Recital Martin Mallaun - cittern

After the recent performance of the Austrian tenor Paul Schweinester, the Austrian Cultural Forum will soon host another Tyrolean, this time a virtuoso of the cittern.

Martin Mallaun (born 1975 in Kitzbühel/Tyrol) is a virtuoso of the cittern with a very wide repertoire. The artist draws from both contemporary and electronic music, improvisation, as well as regional folk music and works for the baroque lute. During the recital, Mallaun will present his unusual instrument in pieces ranging from the baroque to contemporary times.


The concert will take place on 02.04.2014 (Wednesday) at 19:30

Austrian Cultural Forum, ul. Próżna 7/9, Warsaw Admission free

Program includes: Esaias Reussner d. J. (1636-1679), Leopold Hurt (*1979), Franz Hautzinger (*1963), Silvius Leopold Weiss (1686 - 1750), Werner Pirchner (1940-2001)

On 5.04.2014, it will be possible to hear Martin Mallaun again as part of the Musica Polonica Nova Festival in Wrocław.

'In the hands of Martin Mallaun, the cittern becomes a multi-tonal and very expressive instrument.'

About the artist

Musician and biologist Martin Mallaun works in two completely different fields: as a botanist, he studies the effects of climate change on flora in high mountains, and as a musician and cittern player, he engages in a wide range of musical styles – from contemporary music to folk music and European lute music.

Born in 1975 in Kitzbühel/Tyrol, he studied cittern at the Conservatory of the Tyrol region with Harald Oberlechner and botany at the University of Innsbruck. During and after his studies, he participated in workshops on historical performance practices (Hopkinson Smith, Rolf Lislevand, Jürgen Hübscher) as well as contemporary music and improvisation. Private studies with lutenist Hubert Hoffmann in Vienna were particularly significant for his musical development.

'Martin Mallaun is considered one of the most versatile artists currently active in Austria in the field of experimental music. Whether it is improvisation, electronics, baroque lute music, alpine folk music, or contemporary new music, the Tyrolean constantly seeks new stylistic or tonal possibilities of expression on his instrument, moving at the intersection of various styles and ways of playing. (music information center austria, www.mica.at).'

In addition to collaborating with various musicians, actors, and writers, he has several of his own projects. As a soloist, he has been invited by orchestras such as the National Royal Scottish Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, and Orchestre de Picardie.

In 2004, Martin Mallaun was the laureate of the first international cittern competition Volkmann-Preis (Munich), and in 2008 he was invited to the jury of this competition. For his solo debut 'zwischen steinen' (between stones) in 2005, he received the Pasticcio award from Austrian radio Ö1. In 2010, his CD 'OMONÉRO' featuring contemporary music for solo cittern was released. Martin Mallaun was selected to participate in the NASOM (New Austrian Sound of Music) program of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the years 2012/13.

Martin Mallaun currently works as an independent musician and botanist and teaches at Tyrolean music schools. He performs in many countries – from France and the Czech Republic to Japan – and is a guest at international festivals (including Edinburgh International Festival/UK, Münchener Biennale/D, and Klangspuren/A). Since 2001, he has been participating in the GLORIA research project, which aims to determine the effects of climate change on alpine ecosystem vegetation (www.gloria.ac.at).

more about the artist