Marián Varga
Marián Varga (born January 29, 1947, Skalica, Slovakia) is Slovak musician, composer and organ player.
Biography
He has played piano since the age of six. He studied piano and composition at the conservatory in Bratislava. He left conservatory after three years to become a member of the group Prúdy, and contributed to the legendary album Zvonky, zvoňte. He left Prúdy as suddenly as he had left conservatory only to establish the first Czechoslovak art rock band Collegium Musicum.
The repertoire of Collegium Musicum, comprising mostly of instrumental pieces, included reinterpretations of the themes of classics such as Joseph Haydn, Béla Bartók and Igor Stravinsky, complemented with original compositions. Already at this stage his work bore signs of postmodernism (Eufónia of the album Konvergencie), which later became the basic principle of his work.
When Collegium Musicum disbanded in 1979, Varga started solo carrier. Among other achievements, he became a pioneer of absolute improvisation (real-time composition) in Slovakia. In the meantime he continued to contribute to popular music. His ongoing collaboration with Pavol Hammel led to five successful albums and to the first rock musical in Slovakia.
Discography
with Prúdy
- Zvoňte zvonky 1968
Collegium Musicum
- [7"] Hommage à J.S.Bach / Ulica plná plášťov do dažďa 1970
- [EP] Collegium Musicum 1970
- Konvergencie 1971
- Collegium Musicum Live [live] 1973
- Marián Varga & Collegium Musicum 1975
- Continuo 1978
- Cyrano z predmestia
- On a ona 1979
- Divergencie 1981
- Collegium Musicum '97 [live] 1997
with Pavol Hammel
- Zelená pošta 1972
- Na II. programe sna [with Radim Hladik] 1976
- Cyrano z predmestia 1978
- Všetko je inak 1989
- Labutie piesne 1993
with Vladimír Merta
- Cestou k ... Stabil - Instabil 1992
Solo albums
- Stále tie dni 1984
- Solo In Concert [live] 2003
- Marián Varga & Moyzesovo kvarteto 2006
Anthology
- Hommage à Marián Varga 2006