Romanian Pianist Breaks World Record Hitting a Single Piano Key 

Thurzó Zoltán has made history for the most times a piano key is hit in 30 seconds with a new world record of 500 times

At a recent special concert, the Romanian concert pianist Thurzó Zoltán set a new world record for most piano strikes in half a minute hitting the piano key 500 times in 30 seconds.

This is Zoltán’s fourth Guinness World Records title and was achieved in memory of his mother Thurzó Margit Terézia, who passed away a year earlier at age 77, Zoltán posted on Facebook.

Previously, the same record title was held by Keita Hattori of Japan, who reached 495 piano key hits in 30 seconds in December 2023. 

Once Zoltán’s new Guinness title is certified, he will become the only musician in the world with four world record titles. According to Romania-Insider, his documentation of the record will be sent to the Guinness World Records headquarters in London this week.

To complete the feat, Zoltán chose the last note of the piano, C, which he struck 16.6 times per second with alternating hands. 

“It took a lot of time before I developed both hands to this level, I stopped practicing only when I was close to tendinitis in order to rest for a few days,” he told Blikk. “It is true that I can play fast, since certain pieces of music require speed, but only for a few seconds, which is not the same. Before setting the record, I even stretched my wrists, because that way the blood and oxygen are pumped to my fingers faster ... I learned this trick from the athletes.”

Zoltán’s current official Guinness World Records include “The highest altitude grand piano performance” in 2022, when he performed at the Mount Everest Base Camp, in Nepal, in June in his “Hymn on High” concert project. 

For 132 minutes, he played at an altitude of 5325.77 meters, at a temperature between +1.0°C and +3.0°C. During that time, he played 37 pieces of classical music and the national anthems of 26 different countries. 

Additionally, from September 19–25, 2022, he achieved the record for the “Longest marathon playing keyboard/piano by an individual” only 105 days after the previous record holder. 

In June 2024, he broke his own 2022 record for “The highest altitude grand piano performance” at the top of the Umling La Pass in India, Ladakh region, in a concert titled “Hymn on High 2 — Genesis.”

He performed the concert at a height of 19,024 feet/5798.51 meters for 31 minutes and 42 seconds at the freezing temperatures of -10°C to -13°C. He played piano works by Azarashvili, Enescu, Babadjanyan, Elgar, Chopin, Beach, and Liszt, plus the national anthems of 4 countries. 

Hailing from a musical family, Zoltán aims to establish a music history museum in Orych for his family’s cultural heritage and hopes to contribute to the project with his Guinness World Records.

“The three records so far have caught the attention of others and opened doors that are otherwise difficult to get through,” Zoltán told Krónika. “They started a process of inquiry and support, because people did not know what kind of treasure the family possessed.”

“Maybe it sounds strange, but records in themselves mean nothing to me. With these commitments, I would like to draw attention to my work,” he added in Blikk. “I was born in Nagyvárád, where I would like to create a private music museum from my own pocket. However, I can raise the necessary amount for its opening through invitations from abroad.”