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The Austrian pianist, composer and teacher, Roland Batik, received his training as a pianist at the Vienna University for Music and Performing Arts and continued his education with Friedrich Gulda. At the same time, he specialized as a jazz pianist with Fritz Pauer. His debut was in 1975 at the Vienna Musikverein.
Roland Batik achieved great success together with Paul Gulda. The duo performed between 1982 and 1988 with the Wiener Symphoniker, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra and many others in all major cities and concert halls of Europe (Wiener Musikverein, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Herkulessaal Munich, Tonhalle Zurich, Hamburger Musikhalle).
In 1988, the Batik Gulda Duo decided to separate and pursue new paths: both dedicated themselves to their careers as soloists. Roland Batik created his very own personal style, performing soloist evening piano concerts featuring a combination of his own compositions with a classical, romantic and impressionist repertoire. His first solo recordings by EMI are from this period during which he played Bach, Mozart and own compositions. He also pursued his own style in various chamber music formations in which he took part not only as a pianist but also as a composer.
For him, this inevitably meant a deeper involvement with the trio he founded in 1977 (Roland Batik - piano, Heinrich Werkl - bass, Walter Grassmann - drums). Apart from the numerous performances at traditional concert halls (e.g. with Angel Romero in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein) and jazz clubs, the work of the Roland Batik trio is documented in numerous radio and television recordings and also on four CDs that contain almost exclusively Roland Batik compositions. The Roland Batik Trio has developed its own unmistakable jazz style over the past few years. The compositions reveal a strong sense of formal unity and are at the same time a challenge to creativity and spontaneity in improvisation.
Roland Batik's career as a soloist culminated again in 1991 when he was awarded the recording prize "Wiener Flötenuhr" for his complete recordings of the piano sonata of W.A. Mozart as the best interpretation of the year. He subsequently went on a tour of Japan and accepted many invitations to prominent music festivals such as the Bregenzer Festspiele, Carinthischer Sommer and Wiener Musiksommer.
The première of his first piano concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus in December was a great success: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 - Meditation upon Peace. This concert is now available on CD. Ever since, Roland Batik has been a highly sought-after composer for chamber music ensembles and symphony orchestras. In 1999, Roland Batik finished the complete recording of the piano sonatas of Joseph Haydn. The reviews in the printed media and radio were euphoric.
In November 2000, Roland Batik was awarded the culture prize of the Province of Lower Austria for extraordinary achievements as a musician and composer. In February 2004, Batik’s latest composition, the Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 2 had its world premiere with the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz/Austria and was received enthusiastically by the audience. The Gulda Birthday Party at the occasion of Friedrich Gulda's 75th birthday performed in the Vienna RadioKulturhaus in May 2005 also was a big success. Batik directed and played the piano solo part of a rarely performed composition of Friedrich Gulda, the Concertino for Players and Singers. |
