profile:

Since 1998 Michal Stahel has been a member of the international chamber formation Beethoven Ensemble Wien, with whom he has primarily performed up to now for the Austrian audience at a number of music festivals. The founder of this dynamic ensemble known by the slogan “Three musicians, three nationalities, three temperaments, one collective passion” is Stahel«s pianist of French origin Sylvaine Ilario. Thanks to co-operation in this ensemble their collaboration developed into wider dimensions and the professional duo Ilario & Stahel began to appear frequently at the concert stages across Western and Middle Europe. Their collaboration does not finish with performing at concerts, it also embraces the preparation and arrangement of various, unjustly and infrequently played chamber works. Their focus is on classic works, particularly on Spanish pieces and the works of Astor Piazzolla. In this way Stahel«s repertoire has acquired a limitless splendour and a fullness of contrasts. Additionally, they are also busy preparing the successful launch of an international chamber group to be named CAMERATAngo, specialising in this kind of music. Its basis will be double bass, acoustic guitar and bandoneon. A number of interesting projects are planned with the Beethoven Ensemble Wien in the near future, amongst others a concert tour in France, a concert as part of the music festival Klangbogen Wien and the recording of a CD for an Austrian recording company.

Stahel«s great interest in a diverse education within cello performance has led him to take part in a number of international masterclasses and music seminars. In addition to world renowned names of the music world, he collaborated most significantly of all with the English cellist Steven Isserlis in Cornwall (England) in April 1999.

Michal Stahel is also known for striving not to remove music performance from the context of other arts. This is a consequence of his close relationship to art in its entirety and is witnessed by his universal artistic outlook. This led him whilst studying the cello - which is his primary interest - to develop his talent for the appreciation of and the drawing of inspiration from piano playing, composition, fine arts, poetry and prose, artistic artefacts, photography... It is possible, thus, to say of him that his artistic foundations have a comprehensive basis.

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