Slavic Soul Jan Michiels

• Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85:
• 1 III. In the Old Castle 04:09
• Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): On an Overgrown Path:
• 2 Vivo 01:38
• Antonín Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85:
• 3 VII. Furiant 02:41
• Leoš Janáček: On an Overgrown Path:
• 4 The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away! 03:27
• Antonín Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85:
• 5 VI. Reverie 03:52
• Leoš Janáček: 1.X.1905:
• 6 I. The Presentiment 05:03
• 7 II. The Death 06:15
• Antonín Dvořák: Dumka-Furiant, Op. 12:
• 8 I. Allegretto moderato (Dumka) 04:31
• 9 II. Vivace (Furiant) 04:03
• Leoš Janáček: On an Overgrown Path:
• 10 Allegro 05:03
• 11 VII. Good Night! 02:25
• Antonín Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85:
• 12 IX. Serenade 04:41
• Leoš Janáček: On an Overgrown Path:
• 13 VI. Words Fail! 01:51
• Antonín Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101:
• 14 I. Vivace 02:12
• 15 VII. Poco lento e grazioso 02:42
• Leoš Janáček: On an Overgrown Path:
• 16 Allegretto 02:34
• 17 The Madonna of Frýdek 03:22
• Antonín Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85:
• 18 XIII. On the Holy Mount 03:12
• Leoš Janáček: In the Mist:
• 19 I. Andante 03:04
• 20 II. Molto Adagio 04:09
• 21 III. Andante 02:09
• 22 IV. Presto 04:52
• Total Runtime 01:17:55

Info for Slavic Soul

It was in Prague and Brno, the two largest cities in what is now the Czech Republic, that Antonín Dvorák and Leo Janácek the principal representatives of the nineteenth-century Czech national school, along with Bedrich Smetana launched their respective compositional careers. While Janácek, thirteen years younger than Dvorák, saw the latter as a father figure, the two men shared the same poetic Slavic soul. Indeed, Janácek said of Dvorák: I could exchange his personality for his works; it is as if his melodies came straight from my heart. Nothing can ever break such a bond.

In his fourth solo recording for Fuga Libera, Jan Michiels places this shared Slavic consciousness and musicality in the perspective of the almost filial relationship between the two composers, for example by interspersing the pieces from two eminently lyrical cycles: Dvorák's Poetic Tone Pictures op.85 (1889) and Janácek's On an Overgrown Path, JW VIII/17 (1900-11).

Jan Michiels, piano

Jan Michiels
born 1966 studied with Abel Matthys at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. From 1988 to 1993 he studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin under the direction of Hans Leygraf - he was awarded an exceptional distinction for his interpretations of Bartók's Second concerto for piano and Ligeti's Etudes. He was Tenuto-laureate in 1988 ; in 1989 he won the international E.Durlet competition. In 1991 he was laureate of the international Queen Elizabeth Competition. In 1992 he was awarded the JeM/ Cera prize for musicians and in 1996 he was signed up as festival star of the Flanders Festival. He is also laureate of the 'Gouden Vleugels/KBC Muziekprijs' 2006.

Jan Michiels is currently active as piano professor in the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, where he also led the class of contemporary music for eight years. He conducted masterclasses in London, Murcia, Hamburg, Oslo, Montepulciano, Szombathely (Bartokfestival). He was jury member in several competitions (Brussels, Bolzano, ...). He obtained in 2011 a doctorate in the arts (with greatest distinction) by performing a 'teatro dell'ascolto', inspired by the 'New Prometheus' of Luigi Nono. He regularly performs as a soloist or with chamber music ensembles (a.o. the Piano Quartet "Tetra Lyre" and a piano duo "YIN-YANG" with Inge Spinette) in several musical centres in Europe and Asia, with conductors such as Angus, Asbury, Baudo, Blunier, Boreycko, Edwards, Eötvös, Guerrero, Holliger, Latham-Koenig, Kamu, Meylemans, Nézet-Séguin, Ono, Pfaff, Rahbari, Rundel, Soustrot, Stern, Tabachnik, Tamayo, Zagrosek, Zender - but also with dance-productions of Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker, Vincent Dunoyer and Sen Hea Ha. His repertoire reaches from Bach to today. Apart from his many radio recordings, he also recorded cd's with works from a.o. Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms, Busoni, Debussy, Dvorák, Janácek, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Ligeti, Kurtág and Goeyvaerts (these three last composers appreciated very much his interpretations). The cd 'Via Crucis' - a Liszt-portrait (Eufoda) - received a Caeciliaprize in 2002. He realized different complete cycles: on the concert stage all Beethoven sonatas, all pianoworks of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg, the complete works for piano by Ligeti and the complete chamber music with piano of Johannes Brahms.

Booklet for Slavic Soul