Heller: Variations for Piano Biliana Tzinlikova

• Stephen Heller (1813 – 1888): 21 Variations on a Theme by Beethoven, Op. 133 (1872):
• 1Heller: 21 Variations on a Theme by Beethoven, Op. 133 (1872)37:49
• Variations Brillantes on a Polish Theme, Op. 5 (1829):
• 2Heller: Variations Brillantes on a Polish Theme, Op. 5 (1829)16:19
• Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 1 (1829):
• 3Heller: Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 1 (1829)10:21
• Total Runtime01:04:29

Info for Heller: Variations for Piano

Elegance And Beauty: He shares the year of his birth with Verdi and Wagner. His pen-pal Robert Schumann called him a “witty talent, listed him amongst his “Davidsbündler”, regretfully noticed that he “wasted his wealth of ideas on small form only” and hoped for him to “subordinate the orchestra” – which never happened. Heller remained a composer of only piano music. Everybody learning the piano knows his “Melodic Etudes”, but who knows his character pieces, variations, dances, Lieder? Stephen Heller, born as István Heller in Pest in 1813, was a German-Hungarian of Jewish descent. The son of a maths teacher started composing at the tender age of six and lived in Vienna at the age of 13, where he performed and met Beethoven and Schubert. Similar to Liszt, he was to make Schubert’s songs famous with his own transcriptions, particularly in France. Yet first he went back to Hungary, where – according to his own description – had to “lead a nomad’s life without peace or hope or goals”, pushed by his over-ambitious father from one European concert hall to the next, encountering Paganini, Chopin and Louis Spohr. After a breakdown of his health, he finally escaped from his father’s grip and made his living as a pedagogue and writing about music. His witty articles found their way into Robert Schumann’s “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik”, and his music raised Schumann’s interest in him as a composer.

Biliana Tzinlikova, piano

Biliana Tzinlikova
has been heard in Vienna at the Bösendorfer Saal, Konzertgesellschaft für Musiktheater, the ORF Center and the Wiener Konzerthaus; Guildhall School for Music in London, the International Salzburg Mozart Week.

Ms. Tznlikova has collaborated with such personalities as Ruggiero Ricci, Thomas Riebl, Gustav Rivinius, Patrick Demenga, Ulf Schneider. An active chamber musician, she has been heard in IMS Prussia Cove, Cornwall, the Academie de Lausagne where she worked with the Duo Pierre Amoyal – Pavel Gililov.

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Biliana Tzinlikova received her musical education at the Special Music School for Talented Children in Pleven. She graduated in piano and pedagogy studies at the State Music Academy in Sofia with Marina Kapazinska(former student of Dmitri Baskirov). From 1995 to 2001 she studied at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg with Christoph Lieske, obtaining her M. Mus. degree. She has participated in piano and chamber music master classes with Arndzej Jaszinsky, Pierre Amoyal and Pavel Gililov (master class for violin-piano duo), Menahem Pressler, Alexander Lonquich, Ferenc Rados...

In 1984 she won the National Competition for Young Instrumentalists in Provadia and in 1987 the National Competition for young pianists in Rasgrad. In 1993 she won a prize for accompaniment in Pleven.

Ín 1998 she received the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture scholarship. In 1996 she was soloist at the "Aspekte" Festival in Salzburg under Joel Sachs, and at the Salzburger Mozartwoche in 1998. In 2001 she appeared with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under Stefan Sanderling. She is often engaged by the International Summer Academy Mozarteum. She was official pianist at the 8th Salzburg International Competition in 2002. Biliana Tzinlikova plays solo and chamber music concerts throughout Europe.

Since 2002 she has held the post of faculty pianist at the Mozarteum University, and as a teacher at the Salzburg Music School. Miss Tznlikova makes her home in Salzburg.

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