Since 1991 Rolf Plagge has been working at the Mozarteum University as a university professor for piano. His concert tours take him to all parts of the world, especially to South America, South Korea and Japan, where he regularly gives piano recitals and master classes. Together with Wolfgang Manz he built up the "Klavierduo Königin Elisabeth" since 1988, which is meanwhile renowned all over the world. The duo is especially dedicated to their own transcriptions of Stravinsky's ballets "Petrushka", Le Sacre du Printemps" and "The Firebird" as well as lesser-known repertoire for 2 pianos by Tscherepnin, Khatschaturjan and other masters.
Rolf Plagge (*1959 in Westerstede) received his first piano lessons at the age of six. While still at school he began his studies as a young student at the Musikhochschule Hamburg with Peter-Jürgen Hofer. After graduating from high school, he entered Vitaly Margulis' class at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg/Breisgau. This laid the foundation for a mature technique and opened up the entire spectrum of Russian piano literature for Plagge. From 1981, he continued his studies with Paul Badura-Skoda at the Vienna University of Music. With a scholarship from the German Study Foundation, he studied in 1983 in the class of Gyorgy Sandor at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. In 1991, Plagge completed his studies in the class of Karl-Heinz Kämmerling at the Music Academy in Hanover, passing the soloist exam.
Rolf Plagge has won many competition prizes at home and abroad. Among other things, he was able to win the Hamburg Steinway Competition five times in a row. In 1979 he won his first international prize: in the Italian piano competition in Senigallia. Prizes in the 1980 Busoni competition in Bozen, 1981 in the ARD competition in Munich, 1984 in the Gina Bachauer competition in Salt Lake City, 1987 in the Concours Reine Elisabeth in Brussels followed. In 1990 he managed to be the first German pianist to win a prize in the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition.
Through his studies with Vitaly Margulis and strengthened by an audition before a commission in the Leningrad Conservatory during a school trip to Moscow and Leningrad in 1977, he feels particularly emotionally drawn to the Russian piano repertoire. In addition, he devotes himself increasingly to lesser-known piano concertos (Barber op.38 , Szymanowsky op.60, Weiske op.20, Henze) and especially the complete piano works by Szymanowsky. Some of Plagge's CD recordings are dedicated to very little-known repertoire, e.g. B. the second piano concerto by Hans-Werner Henze or the piano concertos by the Czech composer Georg Benda, with whose second piano concerto in G minor a CD in E flat major is available. Another Tacet recording of works by Franz Liszt received excellent reviews from all media. Recordings of the piano works by K. Szymanowsky are available on the Aulos and Mozarteum Records labels. Musicaphon has also released a CD with several chamber music works by Ludwig Spohr with the Pallas Trio (with Katrin Rabus and Wolfram Geiss
In the field of chamber music, Plagge is primarily concerned with the classical and romantic violin repertoire. In Belgium and Italy he has performed Beethoven's violin sonatas several times with the American violinist Andrew Hardy, and various works by Stravinsky and Szymanowsky with Christos Kanetti.
Rolf Plagge has won many competition prizes at home and abroad. Among other things, he was able to win the Hamburg Steinway Competition five times in a row. In 1979 he won his first international prize: in the Italian piano competition in Senigallia. Prizes in the 1980 Busoni competition in Bozen, 1981 in the ARD competition in Munich, 1984 in the Gina Bachauer competition in Salt Lake City, 1987 in the Concours Reine Elisabeth in Brussels followed. In 1990 he managed to be the first German pianist to win a prize in the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition.
Through his studies with Vitaly Margulis and strengthened by an audition before a commission in the Leningrad Conservatory during a school trip to Moscow and Leningrad in 1977, he feels particularly emotionally drawn to the Russian piano repertoire. In addition, he devotes himself increasingly to lesser-known piano concertos (Barber op.38 , Szymanowsky op.60, Weiske op.20, Henze) and especially the complete piano works by Szymanowsky. Some of Plagge's CD recordings are dedicated to very little-known repertoire, e.g. B. the second piano concerto by Hans-Werner Henze or the piano concertos by the Czech composer Georg Benda, with whose second piano concerto in G minor a CD in E flat major is available. Another Tacet recording of works by Franz Liszt received excellent reviews from all media. Recordings of the piano works by K. Szymanowsky are available on the Aulos and Mozarteum Records labels. Musicaphon has also released a CD with several chamber music works by Ludwig Spohr with the Pallas Trio (with Katrin Rabus and Wolfram Geiss
In the field of chamber music, Plagge is primarily concerned with the classical and romantic violin repertoire. In Belgium and Italy he has performed Beethoven's violin sonatas several times with the American violinist Andrew Hardy, and various works by Stravinsky and Szymanowsky with Christos Kanetti.
discography
PAVANE RCORDS, Belgium, No. ADW 7191, 1986 Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57 "Appassionata" Maurice Ravel: "Scarbo" from Gaspard de la Nuit" Franz Liszt: Sonata in B minor HARMONIA MUNDI PRIMAVERA, N. 2028-2 / WDR / Deutscher Musikrat, 1986 Franz Liszt: Sonata in B minor Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit Alexander Scriabin: Sonata No.5 op.53 Ludwig van Beethoven: - AIDA, No. 572 30353, Klaus Böhnke Gmbh, 1989 Piano Concerto No.4 in G major, Op.58 Classical Philharmonic Bonn, conductor: Heribert Beissel
Viennese Classicism, Vol. II, Hamburg, music hall, large hall, live recording Georg Anton Benda: - E-flat major, No. 2027, 1994 Concerto for piano and string orchestra in G minor, Landessinfonieorchester Thüringen-Gotha, conductor: Hermann Breuer Louis Spohr - CANTATE MUSICAPHON, No. M 56822, 1995 Piano Trio in G minor op.142 Piano Trio in F major op.123 Rondo brillant for piano and violin op.51 Adagio in F major for piano and violoncello op.115 Pallas Trio (with Kathrin Rabus, violin and Wolfram Geiss, cello) Franz Liszt: Franz Liszt... con bravura! - TACET, No. 40, 1995 Tarantelle di bravura d'après la Tarantelle de la Muette de Portici (Auber) 3 Consolations Mephisto Waltz No.1 Gnome Dance, La Campanella Love Dream No.3 "Venezia i Napoli" (from the "Années de Pélerinage ", Italy) Hans Werner Henze: Piano Concerto No.2 (1967) - CPO / West German Broadcasting, No. 999 322-2, 1995 Northwest German Philharmonic, Conductor: Gerhard Markson Karol Szymanowsky: Piano Works 1 - AULOS, No. 66107, 2003 9 Préludes op.1 Variations on an original theme in B minor op.3 4 Etudes op.4 Variations on a Polish folk song in B minor op.10, 4 Polish Dances (1926) Karol Szymanowsky: Piano Works 2 - AULOS, No. 66144, 2004 Fantasy op.14 Métopes op.29 12 Etudes op.33 Masques op.34 Felix Woyrsch: The complete works for piano - AULOS, No. 66108, 2003 Preambulum d minor Musette G major Three nocturnes op.1 Two waltzes op. 8 Variations in C major, Op.17, Four Impromptus, Op.23, Eight Improvisations, Op.44, Four Metamorphoses, Op.48
Viennese Classicism, Vol. II, Hamburg, music hall, large hall, live recording Georg Anton Benda: - E-flat major, No. 2027, 1994 Concerto for piano and string orchestra in G minor, Landessinfonieorchester Thüringen-Gotha, conductor: Hermann Breuer Louis Spohr - CANTATE MUSICAPHON, No. M 56822, 1995 Piano Trio in G minor op.142 Piano Trio in F major op.123 Rondo brillant for piano and violin op.51 Adagio in F major for piano and violoncello op.115 Pallas Trio (with Kathrin Rabus, violin and Wolfram Geiss, cello) Franz Liszt: Franz Liszt... con bravura! - TACET, No. 40, 1995 Tarantelle di bravura d'après la Tarantelle de la Muette de Portici (Auber) 3 Consolations Mephisto Waltz No.1 Gnome Dance, La Campanella Love Dream No.3 "Venezia i Napoli" (from the "Années de Pélerinage ", Italy) Hans Werner Henze: Piano Concerto No.2 (1967) - CPO / West German Broadcasting, No. 999 322-2, 1995 Northwest German Philharmonic, Conductor: Gerhard Markson Karol Szymanowsky: Piano Works 1 - AULOS, No. 66107, 2003 9 Préludes op.1 Variations on an original theme in B minor op.3 4 Etudes op.4 Variations on a Polish folk song in B minor op.10, 4 Polish Dances (1926) Karol Szymanowsky: Piano Works 2 - AULOS, No. 66144, 2004 Fantasy op.14 Métopes op.29 12 Etudes op.33 Masques op.34 Felix Woyrsch: The complete works for piano - AULOS, No. 66108, 2003 Preambulum d minor Musette G major Three nocturnes op.1 Two waltzes op. 8 Variations in C major, Op.17, Four Impromptus, Op.23, Eight Improvisations, Op.44, Four Metamorphoses, Op.48
Discography Duo Queen Elizabeth
Russian Music 1 - EMS DISCOVER Belgium STRAVINSKY: Petrushka – Ballet in 4 scenes for 2 pianos SKRJABIN: Fantasy in A minor for 2 pianos SCHOSTAKOWITSCH: Concertino in A minor op.94 for 2 pianos Rachmaninoff: Six pieces for piano 4 hands op.1 BEETHOVEN-LISZT: Symphony No.9 in D minor op.125 for 2 pianos
CORDARIA CACD 551 THOROFON CTH 2297 DEBUSSY: En Blanc et Noir for 2 pianos, Marche écossaise RACHMANINOV: Suite No.1 op.5 “Fantaisie-tableaux” for 2 pianos; Suite No.2 op.17 for 2 pianos RAVEL: Rapsodie espagnole for 2 pianos THOROFON CTH 2298 MOZART: Sonata in D major KV 448 for 2 pianos SCHUBERT: Fantasy in F minor op.103 D 940 for piano 4 hands LISZT: Concerto pathétique in E minor for 2 pianos Russian and Armenian Music 2 - SOJUZ SOCD0003 CHEREPNIN: Fantasy on Chinese folk tales for 2 pianos KHATCHATURJAN: Dances from the ballet “Spartak” for 2 pianos; Dances from the ballet “Gayaneh” for 2 pianos; 3 pieces for 2 pianos ARUTJUNJAN / ;BABAJANJAN: Armenian Rhapsody for 2 Pianos
CORDARIA CACD 551 THOROFON CTH 2297 DEBUSSY: En Blanc et Noir for 2 pianos, Marche écossaise RACHMANINOV: Suite No.1 op.5 “Fantaisie-tableaux” for 2 pianos; Suite No.2 op.17 for 2 pianos RAVEL: Rapsodie espagnole for 2 pianos THOROFON CTH 2298 MOZART: Sonata in D major KV 448 for 2 pianos SCHUBERT: Fantasy in F minor op.103 D 940 for piano 4 hands LISZT: Concerto pathétique in E minor for 2 pianos Russian and Armenian Music 2 - SOJUZ SOCD0003 CHEREPNIN: Fantasy on Chinese folk tales for 2 pianos KHATCHATURJAN: Dances from the ballet “Spartak” for 2 pianos; Dances from the ballet “Gayaneh” for 2 pianos; 3 pieces for 2 pianos ARUTJUNJAN / ;BABAJANJAN: Armenian Rhapsody for 2 Pianos