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MICHAEL BOREK |
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BIOGRAPHY / PRESS |
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During my childhood I grew up with the music of
composers such as Bartók, Bloch, Chopin, Satie
and Stravinsky, but also jazz musicians like
Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, The Modern Jazz
Quartet or Miles Davis. At the age of 12 -I had already been playing piano for 6 years- I discovered Keith Jarrett, and the encounter with his compositions and improvisations induced a fundamental change in my musical and pianistical development. Keith Jarrett's music corresponded closely (and it still does) to my inner conception of the quintessence of a synthesis between jazz and classic, because it carried the sensibility and expressiveness of classical music within the environment of jazz harmony. That gave me for the first time the motivation to explore myself the world of improvisation and composition. In fact, the first pieces I wrote for the piano at the age of 16 turned out to be oriented towards a "classical" form, being mainly influenced by Debussy and Ravel.
After a following period of particular interest
in contemporary music (especially for the piano
works of Olivier Messiaen), I eventually
returned more and more to the jazz for my piano
compositions and improvisations. There I could
find a musical language that corresponded to my
actual musical sensibility, combining the
expressivity of classical music with the
possibilities of jazz harmony.
What makes Keith Jarrett indeed to such a great
inspiring model for me (beside his immense
improvisation talent) is that he belongs to the
very few jazz pianists who have the capability
to let the piano "sing" in a such deeply
emotional way, as, above all, Chopin achieved in
his music.
Because music
is
emotion, and emotion comes to life through
music.
Michael Borek |
ORF Tirol interview (mp3, 5.3 MB)
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Biography/Concerts
Michael Borek was born 1963 in
He took his first piano lessons at the age of 6
and studied during highschool with a professor
at the Conservatoire of Lyon.
After his graduation as MD in 1991 he began to
work as a physician in the pharmaceutical
industry, and moved to
Since his first concert in 1999 regular solo
performances in
His concert on
In April 2006 solo performance at the jazz
festival „Swingin’ Kitzbühel 2006“.
In April 2004 his contemporary compositions
„images de l’aube“ (1993) for solo clarinet and
„sonate pour violoncelle“ (1997) for solo cello
were created at the ORF Landesstudio Tirol (read
the
critique) and
broadcasted on ORF Radio Tirol (Ton für Ton,
April 2004) and ORF Radio Ö1 (Lange Nacht der
Neuen Musik, May 2004).
Press
§
About “Meditations” (2009)
"
In this new piano solo of Michael Borek one
finds again the same qualities as in „Beyond The
Ocean“, the touch of a romantic pianist, clear
and soft accents, a phrasing that flows like a
pure source, lyricism, reserve, everything one
needs to let these “Meditations” reach the
heart…
"
In
ten partly improvised pieces and three standards
Borek lets revive the blessed time of the “Köln
Concert"...“
Concerto (A)
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