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The Vapori del Cuore ensemble was formed as an open group late in 1993 by members of other various contemporary music ensembles in Bratislava (Tule_, Veni Ensemble, Vitebsk Broken, Forgotten Band, etc.), namely Marek Piaček, Ronald Šebesta, Lubo Burgr, Martin Burlas, Peter Zagar, Daniel Matej, Roman Laščiak. The group’s name refers to the expressive poetry of Edoardo Sanguinetti, analyzed by Luciano Berio in his piece Laborintus II. The music of Vapori del Cuore crosses various genres (American experimental music, experimental rock, performance, etc.). The group has recently been focusing on improvised music. During the period of 1994 to 2000, the group collaborated with David Dramm, Peter Machajdík, Nicolas Collins, Daan Vandewalle, Chris Newman, Beth Griffith, Mikulá_ _kuta, DJ Ghalagha and Alfred Zimmerlin. Along with the dance group of Marta Poláková Vapori del Cuore produced the improvised dance performance Open, and early in 2000 it took part in Tri_tvrte Revue magazine’s project of joining live improvised music with the screening of the movie Microcosmos. In November 2000, the group performed at the 11th Evenings of New Music Festival with guests Otomo Yosihide, John Oswald and Marián Varga. The ensemble, along with the Monika _ertezni dance group, is currently working on a project combining music and dance called Big-Time Dance, which premiered in May 2001 at the Exposition of New Music Festival in Brno, Czech Republic.
-> Upcoming performances of VAPORI del CUORE
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He studied flute at the Bratislava Conservatory (1986–1992) with Dagmar Zsapková, but his ongoing interest in unusual performance techniques led him to study composition, at first privately with Ladislav Burlas (1986–1988), from 1989 with Ilja Zeljenka, and at the Academy of Music and Drama with the same teacher (1990–1995). Zeljenka encouraged Piaček’s interest in experimental art, and thus hastened his disassociation with traditional forms (String Quartet, 1989). During his studies he began working in the Experimental Studio of the Slovak Radio, where he produced Flauto dolce ’91 (1991, in collaboration with Juraj Ďuriš). Piaček attended several training courses and seminars (Boswil – 1990–1991; Nottingham Trent University – Kevin Jones, 1993; Akademie für Neue Musik – Boguslaw Schaeffer, Marek Chołoniewski, 1996). He is co-founder of Middle-Class Chamber Orchestra Požoň Sentimental and collaborated with ensembles Musica falsa et ficta, Mio-Mio, Piaček-Pavelka-Michalec, Brass Band Štós, Voise Over Noise, Audiobratia, Pink Big Pig, don@u.com, POVAŽAN, Frutti di Mare, Tuleň, VENI ensemble, VENI Academy, VAPORI del CUORE, Son-Drian, Upokojenci, Gourounaki Project.
Piaček’s music was featured at Warsaw Autumn (i. e. commissioned work “Happy Mainstream”), Wien Modern, Wiener Festwochen, Melos-Ethos, Evenings of New Music, Musica Danubiana Ljubljana, Bratislava Music Festival, KioSK festival Žilina, Fest Anča Žilina, 4 živly Banská Štiavnica, Festival of Nice Music Banská Štiavnica, New-New Festival Brno, New Slovak Music festival, Exposition of New Music Brno, on many concerts at home and abroad. He performed improvised music with musicians like Nick Collins, David Dramm, Hilary Jeffrey, Ann LaBerge, Beth Griffith, Jean-Marc Montera, Günter Müller, Chris Newmann, John Oswald, Otomo Yoshihide, Jon Rose, Miki Skuta, Daan Vandevalle, Marián Varga, Elliot Sharp, Alfred Zimmerlin, and others.
Presently he is active as a composer, performer (flute, laptop), lecturer (soundart), organizer of contemporary music events.
In his music Piaček exploits elements of every-day life and culture, allusions to pop-music, he re-creates (re-composes) music all around us, music of the past…
In Piaček’s eyes, and in his works, rather, art is a culture-creating activity, giving him space, where something neutral, even trivial, aggressive (bad) is changed into something good, better, of greater value – briefly, something what makes sense.
-> Website
-> Upcoming performances
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Born 1955 in Bratislava. During his secondary school studies Martin Burlas took private piano lessons from Mária Masariková and composition lessons from Juraj Hatrík. From 1975 to 1980 he studied composition with Ján Cikker at the Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava. From 1980 to 1986 Burlas worked as music director of the Opus Publishing House, and in 1986 he founded the Matthews ensemble, which was later renamed “Matkovia.” From 1987 to 1994 he worked as music director at Slovak Radio in Bratislava and was active in Veni Ensemble and the Sleepy Motion and Vitebsk Broken (with Peter Machajdik) ensembles. From 1986 to 1999 worked at Sonicca. In 1999 Burlas co-founded, along with Ľubomír Burgr, Zuzana Piussi and Daniel Salontay, the band Dogma. Since January 2000 he has been employed at the Music Centre in Bratislava and along with Burgr is co-founder of the Association for Contemporary Opera.
Member of VAPORI del CUORE and OVER4Tea projects.
-> Website
-> Upcoming performances
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Two composers and performers with a lot of experience with composed and improvised music decided to use their laptops for creating music. The first performance of Pink Big Pig (PBP) was on the Next Festival in December 2005 in Bratislava.
The musical experience of both PBP members includes 15 years performing in many ensembles and groups – Ali Ibn Rachid, Vapori del Cuore, Požoň Sentimental, VENI ensemble, Dogma, don@u.com, SonDrian. They performed improvised music with musicians like Nick Collins, David Dramm, Hilary Jeffrey, Ann LaBerge, Beth Griffith, Jean-Marc Montera, Günter Müller, Chris Newmann, John Oswald, Otomo Yoshihide, Jon Rose, Elliot Sharp, Miki Skuta, Daan Vandevalle, Marián Varga, Alfred Zimmerlin, and others.
In the field of electroaccoustic music Pink Big Pig handles with the sound material in the same way as the ensemble Požoň Sentimental does with the different structures in the field of classical music (from artificial music events to banal pop elements…).
Ľubo Burgr plays violin, guitar, recycles and generates sound material on his laptop. Marek Piaček plays flute and piccolo and recycles his own flute playing in real time and uses different classical music events for accompaniment.
-> Pink Big Pig website
-> Upcoming performances of Pink Big Pig
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Juun, Martin Siewert, Bernhard Breuer, Peter Zagar, Daniel Matej, Marek Piaček, Ronald Šebesta
The idea of don@u.com was born in the fall 2002 when Daniel Matej and Martin Siewert met for the first time at Musikprotokoll ’02 in Graz, playing on the same evening and stage with their own bands TRAPIST and VAPORI del CUORE. Sharing similar aesthetic concepts and approaches to improvisation they decided to form an occasional band “open to musicians united by the river Danube and – most of all – by common ideas”. The band then got its name in 2004, at the occasion of its first public performance. Since 2006 don@u.com plays in more or less definite line-up with 7 musicians (Bernhard Breuer, Daniel Matej, Marek Piacek, Martin Siewert, Ronald Šebesta, Judith Unterpertinger, Peter Zagar) and the sound engineer Roman Lašciak. The first CD presents a selection of the band’s first two projects, “Lieder ohne Worte” and “Lieder ohne Worte 2”, created and premiered at the (NEW) MUSIC AT HOME ’04 in Šamorín and at the EVENINGS OF NEW MUSIC ’05 in Bratislava.
-> Website
-> Upcoming performances
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