Tomáš Víšek (born 1957) is a Czech pianist.

Early life

Víšek began study of the piano at eight years of age under professor Pavel Svoboda. During the years 1972–1976, he studied at the Prague Conservatory under professor Valentina Kameníková and then later under professor Zdeněk Kozina. During the years 1976–1984, he studied at

Prague Academy of Performing Arts The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (, AMU) is a university in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the study of music, dance, drama, film, television and multi-media. It is the largest art school in the Czech Republic, wit ...

, at first under professor Josef Páleníček and then under professor Zdeněk Jílek, with whom he continued post-graduate studies in the years 1990–1993. In 2017, he finished his Ph.D. studies at the Pedagogical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague (dissertation "Attraction and Problems of the Antonín Dvořák´s Piano Works").

Career

During his studies, Víšek became a many-time laureate in domestic competitions including Ústi nad Labem, Hradec Králové and Mariánské Lázně. He gained prizes at many international competitions (see lower). He performed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Egypt, Japan, USA, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Finland, Switzerland and Austria. He repeatedly gave performances in the Vienna Musikverein as a soloist in

Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of N ...

's ''Piano Concerto''. Radio France arranged a separate recital for him. Visek recorded also for Czech and Polish Radio, Czech television and on CD recordings (his last CDs are "Dvořák Unreleased" and "Franz Liszt and Czech Music"). His piano recital at the Prague International Spring Festival in May 1997 was highly acclaimed, as well as his performances there in 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2014. Other successes include the unique festival "Music of extended duration" on Prague Castle where he played the works of

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

, the festival "Musica Iudaica" where he performed the work of Jewish composers including Gershwin, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and E.W. Korngold. In 1997, he performed Gershwin's ''

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition for solo piano and jazz band by George Gershwin. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects and premiered in a concer ...

'' several times with orchestra in the Dvorak Hall of Prague Rudolfinum, which he repeated in 1998, and at St. Wenceslas Festival in 2003, Piano Festival of Rudolf Firkušný in 2017, etc. An interview with Tomáš Víšek in ''Czech Music'' described him as, "An explosive type of an artist who is always fully absorbed in the play. It is almost with an obsession and devilish attitude that he enjoys every twist and turn in the plot of the play. With a unique touch, he moves it into convincing levels with deep absorption. He is unveiling various secrets of the manuscript and he has proved to keep the audience in suspense for a long duration." (''Hudební rozhledy'', 2/98). In 2007 Víšek and cellist František Brikcius organized the "Weinberger Tour", celebrating the music of Czech composer

Jaromír Weinberger Jaromír Weinberger (8 January 1896 – August 8, 1967) was a Bohemian-born Jewish subject of the Austrian Empire, who became a naturalized American composer. Biography Weinberger was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, into a family of Jewish ori ...

, in 1999 created (with other 4 pianists) the special concert programme "Classic Piano Jike(r)s".

Awards and honors

In international events, Víšek acquired awards in the Chopin competition in Warsaw, 1975 (Janina Nawrocka Special Prize) and the Smetana competition in Hradec Kralove, 1978 (2nd prize plus an award for Smetana interpretation). During the nineties, he followed this success by winning the Second Prize in international competitions in Vienna (1992), the 2nd Prize + Bach-Award at Sicilian Ragusa (1994), 5th Prize in the "Concours Milosz Magin" in Paris, 1995. In the 21st century, he gained prizes at the "Concours Musical de France" in Paris, 2013 (1st Prize + CMF-Prix), "Music Without Limits" in Druskininkai, 2015 (1st Prize), video-competition "Grand Prize Virtuoso", 2015 (1st Prize) and "International Music Competition for Piano Teachers" in Warsaw, 2016 (1st Prize and again in 2023), video-competition "Golden Classical Music Awards", 2021 (1st Prize, with the performance at the Carnegie Hall), video-competition "Grand Prize Virtuoso", 2022 (1st Prize, with the performance at Concertgebouw), the American competition "Global Music Awards", 2024 (Silver Medal) and the prestigious "World´s Best Musicians Competition", 2024 (1st Prize at the category CD Album).

References

Czech Radio InterviewHarmonieThe Jewish News review about "Weinberger Tour"The Jewish Standard, Czech Cellist is on Mission

The JTA review about "Weinberger Tour"Muzikus "Weinberger Tour" review

External links

Tomáš Víšek - PianoVíšek plays Josef Suk's ''Appassionato and Burlesque, Op. 17'', for violin and piano - Part 1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visek, Tomas Living people 20th-century Czech classical pianists 1957 births 21st-century Czech classical pianists Charles University alumni Prague Conservatory alumni Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni