B O R I S

K O S A K

pianist and Vision

„As a child, I wanted to create something that would make the world better and more beautiful. I believed that composing music could be my contribution. Later I felt that this beauty does not have to be created because it already exists deep within us and only needs to be made visible or audible to others. I became a composer. If we let music into our lives, our fast-paced world decelerates and we get the opportunity to touch some "really" important things: the timelessness and the eternity behind the material world.

Welcome on an exciting journey into the realm of my music!“ (Boris Kosak)

Boris Kosak Trailer (English) Boris Kosak Trailer (German)

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2 Selected works (click for details and to listen)

Large symphony orchestra: ● Sinfonia in G Nr. 1 in four mouvements (40 min) ● CraftWorks Symphony Nr. 2 in four mouvements (40 min) ● Vienna Symphony Nr. 3 in four mouvements (40 min) ● Mozart Variations for orchestra (15 min) ● Black Forest for orchestra (11 min) ● Il Carnevale di Colonia - 1st concerto for and orchestra (26 min) ● Concerto in stile coloniale – concerto for and orchestra (22 min)

Stage music: ● Opera „Reinhard Keisers Störbebecker und Jödicke Michaels“ - in two acts; libretto: Hotter ● Ballet „Seven Deadly Sins“ - in one act, free after the Holy Scripture (45 min) ● Ballet „Venus“ - in one act, free after Leopold Sacher-Masoch „Venus in Fur“ (35 min)

Wind orchestra : ● Windworks – in three movements: Steamworks, Ironworks, Fireworks (17 min)

Chamber orchestra: ● Capriccio Concertante - 2nd concerto for piano and string ensemble (25 min) ● Mozart Uncensored – for string orchestra (10 min) ● King Arthur's Table Music – concerto grosso for fl., ob., cl., basson, fr. horn, , and string ensemble (25 min) ● BarCellona Concerto – concerto for violoncello and chamber orchestra (17 min) ● Mussorgsky · Pictures at an exhibition. A repost – for violin, violoncello, piano and string ensemble (44 min) ● Rapsodia Bassarabesca – for violin, piano and string ensemble (6 min), also as a version ● Dedication – for 12 (5 min) Voice: ● Life cycle - 13songs for high voice (31 min), German lyrics: Boris Kosak

Chamber music: ● A kleyn Noschmuzik (Klezmer version) – for violin and piano (9 min) ● Bagatelles essentielles - 25 one-minute pieces for and piano (25 min) ● Petit-fours - 25 one-minute pieces for violin and piano (25 min) ● Rapsodia in tempo Presley – for violin and piano (6 min) ● Rapsodia bassarabesca – for violin and piano (6 min)

Solo instruments: ● Amuse-bouches - 25 one-minute pieces for piano (25 min) ● The Last Supper – musique de table – for pipe organ (14 min) ● Dim sum - 16 one minute pieces for piano (16 min) ● Happy Birthday Partita - 7 one-minute pieces for piano ● Suite Royale - 6 pieces for piano (25 min) ● Straccia-cello – for violoncello (4 min), also as version for two violoncelli

3 Music – modern classics

Mussorgsky recomposed „Mozart Uncensored“

„Paganini Variations“, 2nd piano concerto feat. Chinese star Shen Wenyu

„Waltz“ from Vienna Symphony Nr. 3 „Straccia-cello“ in Sagrada Familia

feat. Bolshoi Theater Soloists „Movements de l'âme“ for piano

SINFONIA IN G Nr. 1, 1st movement symphonic poem „Black Forest“

4 Photos

5 Biography

Boris Kosak's way to classical music was mostly encouraged by his mother, herself a singer, conceding to the pleas of the six year old child and buying him a piano as a birthday present, encouraging his future as a musician. The first compositional experiments started at the age of 13, and very soon he started to perform them publicly, gaining enthusiastic applause for his epically monumental works among which were twelve piano sonatas.

From his father Boris Kosak inherited a strong interest in mathematics that accompanied him continuously from the first school years and brought him several prizes at regional maths and physics Olympics. At the age of 15 he had to choose between maths and music studies and the decision was in favor of music. 1994 Boris Kosak moved to where he studied composition with York Höller and electronic composition with Ulrich Humpert at the Music Univercity of Cologne. Simultaneously, he studied musicology as well as English and French philology ​​at the University of Cologne.

In Cologne, a stronghold of avantgard music, Boris Kosak quickly understood that the dominating rigid and strict atonalism is alien to him and he has to find a way apart of the mainstream tendencies in order to make innovation possible again. In this time he occupied himself intensively with different styles, eras, genres and art forms and all these various influences resulted in new very personal style combining tradition with modernity, the sophisticated with the entertaining in a well-balanced manner and it was the traditional Cologne Carneval that gave him one of the strongest inspiring impulses. Not by chance among the first compositions in the new style were the piano concerto „Il carnevale di Colonia“, the violin concerto „Concerto in stile coloniale“, and the concerto for orchestra „Tusch“.

Already during his studies, Boris Kosak showed a special interest in the music of Baroque epoch whose influence can be clearly recognized in many of his compositions, stylistically, as well as in the choice of genres, especially concerto and concerto grosso, musique de table and dance suite. Reviving the Baroque suite, Boris Kosak modernized it and writed a series of one-minute pieces like 25 „Amuse-bouches“ for piano, 25 „Petit-fours“ for violin and piano, 14 „Dim Sum“ for piano, 36 „Momenti intimi“ for violoncello and piano, and 25 „Bagatelles essentielles“ for viola and piano. All these pieces have programmatic titles and mostly synthaesthetic connections.

A special predilection for the Baroque tradition of musique de table inspired several compositions combining culinary topics with the music and leads to the compositions like „Eine kleine Naschmusik“ („A little nosh music“) for violin and string ensemble, the concerto grosso „King Arthur's Table Music“,

6 Biography (continuation)

„Straccia-Cello“ for cello and „Suite royale“ for piano. Some of the critics even started to call his music neobarock.

In the last years Boris Kosak writes several orchestral works, redefining modern symphonism in an integrational way, using the whole palette of expressive means available to the modern composer. Among them are t h r e e s y m p h o n i e s – Sinfonia in G Nr. 1, Craftworks Symphony Nr. 2, and Vienna Symphony Nr. 3, the symphonic poem „Black Forest“, the cello concerto „BarCellona concerto“, concerto for wind orchestra „Windworks“, monumental „Mozart Variations“ for orchestra, and the second piano concerto „Capriccio concertante“. Also the song cycle „The cycle of life“ about the things happening for the first time in life (the first breath, the first step, the first word, the first kiss etc.) was created in this time, as well as Mussorgsky / Kosak „Pictures at an exhibition. A repost“ – a highly experimental concerto grosso staying in the tradition of pasticcio (especially loved by young Mozart) and combining the original music of Mussorgsky with new soloist and orchestra parts and episodes.

These works testify a mature master of the orchestra score and they were celebrated in concert halls all over the world: in , France, The Netherlands, Russia, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, USA, Brasil, Australia, China, and South Korea. His music is performed by famous ensembles including Ensemble Intercontemporain, , Ensemble Musikfabrik, Elision Ensemble, and . For his original creative style and the highest quality of work, Boris Kosak is recognized as one of the most innovative musical talents of the contemporary generation who left a deep trail with his exciting and melodic scores, always winning a stunning applause and a sheer enthusiasm of the audience.

He won several prestigious awards, including The Modern Composer's Award in Taiwan 2011, Ljubljana Award 2014, and The Best Modern Composition in Hong Kong 2015.

Several CD recordings with music by Boris Kosak have been released in Germany and Netherlands. In spring 2020 a new CD will be released with the piano music performed by the composer himself.

2016 Boris Kosak moved to Hamburg where he is engaged in several new projects for orchestra and for the Opera of Hamburg.

7 Curriculum Vitae

PERSONALIA Name Boris Kosak Telephone +49 177 598 73 54 E-mail [email protected] Website www.boris-kosak.com Date of birth July 19th, 1970 Place of birth Medkov, Byelorussia Residence Hamburg, Germany Nationality German

CURRENT PROJECTS Taurida International Symphony Orchestra St. Petersburg – artist in residence Court opera St. Petersburg – collaboration Kamerata Stradivarius Orkest Amsterdam – artist in residence Hamburger Camerata – commision All the Colors of Love – CD recording

EDUCATION 1998-2001 Cologne Univercity of Music, Germany Electronic composition, Professor Humpert 1996-1998 Cologne Univercity of Music, Germany Composition, Professor York Höller 1995-2004 Univercity of Cologne, Germany Musicology, English and French philology

COMPETITIONS & PRIZES 2015 The Best Modern Composition, Hong Kong, China 2014 Ljubljana Award 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 2011 The Modern Composer's Award, Taipeh, Taiwan

MUSIC PERFORMANCES

Countries: Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, England, Germany, Hungary, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Macedonia, Moldova, The Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Hungary, USA

Music formations: • Ensemble Intercontemporain • London Sinfonietta • Ensemble Musikfabrik • Elision Ensemble • Taurida Orchestra • Hamburger Camerata • Valencia Symphony Orchestra • Ensemble Modern

Famous Concerts Halls : • Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Netherlands • MuziekGebouw – Amsterdam, Netherlands • Cerritos Arts Center, Los Angeles, US • Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Russia • Théâtre des Champs Élysées, Paris, France • Théâtre Châtelet, Paris, France • Gewandhaus Leipzig, Germany • Teatro Carlo Felice – Genova - Italy • Metropolitan Art Center, Tokyo, Japan • Sejong , Seoul, South Korea • Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines

8 CDs and Press Quotes

● „His music is warm, quirky, and highly original.” — Crescendo

● “Occupying that mid-range between avantgard and classical music, Boris Kosak is a composer to listen, watch, taste and smell, as much for his audacity as for his conception.” — Fono forum

● „This is tonal music, rich in invention and melody, emotionally direct, and beautiful…experienced, subtle, and wise craftsmanship yielding musically satisfying results … Kosak has a well-developed programmatic sense, unerringly employing the musical mot juste to draw his portraits.” — Fanfare

● “Kosak’s own six-movement SUITE ROYALE signaled an ingenious and arresting compositional voice ... SUITE ROYALE is a fine addition to the classical piano repertoire.” — Piano review

● “BLACK FOREST for orchestra struck me as a rich tone poem, striving, passionate,hopeful. It reflects brilliant intellect in combination with brilliant sensitivity on the part of Mr. Kosak… Mr. Kosak combines them freely, openly, honestly. The result is a sparkling work using new and imaginative combinations of instruments, with dissonances that were not so much strong for effect as they were subtle setups for warm and satisfying resolutions.” — Westport News

● “These pieces (HORS D'OEUVRE D'UN FAUNE and RoyaLISZT) are far superior to almost anything else being written for piano today. Not many manage to be equally satisfying to the hands, the ear and the mind as Kosak has.” — Piano Review

● “The result is easily accessible to the average listener, regardless of his musical sophistication, even though it’s a sound the like of which he has never heard before.” — Taktlos

● "… his music … is evocative and shows a well-developed feeling for, and a mastery of, orchestral colors." — Neue Musikzeitung

● "...Kosak has created in BLACK FOREST an original and powerful work — intense yet aglow with lovely lyric undercurrents." — American Record Guide

● "(a composer) with one common characteristic: Talent for creating musical gestures far bigger, more colorful and varied than the means at hand would suggest. His SUITE ROYALE demands sweat and earnestness from its piano soloist.... The work suggests a deep interior experience that hasn't been fully externalized. Skill is evident, with unmistakable decisiveness." — Fanfare

● "Credit Boris Kosak ... with translating his own enthusiasm for new music into a consistent artistic vision." — Schweizer Musikzeitung

9 Contact

Address: Boris Kosak Melanchthonstr. 31 22525 Hamburg Germany

For booking inquiries please contact Andreas Kaufman: Email: [email protected] Phone: +49 1590 5407014 (also Whatsapp)

To contact Boris Kosak personally: Phone: +49 177 598 73 54 (also Whatsapp) Email: [email protected] Homepage: www.boris-kosak.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/boris.kosak Instagram www.instagram.com/boriskosak LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/boriskosak Xing: www.xing.com/profile/boris_kosak

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