Tomáš Víšek

Tomáš Víšek (born 1957) is a Czech pianist.

Early life

Tomáš Víšek (1957) began study of the piano at eight years of age under professor Pavel Svoboda. During the years 1972-1976, he studied at the Prague Conservatory under professor Valentina Kameníková and then later under professor Zdeněk Kozina. During the years 1976-1984, he studied at Prague Academy of Performing Arts, at first under professor Josef Páleníček and then under professor Zdeněk Jílek, with whom he continued post-graduate studies in the years 1990-1993.

Career

During his studies, Víšek became a many-time laureate in domestic competitions including Ústi nad Labem, Hradec Králové and Mariánské Lázně. He performed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Egypt, Japan, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. He repeatedly gave performances in the Vienna Musikverein as soloist in Grieg's Piano Concerto. Radio France arranged a separate recital for him. Visek recorded also for Czech and Polish Radio, Czech television and on CD recordings. His piano recital at the Prague International Spring Festival in May 1997 was highly acclaimed, as well as his performances there in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Other successes include the unique festival "Music of extended duration" on Prague Castle where he played the works of John Cage, and the festival "Musica Iudaica" where he performed the work of Jewish composers including Gershwin, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and E.W. Korngold). In 1997, he performed Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue several times with orchestra in the Dvorak Hall of Prague Rudolfinum, which he repeated in 1998, and at St. Wenceslas Festival in 2003.

An interview with Tomáš Víšek in Czech Music described him as, "An explosive type of an artist who is always fully absorbed in the play. It is almost with an obsession and devilish attitude that he enjoys every twist and turn in the plot of the play. With a unique touch, he moves it into convincing levels with deep absorption. He is unveiling various secret of the manuscript and he has proved to keep the audience in suspense for a long duration." (Hudební rozhledy, 2/98). In 2004 Víšek and cellist František Brikcius organized the "Weinberger Tour", celebrating the music of Czech composer Jaromír Weinberger.

Awards and honors

In international events, Víšek acquired awards in the Chopin competition in Warsaw, 1975 (Janina Nawrocka special prize) and the Smetana competition in Hradec Kralove, 1978 (IInd prize plus an award for Smetana interpretation). During the nineties, he followed this success by winning the Second Prize in international competitions in Vienna (1992), a prize at Sicilian Ragusa (1994) and Fifth Prize in the Concours Milosz Magin in Paris, 1995.

References

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