Pianists
![Aleksandra Mikulska](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/mikulska.jpg "Aleksandra Mikulska ~ Pianist
Sensitivity, musical expression and a flawless, transparent technique: Aleksandra Mikulska embodies to the highest degree all of these qualities once demanded by Chopin himself. Teachers, critics, members of the jury as well as audiences all unanimously agree on this. For a long time now Aleksandra Mikulska has not only distinguished herself through her very own, extraordinarily genuine interpretation of Chopin, which won her the prestigious special award as best Polish female pianist at the International Frédéric Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2005 and ensured an enthusiastic reception of her début Chopin CD in 2010. With her 'passionate' and 'enrapturing' performances of Haydn, Beethoven and Chopin, she presented audiences at the Lake Constance Festival in 2010 and 2011 with some of the "finest hours of piano music".
Attending the class for gifted children at the Karol Szymanowski Music High School in Warsaw, gaining several promotion awards from the Polish government as well as winning prizes at international competitions laid the groundwork for the top-class international training of the young pianist.
Even while still at grammar school, Aleksandra Mikulska was already being coached by Peter Eichler in Mannheim, and, after gaining her high-school diploma, she continued to study with him at the Karlsruhe Academy of Music. Parallel to her studies there, international masterclasses with Diane Andersen and Lev Natochenny amongst others provided further stimuli. After graduating with honours she moved to the piano academy "Accademia Pianistica incontri col maestro" in Imola, Italy, the land of music, where she was coached mainly by Lazar Berman and Michael Dalberto till 2008. From 2006 she also worked with Prof. Arie Vardi at the Hanover Academy of Music, where she gained her concert diploma in 2010.
Aleksandra Mikulska unites the three musical traditions of Poland, Germany and Italy in a unique, personal and unmistakable style. She is a frequent guest at international festivals such as the Lake Constance Festival, the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts, the piano cycle 'Musik am Hochrhein' (Switzerland), the Merano Festival in Italy and the Lapland Piano Festival. Furthermore, she also gives solo recitals all over Europe and performs with orchestras in Germany, Italy and Belgium.
One focus of her artistic efforts is the dissemination of music by the great composers of her native country. Aleksandra Mikulska is vice-president of the Chopin Society in the Federal Republic of Germany in Darmstadt and board member of the German-Polish Association of Baden-Württemberg. Furthermore, she is a member of the Karol Szymanowski Society in Zakopane (Poland) and has close ties with the music society De Musica in Warsaw and the German-Polish Cultural Society 'Salonik'.
Her recording début in 2010 was devoted to the works of Frédéric Chopin. In the Autumn of 2011 Aleksandra Mikulska published her second CD with the title "Expressions" including works by Haydn, Szymanowski und Chopin. Both recordings enjoyed great popularity with audiences and the specialist press. Meanwhile she has presented her third album which includes Chopin's four ballades.
In March 2014 Aleksandra Mikulska was voted as president of the "Chopin Society in the Federal Republic of
Germany e.V." (Translation: Jill Rabenau)")
![Andrei Gavrilov](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/andrei_gavrilov.jpg "Andrei Gavrilov ~ Pianist
Andrei Gavrilov was born in Moscow in September 1955 into an artistic family; his father was a great Russian painter, his mother a pianist. In 1961 at the age of 6 he entered the famous Moscow Central Special Music School which produced all Russian stars. In 1974 at the age of 18 Andrei Gavrilov won the first prize at the famous Tchaikovsky competition. In the same year he made his international triumphant debut at the Salzburg Festival, where he replaced Sviatoslav Richter. Since that time he enjoyed a distinguished international career which has included many of the world´s greatest orchestras. Gavrilov made his London debut in 1976 with Paavo Berlund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in the Royal Festival Hall. From that time on he has become a regular guest in the United Kingdom.
In 1979 Garvrilov performed all over Europe in collaboration with Sviatolslav Richter. Herbert von Karajan invited him for recordings and performances with him and the Berlin Philharmonic. Knowing the political position of Gavrilov, who was opposed to Soviet regime and spoke out his views openly in countless interviews, Brezhnev an Andropov made the decision to put this enormous career to an end. Later Gavrilov discovered that his phisycal elimination was also considered. On December 6th 1979, the day of the concert and recording with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic, which was supposed to be one of the first digital recordings in the world, Gavrilov was stripped of his passport. His telephone was cut off and the Soviets didn't even inform Mr. Karajan that Gavrilov would not appear in Berlin.
Karajan was waiting for him for four hours to rehearse and then cancelled the concert which caused a big scandal in former West-Berlin. It was the beginning of a five year deadly confrontation between one man and a totalitarian state. In enormously difficult circumstances, in total loneliness (nobody was allowed to communicate with Gavrilov) he was continuing to practise and working on his musical perfection. He was threatened to be put into psychiatric clinics, being expelled from Moscow etc. During those times there were several attempts to take his life. All this led the musician to severe nervous disorder and after several strong attacks of heavy hyperventilation he almost totally lost his ability to move without somebody´s help. He was practically learning to walk a new with the help of a special training system and showed the enormous strength of his character.
In 1984 Gavrilov succeeded to deliver his letter, asking permission to go to the West, directly to Gorbatchev, who by that time was practically ruling the country. In the same year he was allowed to visit London twice, where he played enormously difficult programmes and made many recordings. In February 1985 he again went to London for recording sessions and through private sources started to negotiate with Gorbatchev the fact that he had to stay in the West for the rehabilitation of his health which was in serious danger and try to rebuild his ruined career.
He succeeded to convince Gorbatchev. At the same time Gavrilov was asking Gorbatchev to not allow Russian bureaucracy to provoke him to make any political statement like political asylum or defection. The dream of Gavrilov was to become the first Soviet artist who could freely travel around the world and make this normal for all other Soviet artists. This wish was supported by Gorbatchev, who by that time had become the General Secretary of the Soviet Union. He only asked Gavrilov after some time to come back to Russia, because Gorbatchev badly needed to convince the KGB, that Gavrilov was not a political defector and would keep his word. From 1985 Gavrilov started working hectically on all major western concert platforms.
Based in London he practically spent 1985 and 1986 in the USA because the States was the only country he didn´t visit in the seventies. A huge tour of 52 concerts in USA was already planned in 1980 but due to his ban on travelling this tour was given to several artists including Ivo Pogorelich.
He took New York by storm after his first appearance in Carnegie Hall in June 1985 with an all Chopin programme after which he was proclaimed a “major artist” by Donal Henahan of the New York Times. This debut was followed by huge tours to practically all major cities in the United States. American musical circles were seriously disturbed by the enormous impact of his performance in the USA. New York Times had started polemics about the abnormality of Gavrilov´s success, saying that he was making his career in “cinematic proportions”. This campaign produced a lot of difficulties in getting concerts in the USA for Andrei Gavrilov in the 90ties. At the same time Gavrilov participated in many charity concerts. He was a driving force behind the famous Armenian earthquake concert at the Barbican Hall, which was the first concert dedicated to the victims of the earthquake just three days after the catastrophe. The concert started at 11.30 p.m. and lasted three hours with the participation of Rostropivich and other celebrities. The concert was attended by the Royal Family.
500.000 £ were collected and sent to Armenia. It was a very moving and touching event. The concert was recorded and all records were sold within two days. After the Chernobyl catastrophe Gavrilov was also participating in several concerts dedicated to it. Enormous concert activity combined with almost non-stop recording sessions at EMI studios produced a lot of successful recordings, many of which were awarded with the highest prices.
At the end of 1987 Gavrilov came back to Russia keeping the word given to Gorbatchev. He continued his concert activity from Russia with the same intensity and professionalism. Eventually his dream came true. He had become the first Soviet artist who achieved the possibility to be a free man in the full sense of this word. And after his example all Soviet artists automatically followed. It was a great humanitarian achievement. After one and a half year which Gavrilov had spent in his beautiful villa near Moscow, he came to the conclusion to leave the country in which he had suffered so terribly. His last political wish was to make a example of coming back to his colleagues who were persuaded to immigrate in the sixties and seventies.
Particularly it was a come back of Vladimir Ashkenazy with whom by that time he had been working together in the West and who was his great friend. Gavrilov started a campaign in Russia with the help of TV to prepare the public mind. Then he negotiated with gouverment officials the possibility of Ashkenazy´s appearance in Moscow. It was another humanitarian victory. In November 1989 Ashkenazy came with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to Moscow and played one concert himself and in a second concert Gavrilov accompanied him at the second Piano Concerto of Rachmaninov. This event was recorded and is available on video cassettes and CD. Gavrilov enjoyed sharing beautiful moments with Ashkenazy´s Family who stayed with him in his spacious house.
In December 1989 he felt terribly tired of the political turbulence of ten years of his life into which he was thrown by destiny. He left Russia forever and he wants to dedicate the rest of his life entirely to the art which he couldn´t do because of all above.
Gavrilovs recordings have been awarded several international prizes, including “Gramophone” (1979), Deutscher Schallplattenpreis (1981), Grand Prix International du Disque de L´Acadèmie Charles Crois (1985, 1986), International Record Critics Award (IRCA, 1985). In 1989 he won prestigious Premio Internationale Academia Musicale Chigiana (Siena), which proclaimed him the best pianist of the world of 1989. The jury consisted from major music critics of the world.
In 1995 due to recognition of his contributions to society he was honoured by the Board of International Research of American Biographical Institute (ABI) receiving the "Man of the Year Commermorative Medal", one of the 20th century´s most recognisable award of success "Gold Record of Achievement" and World Life Time Achievement Award.")
![Christoph Soldan](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/soldan.jpg "Christoph Soldan ~ Pianist
The pianist Christoph Soldan (born 1964) studied under the Professors Eliza Hansen and Christoph Eschenbach at the Hamburg Musikhochschule. His break-through to active international concert playing came in a tour with Leonard Bernstein in summer 1989. Of Christoph Soldan, the world-famous director said, "I am impressed by the soulful size of this young musician." Since then, Soldan has played in numerous tours with renowned orchestras across Europe and abroad. In particular, this can be seen in the CD recordings of all of Mozart's piano concertos, which were performed and recorded from 1996 until 2006. A tour of piano evenings took place in Mexico and other countries in Central America in October 1997. In August 1998 he debuted in Salzburg and in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, and in May 1999 in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. In March 2000, there were three piano evenings in Japan. So far, there have been radio and television productions with the Hessische Rundfunk, Deutschlandfunk, SWR, ORF and ZDF. The Bayerische Rundfunk broadcasted his piano evening in the Munich Residenz in October 1998 and his concert in the Bad Brückenau music festival live in 1999. Radio Bremen braodcasted his recital in Bremen in august 2002. Starting in 1996 Soldan was performing all 27 piano concertos by Mozart together with the slovakian chamber orchestra Cappella Istropolitana, the South-West German Chamber Orchestra of Pforzheim and the Silesian Chamber Orchestra Katowice. This cycle of concerts ended in January 2006, performing the concertos for 2 and 3 pianos. Christoph Soldan developed a "pas de deux for piano and Dance", together with his wife, the dancer and choreographer Stefanie Goes. The première took place in Stuttgart in May 2000. In Spring 2001 he participated the Prague Spring Festival accompanied by the slovakian chamber orchestra "Cappella Istropolitana". Two recitals in Hamburg and Berlin were followed by a live-recording of two Mozart piano concertos in the medieval monastery of Maulbronn in september 2002. In January 2004 the première of the new dance project "something about humans and angels" took place in Stuttgart followed by a concert-tour to South Africa. Since 2007 Soldan is working also as a conductor concerning the performances of piano concertos by Bach and Mozart. In the 2015/2016 season, Christoph Soldan will be guesting in Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Slovakia and the United States with various programmes such as recitals, literary concerts, childrens concerts, as soloist with 5 of Mozart's piano-concertos as well as in chamber music programmes with Brahm's piano quintet op. 34. Since 1994 Christoph Soldan was artistic director of the "Schubertiade auf Schloß Eyb". In 2007, together with his wife, Soldan founded a theatre in the north of Baden-Württemberg between Stuttgart and Heidelberg, where all artistic programmes are taking place since then. The German press describes Christoph Soldan as an artist personality who works with the spiritual intensity and soulful dimension of a piece of music, rather than giving a purely technical virtuoso performance. This challenge to music and to himself is rarely seen today.
Links: Website Wikipedia Primephonic Spotify Apple Music & iTunes")
- Vol. 05: The most beautiful Concert Highlights 2002
- Vol. 04: The most beautiful Concert Highlights 2001-2002
- MOZART: All Chamber Piano Concertos
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 11 in F Major, K. 413
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 11 in F Major, K. 413
- Mozart · Piano Concertos Nos. 11 & 12
- MIDNIGHT CLASSICS Vol. 2
- SCHMIDINGER: Concertino for Piano & String Quintet 'a piacere'
- MIDNIGHT CLASSICS Vol. 1
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-Flat Major, K. 449
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 13 in C Major, K. 415
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-Flat Major, K. 449
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 13 in C Major, K. 415
- Piano Concertos by Mozart & Schmidinger
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major, K. 537 "Coronation"
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major, K.453
- MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 "Elvira Madigan"
- Mozart · Piano Concertos II · Nos. 21 & 26
- Mozart · Piano Concertos I · Nos. 17 & 23
![Franz Vorraber](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/franz_vorraber.jpg "Franz Vorraber ~ Pianist & Composer
Born in Graz (Austria), Franz Vorraber has been fascinated by the piano since his early childhood. At the age of seven, he played the organ in church standing up - as he could hardly reach the pedals. At the age of thirteen, he was admitted to the piano class for exceptional students at the Music Conservatory in Graz, also learning the violin. The Viennese School in the tradition of Bruno Seidlhofer and the traditional German school of Wilhelm Kempff, handed down by Joachim Volkmann, dominated his study years. He has won many prizes for his skills on the piano. Here, just some of the awarders: the Austrian Culture Minister, the piano manufacturers Bösendorfer in Vienna and the city of Graz. He also won the Joachim Erhard prize. He completed his studies in Frankfurt and Graz receiving unanimously the highest awards. His greatest project has been the cyclical performance of Robert Schumann's complete piano works in a total of twelve evenings in different cities in Europe and Japan. The press and the public have repeatedly acclaimed him as one of the most important interpreters of Schumann in our times. He has recorded these works on a series of thirteen CDs for which he was awarded Austrian Broadcasting's Pasticcio prize in 2006. Despite all these prizes, other criteria are pivotal in Franz Vorraber's concerts: his enormous expressive force as a musician and his ability to expose the essential core of the music fascinate his public. He leaves his listeners emotionally moved. Since his debut in Tokyo at the age of 19, he has received many invitations to almost all the European countries, America and Japan, where he also holds master classes.
Links: Website Wikipedia Primephonic Spotify iTunes
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- Piano Variations by Mendelssohn, Mozart & Vorraber
- Intime Träumerey · German Lyrics & Music for Piano
- Variations by Mendelssohn, Mozart & Vorraber
- VORRABER: Concerto Classico for Piano & String Orchestra, Op. 37
- CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11
- HAYDN: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Hob. XVIII:4
- MIDNIGHT CLASSICS Vol. 2
- Grand Piano Masters ~ Sentences of Love
- Franz Vorraber & Peter Härtling · Sätze von Liebe
- SCHUBERT: Wanderer Fantasy Opus 15
- SCHUBERT: Wanderer Fantasy, Op. 15
- SCHUBERT: Four Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899
- Grand Piano
- Impromptu
- Grand Piano Masters · Impromptu
- BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"
- BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2/2
- BRAHMS: Variations for Piano in D Major, Op. 21
- BRAHMS: 8 Pieces for Piano, Opus 76
- Grand Piano Masters · Passione
- MIDNIGHT CLASSICS Vol. 2
- BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 23 "Appassionata"
- Passione
- Grand Piano Masters · Appassionata
![Magdalena Müllerperth](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/muellerperth.jpg "Magdalena Müllerperth ~ Pianist
The German pianist Magdalena Müllerperth excited audiences in many concerts in Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Austria, The Czech Republic, France and Switzerland and was also invited to perform in Russia, Ukraine and the USA. In 2008 she performed there as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra in Minneapolis. With an impressive recital program she gave her debut recital in 2009 at the Klosterkonzerte Maulbronn and the Liederhalle Stuttgart, Germany. In 2011 she performed Gershwins 'Rhapsody in Blue' at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.
Magdalena Müllerperth, born in 1992 in Maulbronn, Germany, began piano lessons at the age of five. When she was seven, she became a student, and in 2003 junior student at the University of Music Karlsruhe, of the renowned Prof. Sontraud Speidel. From 2007 until 2010 she studied with Prof. Alexander Braginsky at Hamline University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. At the moment she is a student of the pianist Jerome Rose at Mannes College - The New School of Music in New York City.
Since 1999, she earned many international prizes and awards, amongst others the First Prize at "Les Reoncontres Internationales des Jeunes Pianistes" in Belgium (2002), the First Prize and Premio della Critica (RAI) at the Concorso Europeo di Musica "Pietro Argento" in Italy (2004), a First Prize at the national competition "Jugend musiziert" (2005) and the First Prize at the Minnesota Orchestra, Young People's Symphony Concert Auditions in Minneapolis, USA (2008). Since 2007 Magdalena Müllerperth is "Youth Ambassadress of Music" of her hometown Maulbronn.
For her outstanding achievements Magdalena Müllerperth was awarded scholarships from the Mayer Foundation, the Karin Riese Foundation, "Lichtenberger Musikpreis", the Kunststiftung Baden-Wuerttemberg, the Foundation Deutsches Musikleben and the Richard Wagner Association.")
![Patricia Hase](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/patricia_hase.jpg "Patricia Hase ~ Pianist
Bridging distances, bringing music closer to the people in a completely natural intimate way - these are the strengths of the pianist Patricia Hase, born in 1989 in Wiesbaden. Educated in one of the talent-hotbeds of the international piano elite at the Hanover University for Music, Drama and Media in the studio of Matti Raekallio, the young musician has set for herself the task of establishing through her music the connections between highly intellectual works of Western culture and the everyday life of the listener. In doing so she captivates with her warm sound, profound interpretations, and mature virtuosity. In addition to her pet project, the interpretation of the works of Franz Schubert which are celebrated by the press and public, Patricia likes to forge a bridge between "past" and "present", such as this recording, which ranges from the 1770-born Ludwig van Beethoven to Galina Ustvolskaya, who died in 2006.
"Through music we have the opportunity to remind ourselves of the good things in life,
experience lightness and joy, but also come to terms with sorrow
and may even find answers to the big questions.
And this is exactly why I love it, the music!"
>>> Read an interview with Patricia Hase on Primephonic.
Translation by Catie Leigh Laszewski
´")
![Rolf Plagge](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/plagge.jpg "Prof. Rolf Plagge ~ Pianist
In July 1990 Rolf Plagge became the first German pianist ever to win a prize in the prestigious Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition. He had already been awarded numerous prizes in national and international competitions in Vienna, Bratislava, Montevideo, Bonn, and several times in Italy. In 1987 he won the 3rd prize in the esteemed 'Reine Elisabeth' Competition in Brussels and has since been a frequent performer in Belgium. Rolf Plagge is regularly performing in many European countries, including Russia, as well as in the US and Latin America, Japan, South Korea, South East Asia, Australia. Apart from giving solo performances with various German orchestras (State Symphony Orchestra of Thuringia, Bochum Symphonic Orchestra, Bremen Philharmonic, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Rheinische Philharmonie, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz etc.) as well as with international orchestras, including Baltic Philharmonic, Filharmonia Narodowa Warschau, Orchestre National de France; Polish Chamber Philharmonic, Salt Lake City Symphony Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta, Orchstre National de Belgique etc.
Plagge was born in 1959 in Westerstede, North Germany, where he received his first piano lessons at home. By 1969 he was studying at the Bremen Conservatory with Prof. Peter-Jürgen Hofer. After winning several prizes and scholarships he continued his studies with various famous teachers: in Freiburg with Vitaly Margulis, in Vienna with Paul Badura-Skoda, at the Juilliard School in New York with Gyorgy Sandor and finally in Hannover with Karlheinz Kämmerling. Since 1991 he is holding a teaching position as professor at the University of Music "Mozarteum" in Salzburg, also giving piano masterclasses in Europe and many other countries, including US, South America, Japan, Korea, Australia.")
- SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata No. 16 in A Minor, Op. 42, D. 845
- MOZART: Piano Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332
- Vol. 08: The most beautiful Concert Highlights 2005-2006
- RACHMANINOFF: Russian Rhapsody for 2 Pianos
- Ysaÿe: Variations for 2 Pianos, Op. 10
- BRAHMS: Variations for 2 Pianos, Op. 56b
- SCHUMANN: Carnaval for Piano
- SCHUMANN: Carnaval for Piano, Op. 9 "Little Scenes on Four Notes"
- Grand Piano Masters · Carnaval
![Ron Abramski](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/ron_abramski.jpg "Ron Abramski ~ Pianist
Ron Abramski studied under Ryszard Bakst at the Chethams School of Music in Manchester. During this time at the age of 14 he performed the Chopin Piano Concerto Nr. 1 in e minor with the Chethams Chamber Orchestra and gave a private concert for Witold Lutoslawski of Lutoslawskis Piano Concerto, after which Lutoslawski proclaimed him as a "great Talent". In 1993 during his time at Chethams and later at the Guildhall school of Music in London he studied with Maria Curcio a former student of Artur Schnabel, the following year he was invited to perform in the Musique de Chambre à l'Empéri Festival in Salon de Provence, France. In 1996 he performed as soloist in both the Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican Centre in London playing the "Carneval of the Animals" and in 1998 he was a piano finalist in the BBC Young Musicians competition. In 1999 he performed Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques as part of "Visions: The Music of Olivier Messiaen" festival and made his Wigmore Hall recital debut as a winner of the Worshipful Company of Musicians "Maisie Lewis Young Artists Awards". Mr. Abramski has received scholarships from the KPMG/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund and the Hattori Foundation. As the winner of the Yehudi Menuhin/English Speaking Union Scholarship 2000 for the Banff Centre for the Arts, he recently performed in Canada's Banff Arts Festival, and received a standing ovation. Mr. Abramski was selected as a winner of the 2001 UK Making Music Young Concert Artist Awards and performed numerous concerts throughout the UK since. From 2001 to 2003 he studied privately with Cristina Ortiz in London and since April 2005 he is a student of Prof. Dr. h.c. Fany Solter at the University of Music, Karlsruhe, Germany.")
![Severin von Eckardstein](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/eckardstein.jpg "Severin von Eckardstein ~ PianistSeverin von Eckardstein was born in 1978 in Düsseldorf, Germany. He took his first piano lessons when he was six years old. At the age of 12 he was accepted into Barbara Szczepanska's young talent class at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Dusseldorf. During his school years, von Eckardstein continued his piano studies in Hannover and in Salzburg with Karl-Heinz Kaemmerling. After his graduation from high school, he attended the Universität der Künste, Berlin, to take lessons with Klaus Hellwig. Following his degree in 2002, he continued his studies also at the International Piano Academy Lake Como, Italy.
Von Eckardstein won numerous competitions, both national and international ones. Among these are the Hamburg Steinway Competition (1st prize in 1990), the Incontro Internazionale Giovani Pianisti in Italy (1st prize in 1991), the Feruccio-Busoni Competition in Bozen (1998), and the ARD Competition in Munich (2nd prize in 1999). In 2000, von Eckardstein received the third prize and in addition the special prize for best interpretation of contemporary music at the Leeds International Piano Competition. Many of the music critics that were present at the time, unanimously chose Severin von Eckardstein as their winner.
In June 2003 Severin von Eckardstein won the first prize at the highly prestigious international Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. During the final round of the competition, he gave a phenomenal performance of works by Beethoven and Prokofiev. This combination certainly shows the amazing versatility of this young master pianist.
Meanwhile he has played on many great stages in the world. Among others he gave highly appreciated concerts in Berlin, Munich, London, New York, Miami, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Seoul. Prestigious festivals invited him, such as "Klavier Festival Ruhr", the "Aldeburgh Festival", "La Roque d'Anthéron" in France and the "Gilmore Festival", Michigan/USA.
Having participated several times in the series "Meesterpianisten" in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, von Eckardstein just opened the Jubilee Concert of this top-class piano series which has been existing for 25 years by now.")
![Wolfgang Manz](https://www.releases.kuk-art.com/sites/default/files/category_pictures/manz.jpg "Prof. Wolfgang Manz ~ Pianist
Wolfgang Manz, born in 1960, is prizewinner of many prestigious international piano competitions such as Leeds (1981) and Brussels (Concours Reine Elisabeth, 1983), the first time that a German pianist won 2nd prizes in these competitions, furthermore winner of the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Prize Berlin 1980, 2nd prize at the National German Music Competition in Bonn 1982 and a jury discretionary award in the 1989 Van Cliburn International Pianoforte Competition in Texas/USA. Manz has been influenced by two very different traditions, by the Czech pianist Drahomir Toman, a representative of the Eastern European school originating from Theodor Leschetizky, whereas he adapted elements of the German tradition at the renowned University of Music at Hanover in the class of Prof. Karlheinz Kämmerling.
Since his success at famous competitions Wolfgang Manz has been much in demand as soloist with orchestras, in solo recitals and chamber music. His repertoire includes more than 50 concertos with orchestra and an extensive solo and chamber music programme ranging from Bach to Contemporary Music. In the 80-ies he performed with well-known orchestras and conductors, particularly with British orchestras as the English Chamber, Royal Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra (appearance at the London "Prom" concerts 1984 with Brahms 1st piano concerto).
Manz was soloist with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the "Radiophilharmonie" Hanover, the "Orchestra of the Beethovenhalle" Bonn, the Düsseldorf Symphony and the Munich Chamber Orchestra, over the last 5 years with German orchestras in Nuremberg, Rostock, Göttingen, Halle, Baden-Baden and Bielefeld. In 2005 he was soloist at the renowned "Festival d´Echternach" in Luxemburg with Mendelssohn`s first piano concerto.
Recital tours took him to cultural centres such as Cologne (Philharmonie), Berlin (Philharmonie), Hamburg (Laeiz-Hall), Munich (Herkulessaal), Salzburg (Festspielhaus), Frankfurt (Alte Oper), Brussels (Palais des Beaux-Arts), London (South Bank), Tokyo (Suntory Hall), Moscow (Conservatory), Santiago de Chile (Teatro municipal) and recently to Amsterdam (december 2011, Concertgebouw).
A couple of CD productions with Wolfgang Manz are available on the market : ARTE NOVA (Brahms piano concertos), CHANDOS Records (Dohnanyi piano quintet with the Gabrieli string quartet) and TELOS Records (Brahms late piano pieces and concertos for piano and orchestra, solo recital with Schumann, Liszt, Debussy), THOROFON (pieces by Schubert, Liszt. Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninov s piano duet for 4 hands and 2 pianos) and TELOS (Beethoven-Liszt 9th symphony and Russian Music for 2 pianos). In 2011 Manz recorded a Franz Liszt recital programme for TELOS records.
Together with his compatriote Rolf Plagge - also prizewinner at the Concours Reine Elisabeth in Brussels - Wolfgang Manz founded a piano duet (Duo Reine Elisabeth) in 1988 which has performed frequently in Europe as well as in South America (Chile) and Central America (Mexico).
Since 1986 Wolfgang Manz is regularly involved in ballet productions at the opera houses in Zurich, Leipzig , Munich, Berlin, Dresden and Karlsruhe, where he takes an important function as piano soloist in choreographies by Uwe Scholz (Rachmaninow 3rd piano concerto , Mozart "Jeunehomme" concerto KV 271, and Bartok 1st piano concerto , Ballet Leipzig), John Neumeier (Chopin in "Kameliendame" with the Bavarian State Ballet Munich) and Davide Bombana (Strawinsky "Sacre du printemps" in a version for 2 pianos at the "Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe") and Jörg Mannes (Ravel concerto for the left hand - with the Bavarian State Ballet Munich).
Apart from his career as soloist Wolfgang Manz has gained much recognition as pedagogue. He has given masterclasses in Belgium, Austria and South Corea. From 1994-1998 Manz held a teaching position at the University of Music at Karlsruhe. In 2000 Manz was guest professor at the Ferris – University in Yokohama / Japan. In the same year he was appointed ordinary professor for piano at the University of Music Nürnberg-Augsburg (from 2008 Stately University of Music Nürnberg). In november 2011 Manz was appointed "guest visiting professor" at the Leeds College of Music in Britain.
Wolfgang Manz is recently sought after as jury member in national and international piano competitions, for example at the German National Music Competition in Bonn (2001), at the Walter Gieseking piano competition in Saarbrücken (2007), at the International Competition for Young Pianists Ettlingen (2006 und 2010), at the Rachmaninow competitions in Moscow and Darmstadt (2008), and at the 2009 and 2011 Georges Enescu - Competition in Bucarest.
Many of his students have already won major prizes at international piano competitions such as Leeds, Hongkong (Sunghoon Kim) , Rhodes International Competition (Soyeon Kim) , "Tomassoni"/ Cologne (Jin Sang Lee) , Luis Sigall / Chile (Jung Eun Kim) , Wiesbaden, Porto (Konstantin Semilakovs) , Vienna Beethoven Competition and Cleveland 2011 (Alexander Schimpf) .
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The list of pianists and all releases performed by them
