Joseph Banowetz
Encyclopedia
Joseph Banowetz December 5, 1936, is an American-born pianist
, pedagogue, author, and editor, currently teaching at the University of North Texas
. Banowetz has been described by Fanfare magazine record review as "a giant among keyboard artists of our time", by Russia's News (Moscow) as "a magnificent virtuoso, who amazed the public by his deep understanding of the composer's spirit", and by Ruch Muzyczny (Warsaw) as "a virtuoso in the noblest sense of the word." In 1992, he was awarded the Liszt
Medal by the Hungarian Liszt Society in Budapest
, in recognition of his outstanding performances of F. Liszt and the Romantic
literature and is acknowledged as one of the greatest living experts on the music of the Russian Romantic Composer, Anton Rubinstein
.
with Carl Friedberg
, a pupil of German composer/pianist Clara Schumann
. He continued his studies at the Vienna Akademie für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, where György Sándor
, a pupil of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók
, was among his teachers. He graduated with a First Prize in piano performance and was later sent by the Austrian government on an extended European concert tour.
Banowetz has been heard as recitalist and orchestral soloist on five continents, with performances in recent seasons with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (formerly Leningrad), Moscow State Symphony, Prague
and Bratislava
Radio Orchestras, Budapest Symphony, New Zealand Symphony
(on a twelve-concert national tour), Beijing Central Philharmonic
, Barcelona Concert Society Orchestra, and Shanghai Symphony
, in addition to several recitals in New Delhi
and Mumbai
, India.
, an international professional music fraternity.
, USA) has been printed in five languages to date and is universally recognized as the authoritative reference on the history and art of piano pedaling. Many of his piano editions have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Japanese and include:
He has also published editions of music by Chopin, Rubinstein, Schumann
, Rachmaninoff and Debussy.
(USA), the 2001 World Piano Competition (USA) and the Antonín Dvořák
International Piano Competition (Czech Republic). Banowetz has been invited to teach and lecture at many schools, including the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the Juilliard in New York City, London's Royal College and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Artmúsic Escola de Música I Dansa of Barcelona, the Chopin Academy of Warsaw, Hong Kong's Academy for Performing Arts, and the national conservatories of Beijing
, Shanghai
, and Guangzhou
. To date, he has concertized in 30 countries worldwide, with most recent performances at festivals in the Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa.
Students of Joseph Banowetz have been awarded important national and international competition prizes, including first prizes at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (U.S.), Shreveport Symphony International Piano Competition (U.S.), Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (U.S.), Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and McMahan International Piano Competition (U.S.). His pupils have also received awards from the Minsk (Belarus) International Piano Competition, the Varna (Bulgaria) International Orchestral Soloist Competition, and the Louisiana International Piano Competition (U.S.). Several of his students have also been recorded on internationally distributed commercial compact disc recordings. His former student Petronel Malan
received a Grammy nomination from the Recording Academy (U.S.) for her recording "Transfigured Bach" on the Hänssler Classic label.
Banowetz has visited the People's Republic of China 11 times since 1983 to perform and give master-classes. He has been a soloist with such orchestras Chinese orchestras as the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Beijing Central Philharmonic, the Beijing Central Opera Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony, and the Guangzhou Philharmonic. In 1985 Banowetz was again honored by the Shenyang Conservatory with the title of "Permanent Visiting Professor". His book on pedaling has been translated into Chinese and published by the Shanghai Music Publishing House. The book is scheduled for its second Chinese edition.
, Marco Polo, Toccata Classics, Warner Brothers, and Altarus labels, these including the Grammy-Nominated recording of Balakirev
's "Thirty Songs of the Russian People" (with Alton Chung Ming Chan), Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1
, Franz Liszt's Concertos and Totentanz, d'Albert
concertos, world-premiere recordings of all Rubinstein piano and orchestra works, and solo repertory of J.S. Bach, Ferruccio Busoni
, Balakirev, Chopin, Debussy, Leopold Godowsky, F. Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn
, Schumann, Rubinstein and Stevenson
. His recordings of the Rubinstein orchestra and piano series was named by a Fanfare magazine record review as an outstanding international release for 1993, and a similar citation was given in 1987 by the German Music Critics Association for his world-premiere recording of works by Balakirev. Recently, Naxos has released Banowetz's recordings of the complete F. Liszt transcriptions of lieder by Robert
and Clara Schumann
, Chopin and F. Mendelssohn, Rubinstein's 24 Kamennoy-ostrow, and both piano concertos of Eugen d'Albert with the Moscow Symphony.
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, pedagogue, author, and editor, currently teaching at the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
. Banowetz has been described by Fanfare magazine record review as "a giant among keyboard artists of our time", by Russia's News (Moscow) as "a magnificent virtuoso, who amazed the public by his deep understanding of the composer's spirit", and by Ruch Muzyczny (Warsaw) as "a virtuoso in the noblest sense of the word." In 1992, he was awarded the Liszt
Liszt
Liszt is a Hungarian surname. Notable persons with that surname include:* Franz Liszt , Hungarian composer and pianist* Adam Liszt , father of Franz Liszt* Anna Liszt , mother of Franz Liszt...
Medal by the Hungarian Liszt Society in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, in recognition of his outstanding performances of F. Liszt and the Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
literature and is acknowledged as one of the greatest living experts on the music of the Russian Romantic Composer, Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
.
Biography
Banowetz studied first in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with Carl Friedberg
Carl Friedberg
Carl Rudolf Hermann Friedberg was a German pianist and teacher.Friedberg studied piano with James Kwast and with Clara Schumann at the Hoch Conservatory, Frankfurt. He later became a teacher there and later at the Cologne Conservatory...
, a pupil of German composer/pianist Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
. He continued his studies at the Vienna Akademie für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, where György Sándor
György Sándor
György Sándor was a Hungarian pianist, writer, student and friend of Béla Bartók, and champion of his music.- Early years :...
, a pupil of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
, was among his teachers. He graduated with a First Prize in piano performance and was later sent by the Austrian government on an extended European concert tour.
Banowetz has been heard as recitalist and orchestral soloist on five continents, with performances in recent seasons with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (formerly Leningrad), Moscow State Symphony, Prague
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (SOCR)
The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra is based in Prague in the Czech Republic.- History :Regular radio broadcasting began in the Czech Republic in May, 1923. Live classical musical broadcasts became very popular...
and Bratislava
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Bratislava, Slovakia....
Radio Orchestras, Budapest Symphony, New Zealand Symphony
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the national orchestra of New Zealand. It is a crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, with 90 full-time players....
(on a twelve-concert national tour), Beijing Central Philharmonic
Central Philharmonic Orchestra
The Central Philharmonic Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Beijing, China...
, Barcelona Concert Society Orchestra, and Shanghai Symphony
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is an influential orchestra in China. The music director is Long Yu.It was founded in 1879 as Shanghai Public Band, one of the earliest orchestras in Eastern Asia. It was renamed to Shanghai Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra in 1922. Starting in 1919, an Italian...
, in addition to several recitals in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India.
Grammy nominations
| Past Grammy Nominations | ||||
| Nominees | Genre | Category | Title | Album |
| 50th Annual (for recordings released between Oct 1, 2006 and Sept 30, 2007) February 10, 2008 |
||||
| Joseph Banowetz Alton Chung Ming Chan (1 of 5 nominees) |
Classical | Best Chamber Music Performance |
30 Songs of the Russian People |
Balakirev and Russian Folksong Toccata Classics Toccata Classics Toccata Classics is an independent British classic music label founded in 2005.The founder of Toccata Classics is Martin Anderson, a music journalist. The label was founded primarily to promote unrecorded works by lesser-known composers, including British composers... |
| 53rd Annual (for recordings released between Sept 1, 2009 and Sept 30, 2010) February 10, 2008 |
||||
| Joseph Banowetz Thomas Sanderling (conductor) (1 of 5 nominees) |
Classical | Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) |
Kletzki Paul Kletzki Paul Kletzki was a Polish conductor and composer.Born Paweł Klecki in Łódź, Poland, he later adopted the German spelling Paul Kletzki. He joined its Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of fifteen. After serving in the First World War, he studied philosophy at the University of Warsaw before moving... : Piano Concerto in D Minor, Opus 22 |
(same as title) Russian Philharmonic Naxos Naxos Records Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest... |
Affiliations
Joseph is a National Patron of Delta OmicronDelta Omicron
Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international professional music fraternity.
Publications and editions
Joseph Banowetz is also internationally recognized as an author and editor. His book The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling (Indiana University PressIndiana University Press
Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. It was founded in 1950. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana....
, USA) has been printed in five languages to date and is universally recognized as the authoritative reference on the history and art of piano pedaling. Many of his piano editions have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Japanese and include:
- The Pianist's Book of Early Contemporary Treasures (published by Neil A. Kjos)
- Franz Liszt: An Introduction to the Composer and His Music (published by Neil A. Kjos)
- Johann Sebastian Bach: An Introduction to the Composer and his Music (published by Neil A. Kjos)
- Mily Balakirev: Islamy and Other Favorite Russian Piano Works (published by DoverDover PublicationsDover Publications is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward Cirker and his wife, Blanche. It publishes primarily reissues, books no longer published by their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books in the public domain. The original published editions may be...
) - Leopold Godowsky: Miniatures (for Piano, Four Hands - with Alton Chung Ming Chan) (3 volumes - published by Alfred Music)
He has also published editions of music by Chopin, Rubinstein, Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, Rachmaninoff and Debussy.
As a jurist and teacher
Banowetz has served on major piano juries such as the Arthur Rubinstein Master Piano Competition (Israel), the Scottish International Piano Competition (Glasgow), the Belarussian International Piano Competition (Minsk), the Gina Bachauer International Piano CompetitionGina Bachauer International Piano Competition
The Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition is based in Salt Lake City, Utah and is the second largest piano competition in the United States....
(USA), the 2001 World Piano Competition (USA) and the Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
International Piano Competition (Czech Republic). Banowetz has been invited to teach and lecture at many schools, including the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the Juilliard in New York City, London's Royal College and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Artmúsic Escola de Música I Dansa of Barcelona, the Chopin Academy of Warsaw, Hong Kong's Academy for Performing Arts, and the national conservatories of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, and Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. To date, he has concertized in 30 countries worldwide, with most recent performances at festivals in the Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa.
Students of Joseph Banowetz have been awarded important national and international competition prizes, including first prizes at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (U.S.), Shreveport Symphony International Piano Competition (U.S.), Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (U.S.), Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and McMahan International Piano Competition (U.S.). His pupils have also received awards from the Minsk (Belarus) International Piano Competition, the Varna (Bulgaria) International Orchestral Soloist Competition, and the Louisiana International Piano Competition (U.S.). Several of his students have also been recorded on internationally distributed commercial compact disc recordings. His former student Petronel Malan
Petronel Malan
Petronel Malan is a South African concert pianist.Grammy-nominated South African pianist Malan is an exclusive recording artist for the internationally recognized label Hänssler Classic based in Holzgerlingen near Stuttgart in Germany...
received a Grammy nomination from the Recording Academy (U.S.) for her recording "Transfigured Bach" on the Hänssler Classic label.
Activities in China
Following his first concerts in Asia in 1981, Banowetz's tours there have received an ever-increasing enthusiastic response. In 1984 he became the first foreign artist ever to be invited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to record and give world première performances of a contemporary Chinese piano concerto (Piano Concerto, Op. 25b by Huang An-lun). Banowetz has recorded with the CSR Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the China Central Opera Orchestra of Beijing.Banowetz has visited the People's Republic of China 11 times since 1983 to perform and give master-classes. He has been a soloist with such orchestras Chinese orchestras as the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Beijing Central Philharmonic, the Beijing Central Opera Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony, and the Guangzhou Philharmonic. In 1985 Banowetz was again honored by the Shenyang Conservatory with the title of "Permanent Visiting Professor". His book on pedaling has been translated into Chinese and published by the Shanghai Music Publishing House. The book is scheduled for its second Chinese edition.
Recordings
Joseph Banowetz has recorded twenty-five compact discs for the NaxosNaxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
, Marco Polo, Toccata Classics, Warner Brothers, and Altarus labels, these including the Grammy-Nominated recording of Balakirev
Balakirev
Balakirev may refer to:* Mily Balakirev, a Russian pianist, conductor and composer* Balakirev the Buffoon, a 2002 Russian television adaptation of Lenkom play...
's "Thirty Songs of the Russian People" (with Alton Chung Ming Chan), Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875. It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. The first version received heavy criticism from Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky's desired pianist....
, Franz Liszt's Concertos and Totentanz, d'Albert
Eugen d'Albert
Eugen Francis Charles d'Albert was a Scottish-born German pianist and composer.Educated in Britain, d'Albert showed early musical talent and, at the age of seventeen, he won a scholarship to study in Austria...
concertos, world-premiere recordings of all Rubinstein piano and orchestra works, and solo repertory of J.S. Bach, Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
, Balakirev, Chopin, Debussy, Leopold Godowsky, F. Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
, Schumann, Rubinstein and Stevenson
Ronald Stevenson
Ronald Stevenson is a British composer, pianist, and writer about music.-Biography:The son of a Scottish father and English mother, Stevenson studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music , studying composition with Richard Hall and piano with Iso Elinson, graduating with distinction...
. His recordings of the Rubinstein orchestra and piano series was named by a Fanfare magazine record review as an outstanding international release for 1993, and a similar citation was given in 1987 by the German Music Critics Association for his world-premiere recording of works by Balakirev. Recently, Naxos has released Banowetz's recordings of the complete F. Liszt transcriptions of lieder by Robert
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
and Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
, Chopin and F. Mendelssohn, Rubinstein's 24 Kamennoy-ostrow, and both piano concertos of Eugen d'Albert with the Moscow Symphony.
Audio samples
- Piano Concerto Op.22, Paul KletzkiPaul KletzkiPaul Kletzki was a Polish conductor and composer.Born Paweł Klecki in Łódź, Poland, he later adopted the German spelling Paul Kletzki. He joined its Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of fifteen. After serving in the First World War, he studied philosophy at the University of Warsaw before moving...
(composer), Banowetz (pianist), Thomas Sanderling (conductor), Russian Philharmonic
External links
- Official Joseph Banowetz website
- Naxos artist bio
- Short bio on Bach-Cantatas.com
- [ AllMusic guide entry]
- University of North Texas bio
- North Texas Daily article on the Grammy nomination
- University of North Texas story on Grammy nomination