Matei Varga

Romanian-born pianist Matei Varga is an artist whose elegant pianism often leaves the listener unprepared for the smoldering intensity and intellectual probity of his interpretations. With these qualities not often encountered among today’s virtuosos, Mr. Varga has already performed as recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist at major venues in New York, including Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and Weill Hall, the Morgan Museum and Library, Steinway Hall and Le Poisson Rouge in New York; the White House Lawn in Washington, D.C., the Auditorium du Louvre, Salle Gaveau, and Salle Cortot, Paris; the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm; Casals Hall, Tokyo; the Fondazione Cini in Venice, as well as in Baden-Baden, Grenoble, Kyoto, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. International reviewers described his performances as “magical” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), “colorful, vivacious [and] engaging” (Le Diapason), “masterful” (New York Concert Review), while Harry Rolnick of ConcertoNet called Mr. Varga a “fearless performer”.
His recent CD released by Naxos and produced by multiple Grammy winner Max Wilcox, with piano music by George Enescu, was received enthusiastically by critics who wrote that “Varga makes a vivid impression” (Fanfare) and “tears into the sinew of this music with great bite and forcefulness” (American Record Guide) declaring the recording a “must” (Ritmo, Spain). During the 2012-2013 season he will premiere virtually unknown piano works by Dinu Lipatti, as well as two contemporary pieces by American composers: Michael Hersch's new opera "On the Threshold of Winter" (based on poetry by Romanian Marin Sorescu) and Matt Van Brink's Fantasy on themes from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", written especially for Matei. Mr. Varga has participated in various prestigious music festivals, including the International Keyboard Festival in New York City, the Music Festival of the Hamptons, Festival de Sintra (Portugal); Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto, Italy), Young Euro Classics (Berlin), Festival Européen “Jeunes Talents” (Paris) and the “Hariclea Darclée” and “George Enescu” International Festivals in Romania.
He has collaborated with such artists as soprano Mariana Nicolesco, flautist Carol Wincenc, the Linden String Quartet, pianist Ben Schoeman and conductors Edward Cumming, Eduard Zilberkant, Ludovic Bacs and Adrian Sunshine, among others. He appeared as a soloist with the “George Enescu” Philharmonic, the Hartford Symphony, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Porto National Orchestra, and the Morocco Philharmonic. As a ten year-old, young Matei won First Prize in both the solo and orchestra concerto categories of the “Citta Di Moncalieri” Competition (Torino, Italy), competing against pianists three times his age. After being graduated in 1999 from the “Dinu Lipatti” High School of Music in Bucharest, he received his Bachelor’s degree from the Romanian National University of Music in 2004, studying with Ana Pitis, Ioana Minei, and Sandu Sandrin.
He soon moved to New York and obtained both a Master of Music degree and a Professional Studies Diploma from New York’s Mannes College of Music, where he studied with Pavlina Dokovska. Mr. Varga has participated in master classes presented by Claude Frank, Richard Goode, Jacob Lateiner, Murray Perahia, Menahem Pressler, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Raoul Sosa, and Jean Yves Thibaudet. In February 2005 he won the Mannes Concerto Competition and consequently performed the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in 2006 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall under Otto-Werner Mueller.
He received the Dorothy Mackenzie Artist Recognition Award at the 2007 International Keyboard Institute and Festival at Mannes College and was Second Prize winner at the 2007-08 Young Concert Artists International Competition. He was recipient of the Third Prize at the 2004 Maria Canals International Music Competition (Barcelona, Spain). Other awards include Second Prize at both the 2002 Cidade do Porto International Competition (Porto, Portugal) and the 2001 George Enescu International Piano Competition (Romania), as well as First Prize at the 2001 Lory Wallfisch Piano Competition (Romania). He was also awarded the "Salon de Virtuosi" Career Grant (2008). His discography includes two DVD releases: “Mozart and Schumann” and “Mixtures I: A Classical Surround Sampler”, both on AIX Records, the Naxos album featuring piano music by George Enescu and recently a recording of the two sonatas for piano and cello by Johannes Brahms for Coviello Classics, in partnership with cellist Laura Buruiana.
As a finalist and runner-up contestant at The Vendome Prize 2003 Piano Competition held in Vienna, London, and Lisbon, he was singled out by jury member Elisabeth Leonskaja who awarded him a special prize. Following this performance, he was invited to be the Project Manager for the Vendome Prize’s 2009 edition. During the 18 months of preparations, Mr. Varga worked closely with Alexis Gregory, chairman of the Vendome, as well as the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, and played a significant role in the organization of the contest. Together they re-configured the format of the competition and the selection process, which resulted in the most successful contest yet and wide praise from all involved. He also served as a judge at the first edition of the “Dinu Lipatti” National Competition in Bucharest (2010). Mr. Varga lives in New York City, where he is a teacher at the Lucy Moses Music School.