From Bartók to Binder – Album Release Concert

The members of the ensemble:
Károly Binder – piano
Tibor Fonay – double bass
Tamás Hidász – drums

Károly Binder is a pianist, composer, and professor at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
A musician of great stature, he devotes his talent to synthesizing new directions, diverse musical cultures, compositional techniques, and systems of improvisation, while remaining true to his own musical roots. An independent-minded creator, his piano playing and compositions defy classification into any single stylistic or genre category. Since the late 1970s, this versatile artist has pursued, with relentless consistency, the path he set for himself—a path without Hungarian predecessors.

In his development as a composer, alongside the monumental oeuvre of Béla Bartók, one can clearly trace the influences of Carpathian Basin folklore, the musical heritage of the ancient Hungarian homeland around the Volga–Kama region, as well as the American minimalist school associated with Steve Reich. A distinctive and self-directed artist, Binder often works with various ensembles and formations, yet most fully expresses his musical ideas through solo piano.

As a soloist, he continually pushes the boundaries of expression, employing not only the prepared piano but also a variety of percussive elements in his performances.

Photo credit: Zsolt Hamarits