to create a week for these musicians where they can be free to express, free to share, and hopefully, they don't want to compete as we have to or we do in today’s world.
So, it's something, hopefully something special, which they don't really encounter in many, many places. So that's really my mission to take care of ourselves and learn about techniques, how to practice better, how to perform better. Like a bit of neuroscience. I'm very into this, of course, physical exercises, which are really the key to staying healthy, and then the mental and psychological ones.
V.M.: And, did Altalena come from the need to create a healthier, healthier musicians circle, I would say, or did it come from the need to meet together and to enjoy music, or is it the combination of both?
A.B.: Yes, I think it's a combination of both. Because if it's a very lonely, professional way to be a pianist, if you are part of a chamber group, I think it's different. But if you play like solo and occasionally you play chamber, it's lonely in a way, and yes, probably all of us were longing to like, belong to, to some community, and yes, the health part is something that usually we only realise later, sometimes when there is already a problem. In my case, for example. And, and I wish to help musicians, like, really, as you said, to help create healthy musicians, or, you know, like, that they don't have to go through unnecessary cycles of whatever physical problem they developed, or all of that.
V.M.: My final question would be like, basically, it's two questions.
So, with Altalena, what is the dream you want to achieve, anytime? So, it can be in the near future or later. And also, what is your plan for the upcoming year as a solo artist?
A.B.: Okay. With Altalena, I would be very happy if these two festivals could continue and just, you know, every year become better and better in a way.
I don't want to grow it too big because I think the quantity can really define the quality, in a way, which, if it's too huge, then it's a bit of a risk, I think. But in the quality, I want to, you know, go higher and higher. And of course, as our new name is Altalena Artists Collective. So, it's a group. And it would be wonderful if we could have an ongoing concert, live concert series for Altalena, because every one of us is doing our own things, which is, of course, great. But my dream is to actually have opportunities for our team and then involve the next generation. Because it's very hard to start after you finish school. Many people, very talented people, they don't know what to do. So, there is a huge gap to bridge, I think. So that's really the goal to help the next ones through our own experience.
Regarding my own plans, I will go back to the United States, to New York, for hopefully my Fulbright (Scholarship) year, the final one.
And, I'm really working on finding my balance because I realised that, like such a tour - I'm going to Asia - is not the time for the practice. It’s the time for concerts, and it's a different experience, which, of course, I love. But there have to be months where I'm actually, hopefully, in one place and I'm able to practice, because otherwise, what can I perform?
So, I have to find this way and share my time between the United States and Europe. Because I do have things in Europe. And then, the Asian part is also developing. So, it's a lot to take care of myself, to be able to prepare, on the best level. I cannot always be on the go.
V.M.: So, it's safe to say that you are finding the balance and trying to find a place that is your centre, where you can practice. And then maybe six months of the year or even eight, you can be on tour, but still, you have a station, a centre, a home, basically.
A.B.: Exactly. And mostly, this home has to be inside.
V.M.: Yes. Thank you so much. And thank you so much for this week's concert and also for popping in for this interview. And I really, really hope to see you again soon. Thank you.
A.B.: Thank you.