The cover art for this album, titled 'The Morning', is a silk painting by Júlia Balassa.
Performer Biography
The pianist, István Kassai, was introduced to Sándor Balassa's music at age twelve and later won several international piano competitions, including the Paris International Debussy Piano Competition in 1982.
Composition History
The Bagatelles from Balassa's Op. 17 are among his earliest published works, composed around 1953 when he was beginning his university studies.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Sándor Balassa, the composer, considers Robert Schumann's Album für die Jugend and Béla Bartók's Gyermekeknek ('For Children') as his models for less technically demanding piano works intended for piano education.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Sándor Balassa, the composer, believes that the form of a musical piece must be whole, beautiful, interesting, and appealing, permeating the musical material as if it has always existed that way.
Recording & Production
This album is the second volume in a series of recordings dedicated to the complete piano music of Sándor Balassa.
Compositional Technique
Sándor Balassa's piano works include adaptations of pieces originally written for other instruments like harp, cimbalom, and harpsichord, which are performed on the piano on this album.
