“His playing is brilliant and luminous… an outstanding pianist.” Piano News
“A pianist of real personality, his name is one to remember.” Le Monde de la Musique
Heresy’s newest artist, Ivan Ilić, is one of classical music’s most talented and intelligent pianists to emerge over the past decade. His debut album for Heresy, The Transcendentalist, is a recording of hypnotic and meditative music demonstrating the influence Alexander Scriabin had on the American avant garde. The Transcendentalist features piano works by Scriabin, John Cage, Morton Feldman and a world premiere by the young American composer, Scott Wollschleger.
Ivan began music studies at age 6. He holds degrees in music and mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley and studied at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, where he took a Premier Prix in piano performance.
Ivan has performed throughout America, Europe and South America including concerts at Carnegie Hall (New York), Wigmore Hall (London), the National Concert Hall (Dublin), Glenn Gould Studio (Toronto), and the American Academy in Rome.
His recording of 24 Préludes by Claude Debussy (2008) received MezzoTelevision’s Critic’s Choice Award (France), and was a Top Five CD of the Year in Fanfare Magazine (US).
His most recent recording (2012) of the complete Chopin Studies for the left hand by Leopold Godowsky was called “a major achievement” and “breathtaking” by BBC Radio 3. It was the The Daily Telegraph’s CD of the Week, a Top 5 CD of both MDR Figaro (Germany) and Classique News (France), and received a 5-star rating from Czech Radio 3 – Vltava. Videos of Ivan playing Godowsky on YouTube have attracted over 500,000 views.
He is currently working on a book/CD/DVD about the composer Morton Feldman to be published by the Geneva University of Art & Design in 2014..
Hear a preview from The Transcendentalist – release date May 27th 2014 (Heresy 015).