Described by a Viennese critic as “A wizard of percussion”, Austrian multi-percussionist Martin Grubinger makes his solo percussion performances real ‘must-see’ events. A regular guest with many of the leading orchestras and at the world’s top venues, Grubinger possesses an unusually broad repertoire ranging from solo works and chamber music with partners including his own Percussive Planet Ensemble, to percussion concertos.
In the 2015/16 season Grubinger debuts with New York Philharmonic Orchestra and returns to the National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, Gewandhaus Leipzig and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He will be Artist-in-Residence at the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Together with baritone Thomas Hampson he will tour a recital programme to Munich’s Gasteig, Wiener Konzerthaus and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. A tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Manfred Honeck will lead him into important halls across Europe.
Grubinger was Artist-in-Residence at the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 2008/09 and has since followed this with residences with Camerata Salzburg and at the Philharmonie Köln, Philharmonie München, Wiener Konzerthaus and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival just now. He has appeared with orchestras including NHK Symphony and Oslo Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Münchner, Hamburger and Dresdner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Bamberger Symphoniker and BBC Philharmonic. He guests regularly with leading orchestras in the United States, amongst them Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
Amongst the growing number of works written for Grubinger are Avner Dorman’s Frozen in Time (2007) and Friedrich Cerha’s Concerto (2008), performed and recorded with the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Peter Eötvös on Kairos, as well as Tan Dun’s concerto, Tears of Nature (2012). Spring 2014 saw the German premiere of Eötvös’ Speaking Drums with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer. His renowned percussion projects The Percussive Planet and the recently premiered Caribbean Showdown are further examples of his versatility.
photo FBroede