Wolfgang Manz
Germany, °1960
 
PIANO 1983 : Second Prize
Wolfgang Manz (1960) has been influenced by two very different traditions: His basic pianistic education he received 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, a descendant of Hugo Steurer and Robert Teichmüller.

Wolfgang Manz is prizewinner of many prestigious international piano competitions such as Leeds (1981) and the Queen Elisabeth Competition (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.

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.

He has 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). In Germany 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.

Concert 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), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Tokyo (Suntory Hall), Moscow (Conservatory), Santiago de Chile (Teatro municipal).

The following CD productions with Wolfgang Manz are currently 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 by Debussy, Hindemith, Radermacher), in piano duet THOROFON (pieces by Schubert, Liszt. Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninow for 4 hands and 2 pianos) and TELOS (Beethoven-Liszt 9th symphony and Russian Music for 2 pianos).

Together with his compatriote Rolf Plagge - also prize winner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition - Wolfgang Manz founded a piano duet in 1988 which has performed frequently throughout 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 and Mozart „Jeunehomme“ 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”).
Audio
Program
Final (24/05/1983)
Frédéric Devreese Concerto
Robert Schumann Carnaval op. 9
Sergey Rachmaninov Concerto n. 2 in C minor op. 18
Wolfgang Manz, piano
National Orchestra of Belgium, dir. Georges Octors
Semi-final (09/05/1983)
Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude and Fugue n. 4 in C sharp minor BWV 849
Daniel Capelletti Miroirs op. 18
Aleksandr Skryabin Sonata n. 4 in F sharp major op. 30
Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata n. 31 in A flat major op. 110
Wolfgang Manz, piano
Relive the performances of Violin 2024
H.M. Queen Mathilde
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