"I think that this is also a credit for the entire Hungarian music industry," the 34-year-old composer told the Hungarian News Agency after receiving the prize at a gala ceremony on Sunday.
Most of the music for The Elephant King, which was written and directed by Seth Grossman and stars Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, was recorded by the Danubia Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian folk musicians at studios in Budapest.
SoundtrackNet, a website for film industry professionals, writes that Balázs's name "has become synonymous with innovative film scoring that is not afraid of taking chances. His distinctive voice, a blend of tradition from his European classical training and his expertise in contemporary electronics, makes him one of the most versatile composers of his generation."
He is also the first Hungarian composer to premiere his work at Carnegie Hall since Béla Bartók premiered his Concerto for Orchestra, January 11, 1944, the website notes. A special piece written by Balázs to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution was performed by there by the Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale on October 15, 2006.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / SoundtrackNet
