Maksim Mrvica
Encyclopedia
Maksim Mrvica (ˈmaksim ˈmr.ʋitsa; born May 3, 1975) is a Croatian pianist
. He plays classical
crossover music
.
, Croatia
. He took up piano
lessons from the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert performance of Haydn
’s Piano Concerto in C major. When war broke out in 1991, both Mrvica and his professor were determined that this would not disrupt his music studies. In spite of the war and surrounding turbulence, Mrvica entered in, and won, his first major competition in Zagreb
in 1993.
Mrvica went on to study at the Music Academy in Zagreb where he spent five years under Professor Vladimir Krpan
, who himself was a pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
. He then spent a year at the Franz Liszt
Conservatoire in Budapest
and during this year he won first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition. In 2000, he moved to Paris
to study with Igor Lazko
and gained first prize in the Pontoise
Piano Competition in 2001.
When he returned to Croatia he found himself to be the focus of intense media interest and he made frequent television appearances as well as giving a great number of interviews. He soon found himself recording his first CD, Gestures
, an album of contemporary Croatian piano pieces. Gestures became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings to be released in Croatia, and Mrvica was even invited to officiate the Porin
award ceremony, an honour not usually granted to a classical artist.
, who composed several tracks for the crossover string quartet, Bond
, and it was Tonči who put Mrvica in touch with British impresario Mel Bush. Mel had, by chance, been looking for a new pianist for some time and he recognised Maksim's potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences. EMI
Classics was also interested in Mrvica and soon a new album was underway. This album was The Piano Player, which gave a new spin to compositions by Handel
and Chopin
. Since its release in 2003 it has been very successful, particularly in Asia, where it has achieved Gold status in Singapore
, Malaysia, Indonesia
and China
, Platinum in Taiwan
and Croatia and Double Platinum in Hong Kong
. It was also in the number 1 slot in the HMV international pop chart in Hong Kong for twelve consecutive weeks.
Under Mel Bush's management, Mrvica's performances generally take place against a backdrop of special lighting, stage and video effects.
Mrvica has performed in a couple of international beauty pageants and MTV
awards. His image and charisma also attracted the interest of global brands such as American Express
, who sponsored him in Singapore.
from Hong Kong. According to Boxup.com, Edmond was so captivated by Maksim's performance of "Claudine" that he asked Maksim's permission to do a lyrical version in Cantonese. Soon after in 2004, their collaboration produced the bittersweet ballad called "Xin Wang Ai" ("Trust in Love").
Pure II has not yet been released. It seems that only a preview on his site is everything. The original Pure album has been discontinued due to contractual obligations.
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:...
. He plays classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
crossover music
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
.
History
Mrvica was born in ŠibenikŠibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He took up piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons from the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert performance of Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
’s Piano Concerto in C major. When war broke out in 1991, both Mrvica and his professor were determined that this would not disrupt his music studies. In spite of the war and surrounding turbulence, Mrvica entered in, and won, his first major competition in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1993.
Mrvica went on to study at the Music Academy in Zagreb where he spent five years under Professor Vladimir Krpan
Vladimir Krpan
Vladimir Krpan is a Croatian pianist and piano pedagogue.He was born in Sveti Ivan Zelina in 1938. He graduated at the Zagreb Academy of Music in the class of Svetislav Stancic and won a master's degree at the Santa Cecilia Music Academy in Rome with Carlo Zecchi...
, who himself was a pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was a virtuoso Italian classical pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, as well as one of the most important Italian pianists along with Ferruccio Busoni and Maurizio Pollini.-Biography:Born in Brescia, Italy, he began...
. He then spent a year at the Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
Conservatoire 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...
and during this year he won first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition. In 2000, he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study with Igor Lazko
Igor Lazko
Igor Lazko , , is a Russian classical pianist who has made a distinguished international career as performer, recording artist and teacher of other pianists.- Early career in Russia :...
and gained first prize in the Pontoise
Pontoise
Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.-Administration:...
Piano Competition in 2001.
When he returned to Croatia he found himself to be the focus of intense media interest and he made frequent television appearances as well as giving a great number of interviews. He soon found himself recording his first CD, Gestures
Gestures (album)
Gestures is the first CD by the young pianist Maksim Mrvica. It features works by contemporary Croatian composers. The CD was recorded in Lisinski Studio, sound engineer - Hrvoje Hegedušić, music producer - Dubravko Detoni, executive producer - Xenia Detoni, cover photograph - Damil Kalogjera and...
, an album of contemporary Croatian piano pieces. Gestures became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings to be released in Croatia, and Mrvica was even invited to officiate the Porin
Porin (music award)
Porin is Croatian music award founded by Croatian Phonographic Association, Croatian Musicians Union, Croatian Radiotelevision and Croatian Composers' Society.-Lifetime Achievement Award:...
award ceremony, an honour not usually granted to a classical artist.
International appeal
Soon after this launch Mrvica was spotted by the musician, author and manager Tonči HuljićTonci Huljic
Tonči Huljić is a Croatian musician, songwriter and music producer from Split.Huljić made his name in the late 1970s as the founder and key member of pop band Dalmatinski magazin...
, who composed several tracks for the crossover string quartet, Bond
Bond (band)
Bond is an Australian/British string quartet that specialises in classical crossover music...
, and it was Tonči who put Mrvica in touch with British impresario Mel Bush. Mel had, by chance, been looking for a new pianist for some time and he recognised Maksim's potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences. EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Classics was also interested in Mrvica and soon a new album was underway. This album was The Piano Player, which gave a new spin to compositions by Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
and Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
. Since its release in 2003 it has been very successful, particularly in Asia, where it has achieved Gold status in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Platinum in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Croatia and Double Platinum in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It was also in the number 1 slot in the HMV international pop chart in Hong Kong for twelve consecutive weeks.
Under Mel Bush's management, Mrvica's performances generally take place against a backdrop of special lighting, stage and video effects.
Mrvica has performed in a couple of international beauty pageants and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
awards. His image and charisma also attracted the interest of global brands such as American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
, who sponsored him in Singapore.
Adaptations and arrangements
There is a Chinese lyrical version added to the non-lyrical song of Maksim Mrvica's "Claudine". This musical piece was sung and written by singer Edmond LeungEdmond Leung
Edmond Leung Hon-man is a Chinese singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, and television host from Hong Kong. At age 17, Leung became a finalist in the 8th annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1989, which won him a contract with Capital Artists. He made his recording debut in 1990 with the...
from Hong Kong. According to Boxup.com, Edmond was so captivated by Maksim's performance of "Claudine" that he asked Maksim's permission to do a lyrical version in Cantonese. Soon after in 2004, their collaboration produced the bittersweet ballad called "Xin Wang Ai" ("Trust in Love").
Music videos
Maksim has music videos for The Gypsy Maid, New World Concerto, Somewhere In Time, Nostradamus; directed by Tony van den Ende, Kolibre; directed by Tony van den Ende, Exodus, Olympic Dream, The Flight of the Bumble Bee, Prelude in C, Anthem and Child in Paradise.Albums
- 1999 – GesturesGestures (album)Gestures is the first CD by the young pianist Maksim Mrvica. It features works by contemporary Croatian composers. The CD was recorded in Lisinski Studio, sound engineer - Hrvoje Hegedušić, music producer - Dubravko Detoni, executive producer - Xenia Detoni, cover photograph - Damil Kalogjera and...
(Lisinski Studios) - 2003 – The Piano Player (EMI)
- 2004 – Variations Part I & II (EMI)
- 2005 – A New World (EMI)
- 2006 – Electrik (EMI)
- 2007 – Pure (MBO)
- 2008 – Pure IIPure IIPure II is Maksim Mrvica's 5th international album release. It was released on 26 February 2008.-Track listing:#Victory# Grave #Quasi Burlesca#Presto Brilliante#Presto Ritmico#Largo#Allegro Vivo#Alexander The Great#Passionata...
- 2008 – Greatest MaksimGreatest MaksimGreatest Maksim is the 8th studio album by Maksim Mrvica. EMI released the album 23 March 2008.-Track listing:# New World Concerto # Wonderland # Merry Christmas Mr...
(EMI) - 2010 – Appassionata
Pure II has not yet been released. It seems that only a preview on his site is everything. The original Pure album has been discontinued due to contractual obligations.