Béla Bartók - Complete Piano Concertos (Tomáš Vrána)

Information

Composer: Béla Bartók

• Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Major, Sz. 83
• Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Sz. 95
• Piano Concerto No. 3 in E Major, Sz. 119

Tomáš Vrána, piano

Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava

Gábor Káli, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Supraphon

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Bartók as an uncompromising individualist, Bartók as an architect, Bartók as a poet – that could be a simplified characterisation of his three piano concertos; three works that capture in a surprisingly fitting way the stages of the composer’s life, from the discovery of his own musical language to refinement and finally his acceptance of the difficult end to his life’s journey. The calm and peaceful mood of the most frequently played Third Piano Concerto contrasts strikingly with the relentlessly tempestuous struggle of the First and the lively vitality of the Second. To this day, however, extreme technical difficulty hinders the more frequent performing of these works. The playing of the young piano virtuoso Tomáš Vrána, joined on the recording by the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava and the Hungarian conductor Gábor Káli, definitely goes well beyond mere technical mastery in the works.

Tomáš Vrána, born in 1994 in Mořkov, is a Czech pianist who began playing piano at age three or four. Between 2004 and 2008, he achieved top placements in national and international competitions, including winning the Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte in 2007 and becoming the overall winner of the Zlatý oříšek (Golden Nut) competition in 2008. He studied under Professor Monika Tugendliebová at the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava, graduating with distinction. Beyond music, Vrána is also a writer and filmmaker, having created an 18-part amateur detective series and a black-and-white film titled Myškin’s Warrant. 

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