Hailed as “a brilliant pianist and exceptional artist” (Heilbronner Stimme), Australian born pianist-composer Ashley Hribar has developed a reputation as a versatile musician embracing multimedia, world music, cross-disciplinary art forms and a broad range of traditional genres. With a deep interest in contemporary aesthetics, he is the curator of many projects including: Sound and Colour in Scriabin’s Piano Sonatas – a multi-media performance with projections of Australian opals (2017 European Tour); Intangible Landscapes – the fusion of piano, analog drum machine and didgeridoo; Magic Hands – Two hands Two pianos (in 2019 for his 4th China tour); Anatolia – arrangements of Turkish folk songs with soprano Ayse Göknur Shanal and Cyclone – a techno-piano concert by DJ Stephen Gibbs. Ashley performed the challenging piano cycle Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, by Olivier Messiaen’s in Holland and Germany, which streamed live for OpenWebcast.nl.
Ashley’s compositions are poly-stylistic collages often employing extended performance techniques, voice and electronics. Notable works include Wodunga (2019) for piano, didgeridoo and Moog DFAM in collaboration William Barton, A Night in the Outback (2018) for solo piano and didgeridoo as well as Paganini Variations (2012) and ‘ash’ Fantasie (2011) for solo piano. His Cadenza for George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (2010) has been performed by several pianists worldwide. Ashley composed and performed the music for Betty rettet die Volksbühne in collaboration with actress Bettina Lamprecht (2017, Volksbühne Berlin). An avid lover of the silent film genre, Ashley frequently performs his own scores to silent classics such as Sherlock Jnr. (1924), Hamlet (1921), Richard III (1911), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Faust (1926) and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). He received commissions for film scores by Silents Now (Richard III and Hamlet), Tallis Foundation (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) and Silent Remasters (Faust). In 2005 Ashley won the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition and the 2008 Michael Kieran Harvey Award. He has since performed in countless festivals such as the Gaudeamus Week, Ultima Festival, Beethovenfest, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Mersin International Music Festival, Koper Biennale, En Blanc Et Noir Festival and in distinguished venues as the Sydney Opera House, Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami), Bunka Kaikan Theater (Tokyo) and the Melbourne Recital Centre. Ashley has performed as a soloist with the Radiophilharmonie Amsterdam and the Szolnok Symphony Orchestra. Ashley has several recordings to his credit including Piano Rhapsody (Auster Records, 2012), Echohaus (Dekorder), Alpenglühen (Col Legno) and The Wizard Tone Records Improvisation Series I (nominated for the 2017 South Australian Arts Awards). His two latest albums have been released in 2019: Faust: A Mortal's Tale with solo works ranging from Georgy Catoire, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Franz Liszt to Led Zeppelin and Sleeping Orchards, a selection of neo-classical compositions with cellist Richard Vaudrey under the moniker “Two Deep Breaths”. Both albums were recorded on the world’s first 9-octave grand, an Australian-made Stuart & Sons piano. Ashley is indebted to the invaluable guidance of his teachers Ann Adamek, Stefan Ammer, Gil Sullivan, Stephen McIntyre, Eleonora Sivan, Graham Williams and Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. In 2018, he completed his performance PhD at the University of Adelaide researching the music of American composer, Frederic Rzewski. Last updated on 6. November, 2019 |