ERP artist Maria Veretenina. Soprano
Maria Veretenina
January 5, 2012
PEKING OPERA
Peking Opera
March 15, 2015

RalfTaal

RALF TAAL, piano

Biography

RalfTaalPianoFrom his very first public performances pianist Ralf Taal (b 1974) has charmed the audience with the colourful and refined sound. Taal’s sound fantasies range from powerful drama and booming depth to gossamery utopia worlds. Together with Mati Mikalai and Marko Martin, they form the new generation of Estonian pianists that made a powerful entrance in the 1990s and quickly gained the leading position: in 1992, Taal gave his first recital, in 1993, he won the All-Estonian competition dedicated to Grieg’s 150th anniversary, in 1994, the Estonian pianists’ and young musicians’ competition Con brio; in 1995, he was awarded Special Prize for the youngest finalist at the Schubert International Competition in Dortmund.
Taal has graduated from the class of Maigi Pakri and Prof Bruno Lukk at the Tallinn Music High School in 1992. His studies continued at the Estonian Academy of Music with Lauri Väinmaa and Prof Peep Lassmann (graduated 1997), the latter being also the supervisor of his post-graduate studies. Taal has attended master classes by renowned pianists like Kalle Randalu, Arbo Valdmaa, Boris Berman et al.
In the 1990s, Taal began his active and versatile concert activities. He has been performing both as soloist and in ensemble at home and abroad. He has co-operated with several acclaimed conductors like Paavo Järvi, Olari Elts, Eri Klas et al and his repertoire includes more than 20 piano concertos. Vocalists and instrumentalists alike appreciate him as an ensemble partner. In 2011, he was awarded the Annual Prize of the Estonian Culture Endowment. Taal is a long-time pianist-répétiteur in the Estonian National Opera as well as a teacher at the Estonian Academy of Music and Tallinn Georg Ots Music School.

Download: Ralf Taal, photo by V Pettinen, colour, jpg, RGB, 300 dpi, 15.2 MB


Repertoire

Works for piano and orchestra

Ludvig van Beethoven. Piano Concertos Nos 1, 3, 4 and 5
Frédéric Chopin. Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op 11
Frédéric Chopin. Chopin – Variations on “Là ci darem la mano″, Op 2
Ferenc Liszt. Piano Concerto No 1 in E-flat major
Johannes Brahms. Piano Concerto Nos 1 and 2
Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Piano Concerto No 1 in B-flat minor, Op 23
Edvard Grieg. Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 16
Sergei Rachmaninoff. Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor, Op 30
Sergei Rachmaninoff. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op 43
Maurice Ravel. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major
Sergei Prokofiev. Piano Concerto No 4 in B-flat major for the Left Hand

Works for piano solo

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sonata in C major, K 330
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sonata in B major, K 333
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sonata in D major, K 576
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Fantasy in C minor, K 475
Joseph Haydn. Sonata in E-flat major, HobXVI:52
Ludvig van Beethoven. Sonatas Nos 2, 3, 7, 8, 14, 15, 23, 26, 27, 28, 30 and 31
Franz Schubert. Sonata in G major, D 894
Franz Schubert. Sonata in A major, D 959
Franz Schubert. Sonata in B major, D 894
Franz Schubert. Sonata in B major, D 960
Franz Schubert. Wanderer-Fantasie, D 760
Franz Schubert. Impromtus Op 90 and Op 142
Frédéric Chopin. Études Op 10 and Op 25
Frédéric Chopin. Preludes, Op 28
Frédéric Chopin. Ballade No 3 in A-flat major, Op 47
Frédéric Chopin. Ballade No 4 in F minor, Op 52
Frédéric Chopin. Polonaise in A-flat major, Op 53
Frédéric Chopin. Scherzo No 2 in B-flat minor, Op 31
Ferenc Liszt. Transcendental Études
Ferenc Liszt. Sonata in B minor
Ferenc Liszt. Ballade No 2 in B minor
Ferenc Liszt. Mephisto Waltz No 1
Ferenc Liszt. Réminiscences de Don Juan
Ferenc Liszt. Paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto
Robert Schumann/Ferenc Liszt. Widmung
Robert Schumann. Symphonic Etudes, Op 13
Robert Schumann. Waldszenen, Op 82
Johannes Brahms. Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op 35
Claude Debussy. Images
Maurice Ravel. Gaspard de la nuit
Sergei Rachmaninoff. Preludes
Alexander Scriabin. Sonata No 5
Alexander Scriabin. 3 Etudes, Op 65
Sergei Prokofiev. Sonata No 3
Sergei Prokofiev. 10 Pieces from the ballet “Romeo and Juliet″

Mart Saar. Preludes
Eduard Tubin. Preludes
Arvo Pärt. Sonatina No 1, Op 1
Ester Mägi. The Ancient Kannel
René Eespere. Ludus tactus
Lepo Sumera. Ostinato-Variations
Lepo Sumera. Piece from the Year 1981

Discography

MAGIC OF SOUND
Fryderyk Chopin

Chopin. Prelude, Op 28 No 15 in D-flat major Raindrop, fragm, 3 min 2 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps

Chopin. Polonaise in A-flat major, Op 53, fragm, 2 min 52 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps

Chopin. Scherzo No 2 in B-flat minor, Op 31, fragm, 3 min 1 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps


See also other ERP’s pianists: Age Juurikas, Vardo Rumessen (1942−2015), Kristjan Randalu