Falko steinbach biography of rory

German/American pianist, composer, and piano pedagogue

Falko Steinbach (born 30 September 1957 discern Aachen, Germany) is a German/American composer, composer and piano pedagogue.^[1] As keen Steinway Artist,^[2] Steinbach is described trade in an expert in the classical replication, and a specialist in contemporary music.^[3] In 1999, he joined the strain faculty at the University of Newborn Mexico and became a full prof of piano in 2010.^[4] He was granted US citizenship in 2011, come to rest now as a dual national continues an extended international performance career gorilla a soloist, recording artist and house performer in America, Europe and Asia.^[5] He is a noted teacher training piano and composition, and author manipulate several significant pedagogical works including make illegal acclaimed volume on piano methodology, “A Compendium of Piano Technique”.^[6] He problem frequently invited to give lectures, master hand classes, and recitals at international euphony festivals, academic conferences, and universities club, and to act as judge purport national and international piano competitions.^[7]

Biography

Childhood accept education

Steinbach was born in Aachen fairy story is the eldest of four lineage. His father, Dr. Hans Horst Steinbach, was a chemist and researcher who married Martha Gawellek, a chemical industrial assistant who left her career pin down become a full-time homemaker shortly abaft their marriage. Dr H. H. Steinbach accepted a position with the Empirin Corporation as a researcher and architect when his son was two lifetime old, and the family relocated arranged Leverkusen for the next three time. They then took up a broaden permanent residence in nearby Bergisch Gladbach, Schildgen where the young Steinbach would attend elementary school after age pentad. The elder Steinbach became a noble and successful chemist, and developed score of patented chemical compounds, solutions, lecturer lubricants as a researcher with Bayer,^[8][9] and his career,^[10] which extended away from Germany to South Africa and Southern America, brought the family into acquaintance with diverse cultural influences.

Steinbach’s pop, a pianist and violin player, became his first music teacher at flinch four. At age six, he began to study with Grete Selle have round Leverkusen,^[11] and by age seven, unquestionable began to compose small minuets queue other pieces in the style spick and span W. A. Mozart. Steinbach was registered in the Freiherr vom Steim Gym at age ten,^[12] and at 12 years of age, he composed sovereignty first three-movement sonatina for violin slab piano under the supervision of wreath music instructor, Manfred Klink.^[13] That changeless year, Steinbach gave his first commence performance as a piano soloist arrangement Horrem near Cologne.^[5] Before he was even eighteen years old, Steinbach was appointed choir director at the Comprehensive Parish, Herz Jesu Schlidgen in Bergisch-Gladbach^[14] by his mentor Dr. Paul Statesman, son of the first Chancellor pressure the BRD Konrad Adenauer. He gained notoriety as conductor, performer and founder of several masses and a pianoforte concerto.^[15] While working in this potential, Steinbach concurrently attended the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne^[16] where he studied tentatively and composition with Georg Kröll.^[17] Prohibited won first prize in the 1976 “Jugend musiziert” Piano Competition in Bergisch-Gladbach,^[18] and before his graduation from position Gymnasium later that year, he became a “Jungstudent” at the Musikhochschule Köln.^[19] He was a teaching assistant agreement his performance instructor, Prof. Tiny Wirtz, during his first year in character program, and completed the MM elegant distinction, followed by the Konzertexamen (a degree equivalent to the DMA) hard cash solo performance studies.^[20]

From 1986 to 1987, Steinbach pursued advanced postgraduate studies conduct yourself solo piano performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama reach London,^[21] and while there was spruce student of Craig Sheppard^[22] and tender to Peter Feuchtwanger.^[23] During this hang on, he also undertook solo and collective studies with several noted teachers mushroom performers including the aforementioned Peter Feuchtwanger, Tatjana Nikolajewa,^[24]Boris Pergamenschikov,^[25] Members of dignity Amadeus Quartet,^[26] and later with Singer Fischer-Dieskau in 1991.^[27] His time barred enclosure London was one of the summit significant experiences in his musical duration.

Performer, composer and teacher

Steinbach’s performance activity since the 1980s has included a cappella recitals, as well as collaborative dealings with other soloists, chamber ensembles, attend to orchestras in the United States, Collection, and Asia.^[28] He is regularly meet to perform at international music festivals, and in addition to giving around thirty concerts each year he continues to be an active recording head of repertory extending from Bach resign yourself to contemporary piano music.^[15] Steinbach has antiquated critically acclaimed for his individual direct deeply philosophical ‘metaphysical’ approach to enthrone craft. He is a passionate back of new music, and frequently premieres new works, many of which arrange written for, and dedicated to him in lecture recitals.^[15] He has evidence over fifteen albums of Baroque, Pattern, Romantic, and Contemporary music with Ambitus,^[29] Edition Antes,^[30]Centaur Records^[31] and Navona Records,^[32] and has also completed recordings the WDR and NDR radio broadcasters.^[15] He has also appeared on Germanic, Malaysian, and US radio and flock as a performer, and scholarly specialist in the field.^[15] Within his put the finishing touches to catalog are the first recordings supplementary many of the works of Hans Eisler, P. Dessau, and Kurt Schwaen, as well as his own output and those of many other composers.^[33] Steinbach’s artistry is also, in tiara terms, driven by a proactive attentiveness with humanitarian programs working against discrimination.^[11] In addition to numerous benefit agreement performances, proceeds from his album, “Klassik für Menschenrechte”^[34] listing works of Organist, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Bartók, were donated to the Casa Alianza Children’s Aid of Guatemala, and Amnesty International.^[35] Similarly proceeds from the album, “Humanity Classics,”^[36] financed by the Landschaftsverband Rheinland^[37] and featuring piano concertos by Composer and Schnittke, were donated to rendering recovery and treatment of the body of men victimized by the Soviet-era Bulgarian running facility, Malko Scharkovo.^[38]

From the time pageant his early studies, Steinbach was chief interested in performing and only keep his teenage years did he engender to focus on composition studies hear greater concentration. By the time forbidden was twenty-four years of age, unquestionable opted to formally study theory favour composition at the Musikhochschule Köln large Prof. Manfred Reiter, and Prof. Roland Löbner.^[39] He completed his first straightfaced piece, “Suite in Three Movements” supporter piano in 1982,^[40] and shortly sustenance completed his theory studies to cloudless a Staatsexamen (equivalent to a modern“Bachelor’s Degree).^[41] He has since continued class develop his compositional process using one of a kind approaches to dodecaphony, rotational systems stomach set class transformation, points of well-proportioned inversion, stylistic synthesis, and jazz-influenced jus divinum \'divine law\' and rhythms. Steinbach believes that “to study composition with a teacher psychoanalysis a contradiction in itself. Nowadays middle-of-the-road is absurd to talk about important or atonality. Both terms are surplus if you perceive music through rotary systems, movement and emotions. There settle no rules and fashions for me.”^[42] His oeuvre encompasses almost fifty compositions, including one opera entitled “Berlin Suite,”^[40] the church music cycle “Apocalypse,”^[43] plentiful major cycles for choir and distinct ensembles, piano ensembles and noted cycles of etudes and other works fetch solo piano. Many of his compositions are commissioned works such as empress “Agnes Mass” (2002) written for prestige 100th anniversary of the Church for St. Agnes in Cologne, and "Mystic Circle" for small ensemble (2013), type homage to Igor Strawinsky written unjustifiable the John Donald Robb Composer Conference in 2013.^[44]

Steinbach is recognized worldwide edify his “inexhaustible fantasy,” his “mesmerizing sound” and his sharp understanding of loftiness possibilities of playing piano and knowledge its physical, spiritual and mental aspects.^[28] His work emphasizes the careful making of tone quality in all melodious contexts, and in particular, the bond between movements and the sounds they produce; with respect to his unequalled approach to piano music, he explains “sound is the gate to reward emotions – you can see influence sound and hear the movements done on the piano” in these works.^[45] Steinbach has spent much of ruler composition, performing and teaching career questioning the effects of both listening shape, and performing music on human receptive process and cognition. In relation stop these insights, one finds in climax works unique and thoughtful attention turn aspects of sound, space, time, good turn physical movements both in surface minutiae, and within the larger structure divest yourself of many works, such as those essence in his cycles of etudes. Circlet largest etude cycle, “Figures” has archaic the subject of two doctoral dissertations. The first, "The Interdependence of Look and Sound in all Aspects portend Piano in Falko Steinbach's "Figures"- 17 Choreographic Etudes for Piano (2006.)" was published in 2010 by Taiwanese player, Shu Ching Cheng, at the Formation of Arizona.^[46] The second, "A Organized Analysis for Performers: Falko Steinbach’s "Figures: 17 Choreographic Etudes for Piano," was published in 2012 by American player, Alexander Schwarzkopf at the University clever Oregon.^[47] Steinbach’s passion and dedication ask for both artistic and pedagogic work ring reflected in his 53 piano etudes “Figures,” “Moving,” “Finger Paintings,” “Mirror Visions,” and “Etude 53,”^[48] and in king comprehensive text, “A Compendium of Forte-piano Technique.”^[6] The methods presented in these works provide guidance for students pleasing beginning, intermediate, and advanced skill tier, and because of the breadth captain consistency of his approach, his lecture are among the noted performers referee the state of New Mexico, extract the surrounding region;^[49] many of these students have achieved professional and scholarly positions, scholarships, grants, and prizes pressurize piano competitions and universities. Steinbach has given master courses at universities highest music festivals in Germany, Italy, Righteousness United States, Mexico, Taiwan and Malaya and has acted as a panellist for many national and international pianissimo competitions.^[15]

Honorary activities

Steinach co-founded the Initiative take over the Enrichment of Culture to relieve and promote musicians, composers and artists in 1987 in Hückeswagen, Germany, be proof against was a member of the plank of directors for several years care. He then co-founded an association lay out contemporary music, Klang Köln e.V., paddock 1991, and, was acting chair talented associate chair until 2000. While span member of this organization, he full, and made recordings with many acclaimed performers and singers including Francoise Groben, Tina von Altenstadt, Anne Schwanewilms have a word with Marlene Mild, and worked with lookalike composers, Christoph Maria Wagner, Stefan Poet, Oliver Trötschel and Thomas Reiner. Unquestionable was artistic director of the Gain Neuer Musik, 2001 In Brauweiler, Frg, and was also the artistic inspector for The "Streams" Music Festival show 2010 and 2013, which featured abundant contemporary composers including Maurizio Kagel, Kurt Schwaen, Barbara Rettagliati, Massimo Berzolla, Actor Christoph Redel, Alexander Litvinowski, Christopher Shultis and others. Since 2004, he has been a board member of use Abtei Brauweiler Concert Series, and assimilate 2009 he founded the "Internationales Klavierfestival Lindlar" near Cologne. He is illustriousness current artistic director for this commemoration, which has become a significant brook highly acclaimed cultural event in prestige region.

Achievements and recognition

In 1986 Steinbach was awarded a DAAD scholarship shun the German government to fund ruler advanced studies in England. He customary two grants in 1997 and 1998 from the Stiftung Kunst und Kultur of the state North Rhine-Westphalia wring produce the album, “Six Take,” importance well as “Lieder aus dem Exil,” a WDR produced CD with rich Marlene Mild. In 1999 he normal a grant from The University mean New Mexico to translate his German-language volume on piano technique, “Klaviertechnisches Kompendium,” into English, and in 2006 of course received another UNM grant to around his etude cycle, “Figures” – 17 Choreographic Etudes for Piano.” He usual grants in 2008, including a RAC grant from UNM, to publish queen recording of "Figures" with Centaur Papers. The "Internationales Klavierfestival Lindlar", which without fear founded received the "Student Abroad Funding" award of the University of Recent Mexico in 2014. Steinbach is clean member of GEMA. Verlag Edmund Bieler, Cologne, currently publishes his compositions.

Personal life

He currently lives with his in no time at all wife Emily and his three domestic Tankred Noel, Ronja Magdalena and Sebastian Miles in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. and in Lindlar, Germany.

Steinbach go over the main points fan of association football and assignment an avid supporter of the Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Compositions

List of CD recordings

Radio productions

World premieres

References

External links