So far and yet so near
The harmonies and the virtuosity: that is what the two composers Sergei Rachmaninoff and Carlos Guastavino have in common. “Even though at first glance the geographical distance between them was immense, their approach to the piano was strikingly similar”, remarks Martin Klett. In both composers he loves the Romantic element – paired with attractive simplicity in one case, with ambitious piano artistry in the other.
“I don’t think one could even say if this music is by Guastavino or Rachmaninoff! It’s somewhere in between, and thus provides a smooth, perfect transition – the ideal piece to play before the Rachmaninoff sonata.[Las Niñas]” (Martin Klett)
The pianist Martin Klett transcends borders with his effortless musicianship. With equal commitment
and refinement, he performs classical piano concertos and jazzy recitals with duo partner
Sebastian Manz. The press lauds the “cultivated, spirited touch” (Crescendo) and “suave technique”
(Piano News) of his Rachmaninoff album and his “passion, ease and precision” (Rheinpfalz) in tango
programmes with the Cuarteto SolTango.
This diversity is not only apparent on stage but also in his discography. With the release of Lamento
in 2019, this comprises ten CDs – two solo albums, five chamber music recordings and three releases
with the Cuarteto SolTango. Regular live recordings and interviews attest to a vivid interest from
broadcasters in Martin Klett’s artistic oeuvre.
2008 was an important year for Martin Klett, when he won both the Johannes Brahms International Competition
as a soloist and the German Music Competition as a duo partner. Since then he has made a name
for himself as a concert pianist at international festivals in Europe and beyond. He plays regularly with
ARD and ECHO award winners, concert masters from renowned orchestras and university professors.
The 32-year-old Hamburg native hails from musical family that supported his curiosity for various
forms of expression in young years – for composing and arranging in addition to piano.
He was able
to further develop his artistic personality with his long-time mentor Prof. Konrad Elser at the Lübeck
Conservatory of Music and later at the University of the Arts in Berlin. He now teaches at the Felix
Mendelssohn Bartholdy Conservatory in Leipzig and at the Detmold Conservatory of Music.
His passion for tango dancing has given Martin Klett deep insight into the music of this intangible
world cultural heritage. He often incorporates tango music into his concert programmes today.
With his Cuarteto SolTango, founded in 2008, he brings fresh new impulses to chamber music platforms
and radio channels.
For his Rachmaninoff album the press appricated the cultivated playing with temperament (Crescendo)
and his supple technique, with his SolTango albums his emphassis, freedom and precision. In the
field of chamber music Martin will concentrate on the 200th anniverary of César Franck’s birtday
together with the Armida Quartet and increases empahsis on his solo career.
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