Karosi plays the Rötha organ, built by Gottfried Silbermann in 1737
The deciding final round of competition was held at St. Thomas’, Bach’s church in Leipzig, on the historic Sauer Organ and the new “Bach Organ,” a modern replica of the instrument Bach himself would have played. The experience of playing in Bach’s church, above his grave, was “spiritual, almost transcendental,” says Karosi.
The competition’s semifinal rounds were held on organs of particular historical significance in surrounding German towns: the monumental Merseberg Cathedral organ, where Liszt and Reubke composed, and a 1737 Gottfried Silbermann organ in Rötha. “These instruments are the ‘Stradivarius’ of organs,” says Karosi. “It was worth going over to Germany just to play on them.”
Karosi performed music by Bach, of course, as well as compositions by Liszt, Reger, and contemporary German composer Steffan Schleiermacher that were inspired by Bach’s music. The distinguished panel of judges was chaired by Masaaki Suzuki, artistic director of the Bach Collegium Japan, and included artists from Europe and South America. Robert Levin of Harvard University’s music department presided over the competition.
Without a doubt, says Karosi, his experiences at Oberlin, where he studied with Professor of Organ James David Christie, were crucial to his success. “The education I received at Oberlin gave me the basis to be able to prepare the demanding program on this level,” he says, citing in particular the “refined touch” he developed by studying on Oberlin’s collection of harpsichords and historically-inspired organs.
“Bálint is one of the most talented students I have had the privilege to teach in my entire career,” says Professor Christie. “When he auditioned for the Artist Diploma program, [fellow organ professor] David Boe wrote on his audition form that Bálint was, without a doubt, the most talented student he had heard in his entire 45-year teaching career at Oberlin.”
Born and raised in Hungary, Karosi currently lives in Boston, where he is music director at the First Lutheran Church of Boston. The church is home to one of the city’s finest tracker organs, built by Richards, Fowkes & Co. in a historical style especially suitable for Bach’s music. Karosi came to America in 2003 to study at Oberlin after earning degrees in clarinet, composition, and organ at Budapest’s Liszt Academy and the Geneva Conservatory.
Even after a grueling 10 days of competition, Karosi says he is “full of energy and enthusiasm” for performing Bach’s music “the way Bach himself intended it.” In September, he returns to Boston, where he will continue to perform Bach’s organ masterpieces in Sunday services and launch a new Bach cantata series, bringing Bostonians a little taste of Leipzig, right in the Back Bay.
