BIOGRAPHY
"Aris Alexander Blettenberg is an exceptionally versatile full-blooded musician who plays the piano, conducts and composes excellently. He internalizes the most diverse spheres of musical expression and shapes them in an extremely differentiated and impressive manner. With his colorful, present and intelligent piano playing, he always acts in the service of the cause, the soloist or the ensemble playing with him. His virtuosity and musical prudence show themselves to be excellent prerequisites for a promising career."
(From the laudatory speech for the Bavarian Arts Promotion Prize).
In October 2021, he won the 16th International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna. He has already performed at the Vienna Musikverein, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Konzerthaus Berlin, and London's Wigmore Hall, and is a welcome guest at the Kissinger Sommer, the Festspiele Mecklenburg- Vorpommern, and the SPANNUNGEN Heimbach, to name a few.
In the spring of 2023, Blettenberg made his debut as conductor and pianist with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in a tour that was highly praised by audiences and the press: "The undisputed star of the evening was, of course, Aris Alexander Blettenberg. Energetic and with youthful verve, the German-Greek conductor had his disciplined symphony orchestra firmly under control and ensured [...] that nothing could get out of hand. Even when he took over the part of the soloist and gave the cues from the grand piano, he showed himself fully up to this demanding task." (Die Rheinpfalz)
In another collaboration with Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra as conductor he took over the musical direction in place of the late Lars Vogt. In May 2023, Blettenberg opened the Sächsisches Mozartfest as pianist and conductor. As a 2023 scholarship recipient, he will appear twice at the Klavierfestival Ruhr. He will also make his debut at the Schwetzinger Festspiele with the Trio Neo and will be a guest at the Vienna Musikverein with the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock and Tchaikovsky's 2nd Piano Concerto. Blettenberg is closely associated with the Munich Chamber Opera; a CD (Genuin) of Beethoven piano concertos and his own arrangement for twelve musicians was recorded in April 2023. In May 2023, his first solo album entitled "Hommage à Beethoven" (including his own transcription) was released on the AVI/Deutsche Grammophon label.
In the 2023/24 season, Blettenberg will follow his third invitation to the Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern, make his debut at the Festival der Nationen, with KlangKollektiv Wien and the Museumsorchester Frankfurt at the Alte Oper.
Aris Alexander Blettenberg was born in 1994 in Mülheim an der Ruhr. He studied piano, chamber music and conducting with Antti Siirala, Lars Vogt (†), Silke Avenhaus and Bruno Weil in Munich, Hanover and Salzburg. Blettenberg received further impulses through master classes with Rudolf Buchbinder, Gerhard Oppitz, Cyprien Katsaris, Imogen Cooper and Vladimir Jurowski.
Among the musicians with whom Blettenberg has collaborated are Julia Fischer, Arabella Steinbacher, Julian Rachlin, Christian Tetzlaff, Sharon Kam and Maximilian Hornung; ensembles include the Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt and the Duisburg Philharmonic. In 2015, Blettenberg won the International Hans von Bülow Competition in Meiningen in the category "Conducting from the Piano." He made his debut as an opera conductor at the Staatstheater there in 2019 with Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio."
His published compositions are performed worldwide, recorded on CD and broadcast on radio. He presented his composition "Sarkastina" with bassoonist Theo Plath at Wigmore Hall in March 2022. Blettenberg has been organizing his own concert series, the "Kapellenkonzerte" in cooperation with the non-profit company MÜNCHENSTIFT in Munich, since March 2022.
Aris Alexander Blettenberg is the recipient of the Steinway Förderpreis 2019 and the Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis 2020. From 2015 to 2021 he was a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and has been a Bösendorfer Artist since 2022.
CONCERTS
April 12-15 2023
Vienna (A) - Casino Zögernitz
CD recording
Works by Beethoven
Sinsheim - Stiftskirche
Trio recital with Nemorino Scheliga (clarinet) and Theo Plath (bassoon)
Works by Mendelssohn, Bruch & Schumann
April 23, 2023 - 15:00
Essen - Funke Hauptzentrale
Klavier-Festival Ruhr
Works by Schubert & Gershwin
Moers - Martinstift, Chamber Music Hall
Duo recital with Theo Plath (bassoon)
Works by Debussy, Franck, Saint-Saëns & Boulanger
Nuremberg - Meistersingerhalle, Small Hall
Concert with Anna Reszniak (violin) and Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra
Works by Mozart, Strauss & Mendelssohn
Chemnitz - Kreuzkirche
Opening concert of Sächsisches Mozartfest
Works by Gluck, Mozart & Gustavo Strauss
Schwelm - LEO Theater im Ibach-Haus
Debut recital Klavier-Festival Ruhr
Works by Schubert & Gershwin
Viersen - Festhalle
Symphony concert with The Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock and Florian Krumpöck (conductor)
Works by Tchaikovsky
Überlingen - St. Jodok
Trio recital with Nemorino Scheliga (clarinet) and Theo Plath (bassoon)
Works by Mendelssohn, Bruch, Schumann & Beethoven
May 30, 2023 - 19:30
Vienna (A) - Musikverein
Symphony concert with The Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock & Florian Krumpöck (conductor)
Works by Tchaikovsky
June 30, 2023 - 19:30
Munich - Konzertkapelle Nymphenburg
Haydn - Die wüste Insel (opera in two acts)
Marie Maidowski (soprano), Katarina Morfa (mezzo soprano), Eric Price (tenor) and Jakob Schad (bass baritone)
July 2, 2023 - 17:00
Munich - Konzertkapelle Nymphenburg
Haydn - Die wüste Insel (opera in two acts)
Marie Maidowski (soprano), Katarina Morfa (mezzo soprano), Eric Price (tenor) and Jakob Schad (bass baritone)
July 8, 2023 - 17:00
Bornsdorf - Drauschemühle
Internationales Kammermusikfestival Fliessen
Chamber music concert with Antje Weithaas (violin), Tobias Feldmann (violin), Pauline Sachse (viola), Harriet Krijgh (violoncello)
and Pirmin Grehl (flute)
Works by Dvořák & Messiaen
July 9, 2023 - 17:00
Schloss Lübbenau - Festsaal
Internationales Kammermusikfestival Fliessen
Chamber music concert with Martin Helmchen (piano)
Works by Brahms
July 11, 2023 - 19:30
Baruth - Glashütte
Internationales Kammermusikfestival Fliessen
Chamber music concert with Tobias Feldmann (violin), Stephen Waarts (violin), Timothy Ridout (viola) and Julian Steckel (violoncello)
Works by Schostakowitsch
July 28, 2023 - 15:00
Munich - Hofspielhaus
Children's opera Der eingebildete Krake (Premiere)
Staging: Dominik Wilgenbus, Music: Aris Alexander Blettenberg
July 30, 2023 - 16:00
Prerow - Seemannskirche
Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Trio recital with Daniela Koch (flute) and Theo Plath (bassoon)
Works by Beethoven, Reinecke & Mendelssohn
August 2, 2023 - 19:30
Graz - Energie Steiermark Zentrale
Steirisches Kammermusikfestival Graz
Duo recital with Philipp Scheucher (piano)
Works by Mozart, Schubert & Debussy
Samos - Ancient Theatre Pythagorion
Samos Young Artists Festival
Solo recital
Works by Schubert & Gershwin
August 23, 2023 - 19:30
Mani - Sonnenlink Biohotel
Duo recital with Philipp Scheucher (piano)
Works by Brahms, Dvořák and Grieg
September 6, 2023 - 20:30
Kalamata - Dance Megaron Hall
Symphony concert with Graz' University Orchestra and Andrej Skorobogatko (conductor)
Werks by Beethoven, Mozart and J.Strauss
September 8, 2023 - 19:30
Mani - Sonnenlink Biohotel
Symphony concert with Graz' University Orchestra and Andrej Skorobogatko (conductor)
Works by Beethoven, Mozart and J.Strauss
September 24, 2023 - 15:00
Bad Wörishofen - Kurhaus
Concert with wind quintet of Kammeroper München
Werke von Vivaldi, Mozart and Rossini
October 12, 2023
Merano - Kurhaus
Symphony concert with Klangkollektiv Wien and Rémy Ballot (conductor)
Works by Mozart
October 13, 2023 - 20:00
Vienna - Kulturhaus Brotfabrik
Symphony concert with Klangkollektiv Wien and Rémy Ballot (conductor)
Works by Mozart
October 19, 2023
Munich - Allerheiligen-Hofkirche
Concert with the orchestra of Kammeroper München
Piano concertos no. 3 & 5 by Beethoven
October 20, 2023
Munich - Allerheiligen-Hofkirche
Concert with the orchestra of Kammeroper München
Piano concertos no. 3 & 5 by Beethoven
October 21, 2023 - 15:00
Munich - Hofspielhaus
Children's opera Der eingebildete Krake (Premiere)
Staging: Dominik Wilgenbus, Music: Aris Alexander Blettenberg
October 21, 2023 - 15:00
Munich - Hofspielhaus
Children's opera Der eingebildete Krake (Premiere)
Staging: Dominik Wilgenbus, Music: Aris Alexander Blettenberg
November 12, 2023 - 11:00
Frankfurt - Alte Oper
Symphony concert with Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester and Thomas Guggeis (conductor)
Works by Mayer, Beethoven and Sibelius
November 13, 2023 - 20:00
Frankfurt - Alte Oper
Symphony concert with Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester and Thomas Guggeis (conductor)
Works by Mayer, Beethoven and Sibelius
Dreieich-Buchschlag
Buchschlager Hauskonzerte
Duo recitals with Veriko Tschomburidze (violin) and Kristian Katzenberger (horn)
Ismaning - Schloss
Schlosskonzerte
Solo recital
Works by Schubert & Gershwin
December 1, 2023, 19:00h
Munich - Salon Luitpold
Chamber music concert with Fabian Jüngling (violin), Louis Vandory (viola) and Nicola Pfeffer (violoncello)
Works by Mozart
December 2, 2023, 19:00h
Munich - Salon Luitpold
Chamber music concert with Fabian Jüngling (violin), Louis Vandory (viola) and Nicola Pfeffer (violoncello)
Works by Mozart
