Luiza Borac

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Luiza Borac (* in Piteşti, Romania) is a classical Romanian pianist.

Biography

Born in Romania, Luiza Borac studied at the Enescu Music School for gifted children and the Music Academy in Bucharest, as well as at the Academy of Music and Drama in Hanover, graduating both with highest degrees. Further studies include master classes at the Juilliard School of Music New York, Como International Piano Foundation, Holland Music Sessions Amsterdam and Salzburg International Summer Academy.

Not later than 1991 Luiza Borac caused international stir when she was called at short notice to stand in for indisposed Sviatoslav Richter during 1991 Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and received rave reviews. That same year she was a prize-winner of the Enescu International Piano Festival and was awarded the Romanian Critics Prize. She won first prizes at Viotti-Valsesia Italy and Mendelssohn International Piano Competition Germany as well as the Silver Medal of Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, the Prix d’Oslo, Grieg Prize and Audience Prize of Grieg International Piano Competition Oslo. One year later she was soloist at the Young Artists International Festival in Los Angeles and gave her debut in the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York which received exceptional reviews.

Luiza Borac performed extensively in Europe and USA where her concerts were broadcast by major radio/TV stations. She performed solo recitals at the Carnegie Weill Hall, Steinway Hall (New York and London), Cologne Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Radio Hall Hamburg, Liederhalle Stuttgart and appeared in festivals including Aldeburgh Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Oslo Grieg, Prokofiev at the Barbican Centre London, Enescu Bucharest, Chopin Festivals in Vienna and Milan, Bohemian Music Festival, Braunschweiger Classix, Young Artists International Festival Los Angeles. She has performed as soloist with Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Nations, Bucharest and Cologne Radio Orchestras, Utah Symphony Orchestra and has worked with artists like Vladimir Jurowski, Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu among others. Her 2003 recording of George Enescu’s Three Piano Suites for Avie Records was highly acclaimed throughout the world not only for her wonderfully idiomatic performances but also for the truthful quality of the recorded sound. Her next CD recording with works by Schubert and Liszt released in 2005 was described as “impressive mastery” by Gramophone. With her CD “George Enescu Vol. 2” Luiza Borac completed the recording of the piano works by George Enescu, a world premiere project. The Album went on to win the coveted BBC Award 2007 for the best instrumental CD of the year.

In 2007 Luiza’s tireless promotion of George Enescu’s music led to receiving a special award from Music News (Romania’s leading music magazine) for her international support of Romanian music. She was invited to perform a live-broadcast (radio and television) Enescu recital in Bucharest.

But Luiza Borac also organizes her time for charity purposes. Luiza played in charity concerts for the homeless and orphan children in Romania. The 1991 UK Tour for the Romanian Relief featuring concerts in the Barbican Centre and Coventry Cathedral as well as the 2001 charity event of the German-Lutheran Church Melanchton Hannover enabled fund raising to be delivered directly in Romania.

In 2009 Luiza Borac released an album featuring the 24 Etudes and the Polish Songs by Chopin, which received a 4 star review in The Times. For Luiza, this recital has musical as well as personal significance as it pays tribute to her long-time supporter and producer, the late John Barnes.

In September 2009 Luiza Borac performed the World Premiere of the newly discovered composition “Ahnung” by Robert Schumann – the first unknown work by Schumann that has been discovered since the early 20th century. Also in 2009 Luiza Borac was included on the Steinway Wall of Fame, after 10 years of being a Steinway Artist.

In 2010 her latest album “Fruehlingsglaube” (Spring Faith) was released including piano transcriptions by Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff on works by Mozart, Schubert, Kreisler and Tarrega. The new album is dedicated to the Romanian Charity Project which supports orphans and street children of Romania.

Discography

  • Robert Schumann - Kinderszenen, Etudes Symphoniques op. 13 (Avie)
  • Erbdrostenhof - Klavierabend mit Werken von Chopin, Liszt und Ravel (R+V)
  • Ceszky Krmlov Festival - Klavierabend mit Werken von Beethoven und Schumann
  • Glasgow International Piano Competition - Prizewinner Concert
  • Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition - Prizewinner Concert
  • WDR Orchester Köln - Chopin: Variations on "La ci darem la mano", Op. 2 (BMG)
  • George Enescu - The Three Piano Suites (Avie)
  • Wanderer - Schubert and Liszt (Avie)
  • Don Giovanni - Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven (ZEIT Stiftung)
  • George Enescu - The Two Piano Sonatas (Avie)
  • Frédéric Chopin - 24 Etudes and 6 Polish Songs (Avie)
  • Frühlingsglaube - Piano Transcriptions by Liszt and Rachmaninoff
  • Dinu Lipatti- 2 c.d.'s,C.D.1 63 minutes.C.D.2 47 minutes,2012(Avie)

External links

References