Theodor Burkali
*28 September 1975
Works by Theodor Burkali
Biography
Theodor Burkali, Composer and Clarinetist, (born September 28, 1975 in Győr/Hungary) received his musical education at the Hans Richter Conservatory in Győr (clarinet with Prof. András Szabó and composition with László Draskóczy) and completed all his artistic-pedagogical music studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest (1999, in the concert studies with Prof. Béla Kovács), at the University Mozarteum Salzburg (2001, concert studies with Prof. Emil Rieder) and his doctoral studies at the University Mozarteum (2005, dissertation: ClariNova - New sound effects and playing techniques on the clarinet. Creation of the complete fingering chart of microtones and multiphonics with Prof. Dr. Horst-Peter Hesse) with unanimous distinction. In addition, he was an active participant in various master classes by Sabine Meyer, Michel Portal, Francois Benda, Jean-Pierre Baraglioli, Michiel Oldenkamp, Eugene Rousseau, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Franco Donatoni, Giya Kancheli, Philip Glass, György Kurtág, among others.
He has also won numerous national and international competitions, including the Jeunesse Musicales in Bucharest, the Seville International Competition, the Young Artist Competition (Belgium), the Yamaha Competition and the Franz-Josef Reinl Composition Competition in Vienna. In 2002 he received the Theodor Körner Prize for his compositional work and in 2004 the "Annual Scholarship for Music" of the State Government of Salzburg.
As a composer and clarinetist, he is present at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Cité de la musique Paris, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Queens Hall Edinburgh, the Salzburger Großes Festspielhaus, the Tonhalle Zürich and the New York Symphony Space. Concerts, radio and television productions took him to the USA, Asia and Africa.
In the 2010/2011 season he was composer in residence of the Salzburg Cultural Association. On this occasion, the performance of "Klezmorim" in the Großes Festspielhaus with the Brussels Philhamonic and the world premiere of "ORIGO" with the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg took place.
His work "AEQUIBLIBRIUM" for ensemble was premiered in the summer of 2020 at the Salzburg Festival by the OENM Austrian Ensemble for New Music.
As an expert on new playing techniques on the clarinet, he gave workshops and guest lectures at several European universities. His dissertation "ClariNova" contains, among other things, more than 700 music and audio samples for multiphonics, various playing techniques and a complete fingering chart for microtones.
In addition to his concert activities as a member of the OENM - Austrian Ensemble for New Music, he is a teacher of clarinet and saxophone at the Musikum Salzburg and a lecturer at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg.
Commissions by
a.o. Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, Budapest Saxophone Quartet, Epoque String Quartet Prague, Salzburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Bottrop Chamber Orchestra, Salzburg Cathedral Music, Budapest Spring Festival, Salzburg State Government, Ballet of Győr, Cultural Association Schloss Goldegg, Lappeenranta Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Győr, OENM Austrian Ensemble for New Music, stART Festival Salzburg, Trombone Quartet Trombonica, Saarland StateOrchestra, Diabelli Sommer Mattsee, Vienna Saxophonic Orchestra, Mobilis Saxophone Quartet, The Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation, Ensemble quart@art.
About the music
Theodor Burkali's colourful compositional output is wide-ranging, with works for a variety of formations from solo to orchestra with mixed choir. His catalogue of works includes easy recital pieces for young talents as well as experimental music with new playing techniques for musicians who like to discover. Burkali is particularly fond of composing works for clarinet and saxophone in unconventional instrumentations with other wind, string, percussion and keyboard instruments.
At the centre of his compositional thoughts is the moment under slow motion, which, depending on his inspiration, he makes audible to the audience in a colourful caricature, capriciously deformed or thoughtfully expanded in time. He describes his musical style briefly and concise way with the word collage: POLYrhythmic (A)TOmiNimAL Art