MANTEY’S PRODIGIOUS PIANO

Holger Mantey was born in 1963 on the island of Ruegen. He started playing the piano at a rather late age of 10 years. He completed classical piano studies with Professor Heinz Zimbehl and Sonja Großmann in Berlin. He simultaneously worked together with the dancer Barbara Krippendorf. Mantey developed his own concept of piano music, which had the stamp of multiple influences: may it be the classical music of Bach, right up to the modern and non-European.

Under adventurous circumstances he fled from the GDR and went to Cologne. Ever since, Mantey has made an impact as soloist and he played at many festivals in Europa, Asia and Africa (a.o. Leverkusen, Frankfurt, Cologne, Perugia, Delhi, Bangalore, Bombay, Lisbon, St.Petersbourg). Concert tours took him to: Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Russia, Israel, Turkey, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Portugal, Cap Verde, a.o.

Along with the saxophonist Matthias Schubert (from Cologne), he received the second prize at the International Competition for Young Arts in Duesseldorf 1996. In the same year, his second solo CD (Piano Total) appeared. Mantey has been doing Radio- and TV-recordings for many stations.

The virtuosity of the pianist has been acknowledged by competent sources. His technical ability is astonishing and his talent is impressive. What is most fascinating, is Holger Mantey's talent to create an own expression with the piano. Familiar with the pluralistic style of the present times, he is rooted in the classical piano tradition and wanders into the world of sounds of romantic music - and does not get caught in the jungle of arbitrariness. Holger Mantey knows, how to differentiate and to individualise.

Since the end of the 80’s, Holger Mantey is a name on the German festival circuit. He has played at many Festivals in Germany and abroad. In his concerts (which have taken him right to Asia, Europe and Africa), he has succeeded in questioning the separating lines between his special kind of romantic, classical and contemporary music in a creative manner - and by doing so, got different audience groups to get interested in his music.

Wolfgang Sandner (of the German newspaper ‘FAZ’) expressed, what others also find exciting in Holger Mantey's playing: "As if he had an entire musical cosmos in his head". In this way, Mantey plays lesser with conscious cross-references - however, a lot flows out of the spontaneous running of his fingers on the keyboard; he undoubtedly has mastered the art of (what one could call) ‘instant composing’.

Current Programs:

I.
Holger Mantey - Piano Solo

Plunge into piano music:
From Mozart to Gershwin

Original compostions and adaptations of ancient and new masters - interpreted
in a romantic, virtuos and humorous manner by concert pianist Holger Mantey.

MP3-Soundfiles (taken from three different Piano-Solo-CDs /
a brand-new release is yet about to come Soon):

II.
To Be Ohr

Holger Mantey - piano / Gert Anklam - saxophone

Exotic collage of a concert that is flavoured with fairy tales
from remote countries. From virtuos to meditative.
Dream your own concert ...

MP3-Soundfiles (taken from the above CD):

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