.jpg)
Violin / Leader
Violin was selected for me by my mother, who was a piano teacher. I was not sure about that, as I found practice rather boring and very difficult. At the age of twelve my life turned another direction, as I got admitted to the Hungarian Radio Children’s Choir and moved to Budapest with my grandparents. Besides the three-four weekly rehearsals, lasting from 14.30 to 17.30, I was not the least happy when Krisztina Balsai, my teacher started practicing with me almost every night. I suppose it is her merit of me entering the conservatory and became a violinist; if she had not insisted, I would not have practiced on my own every night. As a child, I was often ashamed to play on this instrument; I though a different one, like a guitar or a trumpet, would have fixed me more success in life–including girls.
Years later, I already knew I could not have selected a greater instrument.
Unfortunately, during my academy years, I did not use every opportunity to further development. We even missed important classes, plays which was a convenient decision then, but now I am missing these from my musical culture. It was a strange way of life; the fact that I felt teacher cared only about the best students contributed a lot to it. I had to recognize that I have to modify how things went to be able to change, so I decided to go abroad after graduation. That is how I ended in a private school in Madrid with a scholarship. It turned to be the most definitive period of my life concerning my career, as I had teachers and partners like Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, and John Starker. In the mornings I woke up to the sounds of the Bron student from London practicing, so I also had to join; if he was able to practice scaling, I also must get up and get hold of my violin. Unlike at the Academy, in Madrid all students had the possibility to perform at concerts. For me, it meant strong motivation when people said they trusted meg; I wanted to earn that trust. Madrid opened the world for me, gave me a second chance and confidence.
Together with my wife at that time, who studied viola there, we decided to start a family in Hungary, so, when I asked by the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra to join, we returned to Hungary.
It is a great honor to have been able to play beside János Rolla for eight years. He had such a charisma and energy that still influences me up to this day; not to mention his huge knowledge I tried to learn day after day.
Several years have passed, I worked in other bands, too, as a substitute musician, but the kind of playing I love in chamber music, I have not found elsewhere.
(Notes by Sarolta Gálfi / www.azember.hu)