MAAK & ALBERTZ














Welcome to this website and become enchanted with the variety of highly interesting proposals and discover why you've found here a place
brimming with ideas...!

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EVENTS

[ OVERVIEW 2024 ]

Some of the recitals, workshops, conferences and publications during 2024 in which the artistic work von Maak & Albertz will be presented:

January
✦ 08/01 Publication of the anthologies «Resplendences around Bach» and «In the Secret of the World» including Sef Albertz’s piano music recorded by pianist Anna-Maria Maak, on the two highly praised self-titled albums
✦ 20/01 | Jury member at the competition "Jugend musiziert"

February
✦ 23/02 Single Release N° 1 from upcoming Album «Sef Albertz: Bunch of Strings» A Trilogy Con Guitarra!

March
✦ 09 & 10/03 | Jury member at the competition "Jugend musiziert"
✦ 22/03 «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in Focus» Lecture with live music at the Leipzig Book Fair
✦ 22/03 Single Release N° 2 from upcoming Album «Sef Albertz: Bunch of Strings» A Trilogy Con Guitarra!
✦ 23/03 «What we talk about when we speak about rhythm - Sound & Body» Panel discussion at Leipzig Book Fair

April
✦ 16/04 «...in the work of composer Sef Albertz» - Text publication in the cultural magazine KulturPort.de
✦ 18/04 «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in Focus» Lecture I, Leipzig City Library
✦ 19/04 Single Release N° 3 from upcoming Album «Sef Albertz: Bunch of Strings» A Trilogy Con Guitarra!

May
✦ 07/05 «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in Focus» Lecture II, Leipzig City Library
✦ 17/05 Album Release «Sef Albertz: Bunch of Strings» A Trilogy Con Guitarra!
✦ 22 & 24/05 Concert with Albertz’s reimagined version of Mendelssohn’s «Lieder ohne Worte», Camerata - Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra & Karin Schaupp (Soloist) - Queensland Performing Arts Centre & The Empire Theatre (Australia)
✦ 30/05 «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in Focus» Lecture III, Leipzig City Library

June
✦ 14/06 Video Release «Space of Dreams»

July
✦ 26/07 Album Review of «Sef Albertz: Bunch of Strings» A Trilogy Con Guitarra! in German magazine Akustik Gitarre

August
✦ 22/08 «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in Focus» Lecture IV, Leipzig City Library

September
✦ 06/09 Guitar Recital with the world premiere of Albertz‘s new full evening guitar cycle «...was man mir einst erzählte!», Cammerspiele (WERK 2) Leipzig
✦ 14/09 Piano Recital with the world premiere of Albertz‘s new full evening piano cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys», “art Kapella” Schkeuditz
✦ 20/09 Piano Recital «Some Enlightened Alleys»,
Schwartzsche Villa, Berlin

October
✦ 12/10 Piano Recital in Hamburg
✦ 18 & 19/10 Piano Recital and Workshop, “Max Reger” Music Conservatory Meiningen [NOTE: Rescheduled to spring 2025]
✦ 25/10 «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in Focus» Lecture at the Regional Conference in “Robert Schumann” Music Conservatory Zwickau

November
✦ 01/11 Piano Recital, Stadtbibliothek Leipzig
✦ 13/11 Piano Recital, gausz Ottensen - Hamburg
✦ 22/11 Piano Recital, Bösendorfer Salon in Vienna's Musikverein

More events are to come!

TOUR CLOSING:
VIENNA

Closing the tour that took her to cities such as Berlin, Schkeuditz, Leipzig and Hamburg, Pianist & UE Ambassador Anna-Maria Maak presents Sef Albertz's music, this time to the Vienna audience, in two events on November 22nd, organised in partnership with Bösendorfer and Universal Edition:

LECTURE
on Albertz's transcultural work
(5 p.m. | Emil-Hertzka-Raum at Universal Edition)

PIANO RECITAL
with Albertz's new evening-length cycle
«Some Enlightened Alleys»
(7 p.m. | Bösendorfer Salon)

All events in Musikverein Vienna.

Watch the video where the artist herself invites to the Vienna events:

HAMBURG RECITAL
(II)

IMPRESSIONS

Thrilling recital by Maak & Albertz on November 13th at Hamburg's Gausz Ottensen, where Pianist Anna-Maria Maak performed Sef Albertz's new cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys» in front of a wonderfully attentive audience that thanked the two artists with resounding applause.

After stops in e.g. Berlin, Schkeuditz, Leipzig, Hamburg - twice inclusive - the tour will end on 22 November in Vienna, where a full house recital has been confirmed since 2 weeks before the event.

Albertz's music score of the transcultural piano cycle will be available through Universal Edition coinciding with the tour's closing recital in Vienna. Check it out here:

https://www.universaledition.com/P0267354

VIENNA RECITAL

FULL HOUSE
ANNOUNCED

Full house concert for Maak & Albertz's recital in Vienna has just been confirmed, two weeks before the event on 22 November at the Bösendorfer Salon in Musikverein Vienna, organised in cooperation with the publisher Universal Edition.

Pianist Anna-Maria Maak performs Sef Albertz's new cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys», closing triumphantly the tour that took both artists to cities such as Berlin, Schkeuditz, Leipzig, Hamburg and now to the Austrian capital.

Albertz's music score of the transcultural piano cycle will be available through Universal Edition coinciding with the tour's closing recital in Vienna. Check it out here:

https://www.universaledition.com/P0267354

ON TOUR: HAMBURG
(II)

TICKETS directly HERE

After the concert is before the concert!
So, following the amazing concert in Leipzig, the next stop on Anna-Maria Maak's Tour is Hamburg once again this year.

The pianist continues performing Sef Albertz's new evening-length cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys», an exciting transcultural approach to musical composition. 

The event will take place on 13 November at 7:30 p.m. at gausz Ottensen / Atelier für Kunst & Kultur.

TICKETS directly HERE

Albertz's music score of the transcultural piano cycle will be available this autumn 2024 through Universal Edition. Check out here:

https://www.universaledition.com/P0267354

LEIPZIG RECITAL

IMPRESSIONS

Another exciting musical evening, this time in Leipzig! Continuing Anna-Maria Maak's Tour performing Sef Albertz's new piano cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys».
The interdisciplinary recital combining music, theatrical actions, texts and electronic sounds was fervently celebrated and attracted the attention of a large and varied audience of people from different ethnic backgrounds, including a Venezuelan theatre director, who stated:

"Sef Albertz is a musician who emerges in the world of musical art as a creator who transcends into the spheres of the great universal classical composers.
Anna-Maria Maak explores Sef Albertz's musical work and is able to decode the Maestro's language, giving eloquent nuances on stage. Her voice, moreover, is combined in Albertz's scenic and dialectic play [...] she fills the stage, with suggested spaces, guttural sounds, percussion and murmurs; she doesn't wallow in scenographic ornamentation. She fills everything, her dazzling stage presence is a great contribution to universal music in its post-modernity and Sef Albertz is a Venezuelan artist who wins and deserves the extraordinary universal stages of contemporary music". (Raiser Montoya)

Albertz's music score of the transcultural piano cycle will be available this autumn 2024 through Universal Edition. Check out here:

https://www.universaledition.com/P0267354

ON TOUR: LEIPZIG

Pianist Anna-Maria Maak continues touring Sef Albertz's new evening-length cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys» through several cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Schkeuditz, Vienna, etc).  Once again in an interdisciplinary version, which represents a new way of the piano recital combining music, theatrical actions, texts and electronic sounds.

The event will take place on 1 November at 7 p.m. in Leipzig City Library's Oberlichtsaal.

Albertz's music score of the transcultural piano cycle will be available this autumn 2024 through Universal Edition. Check out here:

https://www.universaledition.com/P0267354

ZWICKAU LECTURE
(with music)

As part of the further education programme of the German Music School Association, pianist Anna-Maria Maak presents the multifaceted piano works of the Venezuelan-German composer Sef Albertz in a lecture with live music under the title «Sound as a metaphor for life», intended for piano educators and learners.

Current projects, new publications of the composer's scores, as well as the integration of this new repertoire into strategies with innovative approaches that encourage the active participation of teachers, pupils and students in educational projects and artistic activities will also be topics of the seminar, which will take place in the Clara Wieck Auditorium of the Robert Schumann Conservatory in Zwickau on October 25th 2024.

The event includes the performance of Albertz's work «...was man mir einst erzählte!», recently premiered by Maak in Hamburg.

Watch the video where the artist herself invites to this event:

HAMBURG
RECITAL
(I)

INCLUDING PREMIERE

Pianist Anna-Maria Maak continues touring Sef Albertz's music. This time including the premiere of «...was man mir einst erzählte!» (…what once was told to me!), in its piano version.
The audience celebrated the achievements of Maak & Albertz, leaving enthusiastic evidence in the visitors' book, with statements such as:

"Thank you very much
for this wonderful and inspiring evening".

"Thank you for the opportunity to be present when music history was written..."

The recital took place in Musiksalon Thimm-Haker (Hamburg) on October 12th, 2024.

Albertz's music score is available through Universal Edition. Check out here:

https://www.universaledition.com/en/Works/...was-man-mir-einst-erzaehlte/P0291433

RADIO FEATURE

The radio station MDR Kultur reports on the new transcultural project «Some Enlightened Alleys» that pianist Anna-Maria Maak and composer Sef Albertz
have created together and are currently touring through several cities.
Here is an excerpt from the coverage:

"[...] Turning serious music into something enjoyable is the speciality of Anna-Maria Maak and Sef Albertz [...] and together they want to make sure once again that the new sounds [...] find the best place in our ears.
[...] They are always coming up with new creative ideas on how to inspire the audience with sounds that, however, do not fit into any stereotypes.
[...] the music is everything at once:
philosophical and poetic, sophisticated and simple, thoughtful and passionate.
It draws from the full source".
(MDR Kultur)

Listen to the full radio feature (in German) here:

BERLIN RECITAL

In the context of her tour through several cities (Schkeuditz, Hamburg, Leipzig, Vienna, etc), pianist Anna-Maria Maak was once again performing Sef Albertz's new evening-length cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys», this time in Berlin at Kulturhaus Schwartzsche Villa on 20 September.

"wonderful [...] the concert and the gathering afterwards",
according to a special guest - Prof. Wolfgang Welsch, who since the 90's has been a pioneer in researching and further developing the concept of transculturality in the German-speaking area.

Albertz's music score of the transcultural piano cycle will be available this autumn 2024 through Universal Edition. Check out here:

https://www.universaledition.com/en/Works/Some-Enlightened-Alleys/P0267354

ON TOUR: BERLIN

As part of her multi-city tour (Hamburg, Leipzig, Vienna, etc) presenting Sef Albertz's new evening-length cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys», pianist Anna-Maria Maak will be giving a recital at the Kulturhaus Schwartzsche Villa Berlin (Grunewaldstraße 55) on Friday 20 September at 7 p.m., following the successful premiere of Albertz's transcultural work in Schkeuditz, just a week before!

Watch the video where the artist herself invites to the Berlin event:

FULL HOUSE
CONCERT

In a full house concert at the art Kapella Schkeuditz on 14 September, pianist Anna-Maria Maak played the world premiere of Sef Albertz's new evening-length cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys» to an enthusiastic audience, which celebrated with fervent applause the interdisciplinary recital that included alongside music also paintings, theatrical actions, texts and electronic sounds.

"They are always coming up with new creative ideas on how to inspire the audience with sounds that, however, do not fit into any stereotypes.
[...] Turning serious music into something enjoyable is the speciality of Anna-Maria Maak and Sef Albertz [...] and together they want to make sure once again that the new sounds [...] find the best place in our ears.
[...] the music is everything at once: philosophical and poetic, sophisticated and simple, thoughtful and passionate. It draws from the full source".
(MDR Kultur)

After the world premiere in Schkeuditz, Anna-Maria Maak goes on tour through several cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig and Vienna, presenting Sef Albertz's transcultural work.

SOLD-OUT
CONCERT

In sold-out event on September 6th, Sef Albertz's «...was man mir einst erzählte!» (…what once was told to me!) received its world premiere.
Albertz - himself a skilled guitarist “who dominates his instrument masterfully” (KulturAspekte) - played the large-scale guitar cycle, one of his most recent compositional works - “a milestone of good music” (Akustik Gitarre Magazine) at the emblematic venue WERK 2 in Leipzig.
In a captivating combination of music and reading, whose inspiration comes from the heart-warming story ‘The Little Prince’, the cast was completed by Gabo Albertz and Anna-Maria Maak, who read excerpts from the book, in addition to the projection of the fascinating illustrations by Eduard Alberto Maak.

"Rarely has an event gripped me from so many perspectives. It was with great joyful thrill and engagement at the highest artistic level to introduce a wonderful new work to the world.
The fact that such a touching, exciting, heart-warming total work of art has been created also makes me deeply happy.
It was performed in such a natural, creative and empathetic way..."
(R. Sonntag, event attendee)

Published by Universal edition, the music score book - including illustrations! - is available here:

www.universaledition.com/en/Works/...was-man-mir-einst-erzaehlte/P0267357

STARTING TOUR
WITH
WORLD PREMIERE

Pianist Anna-Maria Maak is going on tour through various cities in Germany and Austria.

After a successful series of lectures (between March and August 2024) presenting the essential aspects of the works that make up her new recital project, created in collaboration with the Venezuelan-German composer Sef Albertz, Maak will be presenting the world premiere of the full evening cycle «Some Enlightened Alleys», where in addition to her musical talent, she presents her histrionic skills in an interdisciplinary and transcultural performance.

The tour starts in Schkeuditz on 14 September.

WORLD PREMIERE

Composer and guitarist Sef Albertz performs the world premiere of his new composition «...was man mir einst erzählte!» - a full evening cycle for guitar based on the touching book «The Little Prince».

The recital includes a staged reading of extracts from the celebrated book with Gabo Albertz & Anna-Maria Maak.

The event will take place on September 6th (8 p.m.) at the Cammerspiele (WERK 2) in Leipzig. More Information HERE

INTERVIEW

Feuilletöne (the German Podcast for music, culture and life) conducted a substantial interview with Anna-Maria Maak, where the pianist talked about her beginnings in music, her affinity with languages and different cultures, her artistic thoughts and on her creative relationship with composer Sef Albertz  as well as upcoming projects.

The interview (only in German) can be listened to
HERE

LECTURE
WITH MUSIC
(IV)

Pianist Anna-Maria Maak presented the last session of her successful lecture series with live music under the title «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in focus», introducing the multifaceted work of the Venezuelan-German composer to a wide and interested audience:

Each of the encounters has been a fantastic discovery and a journey full of exciting moments.
How exuberant is Sef Albertz's artistic world and what a captivating way of communicating Anna-Maria Maak demonstrated!
One can only fall in love with such proposals!
(M. Voigt),

according to one of the regular attendees of these events, hosted by the Leipzig City Library, between April and August 2024, in cooperation with Florentyn Music and Universal Edition.

INTERVIEW

In an interview for the German podcast Feuilletöne, Sef Albertz talks about his creative work as a composer and performer, his cultural background and his cosmopolitan artistic vision. He also expresses his critical stance on the management and situation of today's cultural scene and tells about his current and upcoming projects.

The interview (only in German) can be listened to
HERE

NEW MUSIC VIDEO

Now released as an audiovisual production, Pianist Anna-Maria Maak presents Sef Albertz's «Space of Dreams», a composition recorded on their highly acclaimed 2021 Album «In the Secret of the World» ("Such a super exciting recording [...] A beautiful mixture of different influences [...] full of musical discoveries" - Feuilletöne).

The piece, though imbued with the vitality of musical pop culture, begins with a fleeting allusion to a Beethovenian gesture, symbolic of the value of "giving space to desires". The musical discourse then expands to the limits of improvisation, giving the work a natural equanimity.

The music score, available from Universal Edition and including Maak's detailed fingering, can be purchased HERE.

BROADCASTING

Listen to the Australian premiere of Sef Albertz's reimagined version for guitar and strings of Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte.

Following the nationwide transmission on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC Classic) on 7 June, enjoy now the performance of Albertz's work - unprecedented in the guitar repertoire - with soloist Karin Schaupp & Camerata - Queenland's Chamber Orchestra here:

LECTURE
WITH MUSIC
(III)

Pianist Anna-Maria Maak has continued to present Sef Albertz's multifaceted work in the third of a successful series of lectures with live music under the title «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in focus» at the Leipzig City Library.

The fourth and final lecture will be on 22 August, before Maak embarks on a concert series starting in September, in which she will be premiering and successively performing an extensive piano cycle by Albertz, on stages from Leipzig, Berlin, Zwickau, Meiningen, Hamburg, Vienna and other cities.

Find out more in the article Sef Albertz in Focus, available from the Vienna-based publishing house Universal edition:

https://tinyurl.com/albertz-focus-ue

CONCERT
REVIEW

An amazing Australian premiere from composer Sef Albertz. On May 22nd & 24th Guitarist Karin Schaupp and Camerata - Queensland's Chamber Orchestra gave "A passionate serenade of guitar and strings featuring [...] Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words with a new arrangement by Sef Albertz for guitar and strings. The string arrangement worked well, using double bass to meter the bouncing violins with an effective mix of pizzicato and bowing [...] with the vibrant guitar notes glowing among the strings, finishing with a tender two plucks in unison", according to Limelight - the Australian magazine for music, arts and culture.

Find out more in the article Sef Albertz in Focus, available from the Vienna-based publishing house Universal edition:

https://tinyurl.com/albertz-focus-ue

ALBUM REVIEW

Extract from a great review of Sef Albertz's newest album «Bunch of Strings» on German Podcast Feuilletöne.

Some extracts in English:

"...New and versatile things that are otherwise not attributed to the guitar.
[...]
This album is in fact so great because
it's a fascinating interplay of tradition and innovation
[...]
It's simply marvellous.
[...]
The album has a great dramaturgy
[...] that goes beyond the conventional
[...]
you should definitely listen to «Bunch of Strings»...!"

AUSTRALIAN
PREMIERE

Exciting May days in composer Sef Albertz's calendar. After the release - last Fri. 17th - of his acclaimed Album «Bunch of Strings» (For the world of music, the album is an enrichment, on many levels”- KulturAspekte) is following the Australian premiere of Albertz's Suite Concertante for guitar and orchestra, reimagining Mendelssohn's «Lieder ohne Worte», a work featured in that recent production.
Guitarist Karin Schaupp and Camerata Queensland's Chamber Orchestra will perform this work on Wed. 22nd (Queensland Performing Arts Centre, with Live stream) and Fri. 24th (The Empire Theatre, Toowoomba) .

Find out more in the article Sef Albertz in Focus, available from the Vienna-based publishing house Universal edition:

https://tinyurl.com/albertz-focus-ue

UE AMBASSADOR


Pianist Anna-Maria Maak is the first female & soloist Universal Edition Ambassador.

"I‘m delighted to promote some of the fascinating
piano compositions from the renowned
Vienna-based publisher's exclusive catalogue...!",

declared Maak after signing the agreement in early May 2024.

ALBUM REVIEW

A wonderful review from the German online Magazine KulturAspekte about the new Album «Bunch of String | A Trilogy Con Guitarra!», where Sef Albertz presents as composer and performer a unique and exciting new guitar repertoire:

“...the musician Sef Albertz preserves the character of the originals and designs the new musical excursions as a tribute to the genius of the classics, while at the same time clothing them in an extraordinary musical garment that gives the melodies an undiscovered dimension that is well worth exploring - and more than once [...] For the world of music, the album is an enrichment - on many levels”.

All album scores available in Universal Edition, here:
www.universaledition.com/albertz

Read the full review HERE (only in German)

LECTURE
WITH MUSIC
(II)

In the second installment of the lecture series under the title «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in focus», pianist Anna-Maria Maak has continued her fascinating exploration of the creative world of the Venezuelan-German composer.
One attendee commented on the event as follows:

"...insightful explanations [...] imaginative ideas that create such stimulating musical experiences. It makes me curious about the upcoming events. In factual words, what a captivating, moving, thought-provoking music [...] thank you so much for everything!" (G. Christoph)

The next conference is on 30 May at the Leipziger Stadtbibliothek (Leipzig City Library).

Find out more in the article Sef Albertz in Focus, available from the Vienna-based publishing house Universal edition:

https://tinyurl.com/albertz-focus-ue

LECTURE
WITH MUSIC
(I)

Composer Sef Albertz's work was beautifully presented by pianist Anna-Maria Maak, in the first of a series of lectures with live music under the title «Sound as a Metaphor for Life - The composer Sef Albertz in focus» at the Leipzig City Library.

After the successful opening event at the Leipzig Book Fair late March, Maak will keep introducing Albertz's music in lectures, workshops and concerts during 2024 in Leipzig, Berlin, Zwickau, Meiningen, Hamburg, Vienna and other cities.

Find out more in the article Sef Albertz in Focus, available from the Vienna-based publishing house Universal edition:

https://tinyurl.com/albertz-focus-ue

NEW ARTICLE

«Sound as a Metaphor for Life» is a comprehensive article by pianist Anna-Maria Maak that has just been published on the Hamburg-based online portal 'KulturPort.de': In the text she thematises the transcultural aspect and other connotations in the musical work of Sef Albertz. A wonderful introduction to the world of the Venezuelan-German composer, with whom Maak has created a new programme under the title «Some Enlightened Alleys», which she will premiere in September to continue touring for the rest of 2024.

Read the full article (only in German)
HERE

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

The Venezuelan press also reported on the successful presentation of pianist Anna-Maria Maak & composer Sef Albertz at the Leipzig Book Fair (March 2024), sponsored by Universal Edition.

Read the article - in Spanish - written by Juan Antonio González, Editor-in-Chief of 'Arts and Entertainment' of El Universal, one of the most important newspapers in Venezuela, a journalistic reference in the Latin American country.

Read the full article HERE (only in Spanish)

Leipzig Book Fair puts the spotlight on musician Sef Albertz
The Viennese publishing house Universal Edition presented the books with the scores of the Venezuelan composer.

SUCCESSFUL
WEEKEND

Pianist Anna-Maria Maak and composer Sef Albertz made a great appearance during the Leipzig Book Fair (March 2024) at two events, which the large audience of this renowned German cultural highlight fully attended and received enthusiastically:
Lecture with live music (Friday 22) - «Sound as a metaphor for life - The Composer Sef Albertz in focus», organised by the renowned Viennese publishing house Universal Edition.
Panel discussion (Saturday 23), «What we talk about when we speak of rhythm», organised by the Translation Centre of the Leipzig Book Fair.

JUROR

AT THE STATE COMPETITION


Also in 2024 Anna-Maria Maak has been a member of the jury in the piano category of the renowned German music competition «Jugend musiziert», which has taken place from March 9th to 10th in Dresden, Saxony's state capital.

UPCOMING ALBUM

On his new album «Bunch of Strings» (Label Florentyn Music - Release May 17, 2024), Sef Albertz expands the spectrum of the guitar, not only in terms of sound, but also in terms of repertoire.

 "It sounds absolutely wonderful. Congratulations to the arrangements
and to your beautiful playing!".
(Göran Söllscher: Swedish guitarist, Prof. Malmö Academy of Music - Lund University,
Deutsche Grammophon Artist)

The starting point of this Trilogy Con Guitarra! by the Venezuelan-German composer and guitarist is his three-movement Suite for Solo Guitar «...alla Bach!» (in the style of Bach): a conscious search for the musical presence of the great Thomaskantor (Church Cantor of St. Thomas) from Leipzig.
Then, with compositional reinterpretations - unprecedented in the repertoire of the instrument - Albertz constructs a chamber music dialogue of the guitar with itself and, subsequently, with the string instruments, based on two milestones of music of all times: Robert Schumann’s «Kinderszenen» (Children’s Scenes), reimagined for Guitar Quartet, and Felix Mendelssohn’s «Lieder ohne Worte» (Songs without Words), reimagined for Guitar and Strings.

Albertz's all music scores of his new album are published by the renowned Vienna-based Universal Edition and can now be ordered HERE.

Listen to the singles and excerpts from the album here:

NEW PODCAST EPISODE

In December 2019, pianist Anna-Maria Maak premiered «Ludovicus and the Allegories of the Sea», a work commissioned to Venezuelan-German composer Sef Albertz, in the context for her programme «Beethovens Geist», which she toured as part of the Germany-wide initiative of the «Beethoven Jubiläums Gesellschaft» to start the commemoration of The Bonn genius' 250th anniversary.

In the newest episode (N° 12) of Maak's successful Podcast Series, she provides details about the transcultural reflection implicit in Albertz's music and her programme, inspired by Beethoven.

LISTEN (only in German) on Apple Podcast HERE

Sef Albertz's Piano Concerto | Edited, fingered and with foreword by Anna-Maria Maak

NEW SCORE
PUBLISHED

Dedicated to Anna-Maria Maak and premiered by her in 2016 at the MDR «Festival of Lights» accompanied by the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sef Albertz's Piano Concerto is now available through the publishing house Universal Edition.
The score, including detailed fingering and a foreword by the pianist, can be purchased HERE.

Discover also Anna-Maria Maak's work insight of this concertante composition by Sef Albertz,
HERE

Anna-Maria Maak plays the world premiere of Sef Albertz's Piano Concerto

RECITAL

WITH WORLD PREMIERE

In her most recent recital, besides playing Mozart, Scriabin, Szymanowski and Silvestrov, pianist Anna-Maria Maak performed the music of Sef Albertz, including a world premiere by the Venezuelan-German composer as a highlight, to create a trans-cultural concept based on Slavic, Latin-American, Central European and contemporary elements.

The event took place on September 3, 2023
in the Art Kapella Schkeuditz.

JUROR

AT THE NATIONAL COMPETITION


For the second time this year, Anna-Maria Maak is a member of the jury, now at the national level, in the piano category of the renowned German music competition «Jugend musiziert», which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023.
The event takes place between May 25th and June 2nd  in the historic city of Zwickau, where some of Germany's most talented young musicians are participating.

AT VIENNA
MUSIKVEREIN

Presented by the prestigious publishing house Universal Edition, Maak & Albertz CDs are now also at the Vienna Musikverein. Conductors, musicians, promoters and all visitors to the renowned concert hall can already discover - on the way to the events taking place there - the "fruitful collaboration" between pianist Anna-Maria Maak and composer Sef Albertz for creating music "with impressive sovereignty [...] entirely committed to modernity, [...] which comes up with interesting as well as innovative ideas" (PIANONews, 2019).

AT THE BOOK FAIR

During the annual Leipzig Book Fair (Leipziger Buchmesse) 2023 pianist Anna-Maria Maak visited Sef Albertz's publisher, Universal Edition, at their exhibition stand to talk about new plans with his music.

Meanwhile, take a look at Albertz's Composer Brochure, recently featured by the prestigious Vienna-based publishing house HIER.

JUROR

AT THE STATE COMPETITION


Also in 2023 Anna-Maria Maak has been a member of the jury in the piano category of the renowned German music competition «Jugend musiziert», which has taken place from March 17th to 19th in the historic city of Zwickau, where some of Saxony's best musical talents performed in the state edition of the event.

NEW MUSIC VIDEO


Fables and Solitudes is the new video production, in which Maak & Albertz have created an artistic polyphony of light and colour, visual, sound and choreographic elements.

In Episode 7 of her successful podcast series, pianist Anna-Maria Maak reveals interesting details about Sef Albertz's music used in the video, which is also included in the acclaimed album In the Secret of the World by the artistic couple.


NEW PODCAST SERIES

Sponsored by the German Music Council and the City of Leipzig Cultural Office, pianist Anna-Maria Maak has created a successful podcast series in which she builds musical bridges: It is about the cultural connections between the music of Europe and Latin America, both past and present. And not least about the essence of Maak's long-standing artistic collaboration with composer Sef Albertz, which in their own way evokes the relationship between Clara and Robert Schumann ("...an appropriate comparison to the Leipzig artist couple Anna-Maria Maak & Sef Albertz" - LVZ, 18.05.2018).

The podcast episodes can be streamed for free on several digital platforms such as:

AMAZON APPLE

ARTICLE/INTERVIEW

NEW PUBLICATION

The commemorative 25th Anniversary Edition of PIANONews magazine features an exclusive article/interview that Anna-Maria Maak, accompanied by German-Venezuelan composer Sef Albertz, conducted with the Ukrainian music creator Valentin Silvestrov.

«There was an invisible bond between the two composers from the very beginning, even before the words or the music itself appeared: "Quite wonderful! Many influences can be felt in this music, which harmonise well with each other, a very modern, an absolutely contemporary musical language! One can feel that it is a natural consequence of avant-gardism", commented the Ukrainian about his Leipzig-based colleague».

The magazine's new issue with Maak's text can be purchased HERE

WORLD PREMIERE &
STANDING OVATIONS

In full house concert, Anna-Maria Maak presented an extended version of her celebrated programme In the Secret of the World.

In addition to intercultural music by the Venezuelan-German composer Sef Albertz, which included a world premiere, Maak interpreted works she herself has recently premiered by Ukrainian Valentin Silvestrov and Polish Krzysztof Penderecki; all dramaturgically accompanied by theatrical performances and narrated texts.

The innovative recital was warmly embraced by standing ovations from the audience.

Supported by the German Federal Government, the event took place on 2 June 2022 at the Leipzig Public Library (Oberlichtsaal) in the context of the project "Kunst im Exil - Geschichten der Migration".

ON TOUR

WITH DANCE PROJECT

The music of Sef Albertz will be touring through various German cities as part of the dance project »Frauen - Frieden - Flügel« with Anca Huma & Liliana Osorio, who present dance performances based on choreographies of works from the album In the Secret of the World, in which pianist Anna-Maria Maak plays exclusively world premiere recordings by the German-Venezuelan composer.

ALBUM REVIEW

"[...] Albertz's music is modern, distinctive, finely structured in terms of sound and pianistically tailored to the instrument. And some time or other one can always hear the musical references without them being quotations.

[...] Anna-Maria Maak shows herself as an interpreter who is always stylistically confident, is perfectly up to all demands and presents an exciting album that should be heard!"


This is how the magazine PIANONews (March-April 2022 issue) has praised the album In the Secret of the World, in which pianist Anna-Maria Maak plays exclusively world premiere recordings of works by Sef Albertz & Krzysztof Penderecki.

NEW PARTNERSHIP

Sef Albertz's music is now published and distributed exclusively by Universal Edition (UE).

"[...] a unanimous decision after reviewing your scores [...] we consider your work to be very interesting [...] We are very much looking forward to distributing your work and are excited about your future artistic activities!".

Thus commented the Universal Edition's Artistic Committee on Sef Albertz's music and the new artistic partnership, which includes the publication of orchestral and chamber music as well as works for solo instruments, such as some of those included on the highly praised new album In the Secret of the World, in which pianist Anna-Maria Maak plays exclusively world premiere recordings of works by Sef Albertz & Krzysztof Penderecki.

Check out Albertz's profile on the website of the prestigious publishing house under:
www.universaledition.com/sef-albertz-8128

ALBUM REVIEW

...and the wonderful feedback continues! This time the German Klassikblog Ouverture reports about Maak & Albertz's new album In the Secret of the World, in which Anna-Maria Maak plays exclusively world premiere recordings of piano works by Sef Albertz & Krzysztof Penderecki:

"[...] in Sef Albertz's music, compositional ideas, atmospheric images, continents and centuries flow into one another [...] and contemplation meets passion. Anna-Maria Maak proves to be a brilliant interpreter of his complex works.

[...] the multi-faceted album reaches beyond the medium of music; it is also worth reading the titles of the pieces attentively and taking a look at the booklet. Here it becomes evident that the creative concept of Maak and Albertz, in good Leipzig tradition, is not least a deeply romantic one. In 1835, Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff wrote: "Sleeps a song in all things / Which dream on and on, / And the world begins to sing, / If only you find the magic word".

Read the full review HERE (only in German)

NEW PIANO

PROVIDED BY SMR INSTRUMENT FUNDS

Der Sächsische Musikrat (SMR) hat Maak & Albertz einen hervorragenden Yamaha Konzertflügel als Dauerleihgabe zur Verfügung gestellt.
"Wir sind dankbar und fühlen uns sehr geehrt. Der Erhalt dieser überraschenden Nachricht war ein Highlight. Nun sind wir besonders inspiriert und motiviert. In unseren vielfältigen Tätigkeitsbereichen als musikalische Vermittler wird sich dies sicherlich auf facettenreiche Art und Weise widerspiegeln!", so Maak & Albertz.

Der Erwerb des Instruments wurde ermöglicht durch Steuermittel auf der Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes.

The Saxon Music Council (SMR, in German) has provided Maak & Albertz with an outstanding Yamaha Concert Grand Piano on permanent loan.
"We are grateful and very honoured. Receiving this surprising news was a highlight. At this point we are especially inspired and motivated. And this will certainly be reflected in our many areas of activity as musical mediators in a multi-faceted way!" said Maak & Albertz. 

The purchase of the instrument was made possible by tax funds based on the budget passed by the Saxon state parliament.

El Consejo de Música de Sajonia (SMR, en alemán) ha puesto a permanente disposición de Maak & Albertz un extraordinario piano de concierto Yamaha.
"Estamos agradecidos y nos sentimos muy honrados. Recibir esta sorprendente noticia fue todo un acontecimiento. En este punto, estamos especialmente inspirados y motivados. Y ello, ciertamente, se verá reflejado de forma polifacética en nuestros amplio ámbito de actividad como mediadores musicales", han comentado Maak & Albertz.

La compra del instrumento fue posible gracias a los fondos fiscales basados en el presupuesto aprobado por el parlamento del estado de Sajonia.

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ALBUM REVIEW

The German online Magazine KulturAspekte reports about Maak & Albertz's new album In the Secret of the World, in which Anna-Maria Maak plays exclusively world premiere recordings of piano works by Sef Albertz & Krzysztof Penderecki:

"...a listening experience with musical demands but light-footed character. Peace and relaxation [...] but also joy and pleasure through the exciting arc of the music. For a longer musical enjoyment there is also a piece of almost fifteen minutes, 'Like Flames In A Shadow Riddle', which is both the opening and the highlight of the album.

Another recommended track is 'Ludovicus and the Allegories of the Sea - Part III', which experiments with dissonances and alternates them with harmonies in just under two minutes to make the rough, surging sea sonically perceptible. Anna-Maria Maak demonstrates her abilities with the demanding composition by Albertz, which challenges the pianist with a wide variety of playing techniques and tempi".

Read the full review HERE (only in German)

ALBUM REVIEW

Extract from a great review of Maak & Albertz's newest album In the Secret of the World on German Podcast Feuilletöne.

Some extracts in English:

"Such a super exciting recording. So much sounded so familiar. A beautiful mixture of different influences. In a way, a very modern but still very familiar sounding album full of musical discoveries, one must say.

And the music of Sef Albertz, it has something light, lively, so I liked it very much. And if rhythmic, then Sef Albertz is always very light and never heavy. Always swinging. This is your album, listen to it! It's really embracing, it's good to you.

Let yourself be impressed by Anna-Maria Maak, let yourself be impressed by a pianist who doesn't play herself into the centre, but who puts the music into the centre. That's already a lot of fun. She does that in a really great way. She is a fantastic pianist, a pianist who puts her playing at the service of the compositions.
That's just fantastic, that's really great".

Full Audio HERE
(only German)

CONCERT REVIEW

Sonorous inauguration of the concert hall

Maak & Albertz full house release concert in Meiningen (Oct. 15) presenting their brand new album In the Secret of the World.

"The piano recital inaugurated the recently finished venue [...] With her fascinating programme, Anna-Maria Maak ensured that it would also be a very special musical experience".

"The concert hall stopped breathing [...] The audience was very touched and enthusiastic".

"A wide range of playful skills and compositional diversity [...] A first-class artist and a moving programme".

Full text HERE (only for newspaper subscribers)

CONCERT REVIEW

"What the artist lets us hear is overwhelming [...] A moving concert, [...] and special because, thanks to Anna-Maria Maak's brilliant interpretation and Sef Albertz's creative compositions, it stimulates and transports feelings. And because it rightly provokes abundant applause".

An extract from another great review (Südthüringer Zeitung) on Maak & Albertz's release concert in Thuringia (Suhl, Oct. 1st) presenting their new album In the Secret of the World, in which Anna-Maria Maak plays exclusively world premiere recordings of piano works by Sef Albertz & Krzysztof Penderecki.

Read the full article HERE (only in German)

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INTERVIEW

on 'Meet the Artist' series
(London)

"Live in the beauty of the incredible reality that music represents"

Anna-Maria Maak talks about repertoire choices, challenges, successes and influences in her career. Also on her unique artistic collaboration with composer Sef Albertz and their brand new album In the Secret of the World.

The text is accompanied by extensive audio-visual material. Read the full interview HERE.

ARTICLE-INTERVIEW

The newspaper Südthüringer Zeitung reports about Maak & Albertz's upcoming release concerts in Thuringia and the new album In the Secret of the World, in which Anna-Maria Maak plays exclusively world premiere recordings of piano works by Sef Albertz & Krzysztof Penderecki.

Read the full article HERE (only in German)

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CONCERT REVIEW

of sold out concert in Leipzig

"Anna Maria Maak won everyone over with her sovereign, friendly and natural presence even before the first note.

The music then came upon us suddenly like a natural phenomenon.
[...] many facets of feeling from stirring, gentle, melancholic, dance-like to powerful. A reverent silence reigned in the hall; It gave the impression as if each one was absorbing the tones like long-desired water".

SOLD OUT CONCERT

The premiere concert on September 17 in Leipzig is SOLD OUT...!

This first event coincides exactly with the worldwide release (digital and physical) of the album In the Secret of the World, which includes all world premiere recordings of piano works by Sef Albertz and Krzysztof Penderecki. This production is now completing a large artistic concept started by Maak & Albertz with their 2018 successful first album Resplendences around Bach.

Both recordings are HERE available on label Florentyn Music

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

from the album 'In the Secret of the World'.
Series curated by
Anna-Maria Maak & Sef Albertz

TEASERS

BUY Maak & Albertz's new Album 'In the Secret of the World'

IN THE SECRET
OF THE WORLD

CD & Streaming | Sept. 17, 2021
Pianist Anna-Maria Maak plays an All World Premiere Recording 
with music by Sef Albertz and Krzysztof Penderecki. 

With In the Secret of the World the artist couple Maak & Albertz spans a dramaturgical arc and completes a large artistic concept that started with the previous 2018 production Resplendences around Bach:
“...a recording that comes up with interesting as well as innovative ideas”
(PIANONews, June 2019).

The concept album features exclusively world premiere recordings of the intercultural music of German-Venezuelan composer Sef Albertz and Krzysztof Penderecki's first solo piano music - the result of a collaboration between the late Polish composer and Maak & Albertz.

The whole release brings together a musical kaleidoscope of multi-faceted and moving piano works: A creative approach to the exploration of identity and the truthful perception of the artistic phenomenon.
Along with the influences of Bach, Beethoven and other music creators, Ibero-American culture, pop and electronic music also find their place in this album. Thus, the artistic-creative discourse transforms into a cosmopolitan vision.

“With our music we move in the secret of the world without the urge to unveil a secret, but in the perception of these inexplicable, deep sensations that enrich the experience of life and human connections”, comment Maak & Albertz.

LISTEN & BUY HERE

LIVE STREAMING CONCERT

On July 22, as part of the Series 'Music from Saxony', Anna-Maria Maak will be playing a live streaming concert
with music by Sef Albertz, J.S. Bach, J. Brahms, R. Schumann & K. Penderecki
at the beautiful Albrechtsberg Castle in Dresden.

The project hat been developed by the New York Streaming Platform Dreamstage
with the support of the Saxon Ministry of Culture and Moritzburg Festival.

BUY ONLINE TICKET
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RECENT AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS

PIANO WORKSHOP

October 16, 2021 | All day Event
Max Reger Konservatorium Meiningen

RELEASE CONCERT
Album 'In the Secret of the World'

October 15, 2021 | 7:00 p.m.
Struppsche Villa, Max Reger Konservatorium Meiningen
Music by Albertz, Bach, Brahms,
Schumann & Penderecki.

PIANO WORKSHOP

October 2, 2021 | All day Event
Music School 'Alfred Wagner', Suhl

RELEASE CONCERT
Album 'In the Secret of the World'

October 1, 2021 | 6:00 p.m.
Rathaus Suhl

Music by Albertz, Bach, Brahms,
Schumann & Penderecki.

RELEASE CONCERT
Album 'In the Secret of the World'

September 21, 2021 | 7 p.m.
Schwartzsche Villa (Berlin Steglitz)

Music by Albertz, Bach, Brahms,
Schumann & Penderecki.

RELEASE CONCERT
Album 'In the Secret of the World'

September 17, 2021 | 7 p.m.
Stadtbibliothek Leipzig (Leuschnerplatz)

Music by Albertz, Bach & Penderecki.

LIVE STREAMING CONCERT
'In the Secret of the World'

July 22, 2021 | 7:00 p.m.
As part of the Series 'Music from Saxony'.

Music by Albertz, Bach, Brahms,
Schumann & Penderecki.

(BUY Online Ticket)

LECTURE CONCERT

July 30, 2021 |
art Kapella Schkeuditz

The Composer’s studio
Anna-Maria Maak plays and talks about works of
and with composer Sef Albertz.

LIVE VIDEO RECORDING

July 17, 2021 |
Schloss Albrechtsberg (Dresden)

LIVE Video Recording of the Piano Recital
'In the Secret of the World'.
With Music by Albertz, Bach, Brahms,
Schumann & Penderecki.
An initiative of the Moritzburg Festival

CONCERT

July 11, 2021 | 2:00 p.m.
Chapel of Parkfriedhof Plagwitz (Leipzig)

Piano Recital, Closing Event of the Art Symposium 'Gespiegelte Zeit' (Mirrored Time).
Music by Sef Albertz, Lily Boulanger, Mélanie Bonis
& Krzysztof Penderecki.

LECTURE CONCERT

July 09, 2021 | 3:00 & 5:00 p.m.
Chapel of Parkfriedhof Plagwitz (Leipzig)

The Composer’s studio
Anna-Maria Maak plays and talks about works of
and with composer Sef Albertz.

As part of the Art Symposium 'Gespiegelte Zeit'
(Mirrored Time) organized by GEDOK Leipzig.

WORKSHOP, LECTURE & CONCERT

Juni 22, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

art Kapella Schkeuditz

Workshop, Lecture & Recital 'Damals und Heute - Tonschöpfer in und um Leipzig' (Then and Now - Sound Creator in and around Leipzig).

Music by Albertz, Brahms, Janacek,
Schumann & Mendelssohn.

Project supported by the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen (Cultural Heritage Foundation of the Free State of Saxony).

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NEW RECORDING

COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!

Anna-Maria Maak's new album 'In the Secret of the World' brings together a musical kaleidoscope of piano works, which reflect a multifaceted and moving expression of new classical music. The album is an all world premiere recordings of compositions by Sef Albertz and Krzysztof Penderecki, which have been inspired by Bach, Beethoven, Latin American, pop and electronic music.
The recordings were completed in January 2021 and the worldwide release (digital and physical) will be on September 17th, 2021 under the label Florentyn Music.

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JUROR AT THE NATIONAL COMPETITION

From May 20th to 27th (2021) the renowned national competition "Jugend musiziert" will take place in Bremen and Bremerhaven.
Anna-Maria Maak is member of the jury.

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JUROR AT THE STATE COMPETITION

The traditional Germany-wide competition takes place at regional and state level as an online competition due to the pandemic.
Anna-Maria Maak & Sef Albertz are members of the jury here from March 20 to 28.

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Selected by the Saxon State Chancellery

Sef's composition «In the Secret of the World», which gives the title to the new album by Maak & Albertz, was selected for a music video production, which will be presented by the Saxon State Chancellery (Sächsische Staatskanzlei) through the campaign «So geht sächsisch - Kultur digital» commissioned by the Saxon government!

The Staatskanzlei commented in this regard:

„We really like the project idea and your music [...] We are therefore happy to fully support the production of the music video «In the Secret of the World»“

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NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

New album: Leipzig duo explores the „Secret of the World“

Newspaper Leipziger Volkszeitung

„[...] sparkling piano music, which is to lead the audience to the edge of their own horizon and a little bit beyond [...]“

RADIO PORTRAIT

MAAK & ALBERTZ

The musician couple at MDR Klassik Radio (audio in German)

LISTEN HERE

NEW ALBUM IS COMING...!

In just under 3 weeks, more than 100 supporters
made possible the new production
through a successful crowdfunding campaign:

Keep your courage - despite uncertain times!
This is the message of the new piano album
« In the Secret of the World »
by Maak & Albertz,
it's an artistic response...!








CROWDFUNDING

für
Maak & Albertz
The New Piano Album

Den Mut behalten - trotz ungewisser Zeiten!
Diese Botschaft vermitteln wir mit dem neuen Klavieralbum « In the Secret of the World »,
es ist eine künstlerische Antwort.
Nun soll es den Weg in die Welt finden - gemeinsam mit Dir können wir es schaffen!

MEHR INFO UNTERSTÜTZEN

NEW VIRTUAL CONCERT SERIES

Supported by the Leipzig Department of Culture (Kulturamt Leipzig) and curated by Anna-Maria Maak, the German pianist presents virtual episodes with
LIVE performances of 'Resplendences around Bach'
- her celebrated concept album
with music by J.S. Bach & Sef Albertz.

BUY ALBUM Maak & Albertz on Youtube
(Subscribe for Free!)
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Video Episode I

Anna-Maria Maak plays
Ciaccona
(Bach - Albertz)

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Video Episode II

Anna-Maria Maak plays
Danza
(Albertz)

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Video Episode III

Anna-Maria Maak plays
Escena
(Albertz)

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Video Episode IV

Anna-Maria Maak plays
Joropo
(Albertz)

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Video Episode V

Anna-Maria Maak plays
The Place of the Resplendences
(Albertz)

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New World Premiere

Sef Albertz has composed a new work for solo piano (ca. 15 min.),
which Anna-Maria Maak will premiere and include
in her recitals during the 2020-21 Season.
The work habe been possible by a grant from the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen (Cultural Heritage Foundation of the Free State of Saxony).

SUCCESSFUL WORLD PREMIERE
in completely sold-out concert 

Alongside a sublime performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto KV 466, Anna-Maria Maak played the solo part in the new orchestral composition by Sef Albertz
'The World through Emilia's Dreams' 
with the Kammerphilharmonie der Universität Stuttgart, which commisioned the work.
What an enthusiastic response from the Stuttgart audience!

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"GEMEINSAM GROßES SCHAFFEN" (Creating great things together)

2020 begins with a great four-page article in the prestigious magazine PIANONews about the artistic career of Anna-Maria Maak and
her creative collaboration with composer Sef Albertz.
In addition, Anna-Maria's upcoming projects with Sef's music and
the world premiere recording of Penderecki's first solo piano music.
The magazine is available in Germany, Austria,
Luxembourg & Switzerland.

Maak & Albertz

"A fantastic performer, a great composer
...a powerful work!"
(Kristjan Järvi, conductor)

© by M&A GbR

Anna-Maria Maak and Sef Albertz are an artist couple in an unusual combination in today's music scene. He is a composer and writes the music for her, the pianist, who considers her primary task to present his artistic work to a wide audience: An artistic symbiosis that, in a very particular way, continues the tradition of creative collaboration a la 'Clara and Robert Schumann' (“...a very appropriate comparison” - LVZ, May 18 2018).

“A great composer...a fantastic performer...a powerful work!” is the opinion of the Estonian-American conductor Kristjan Järvi, with whom Maak & Albertz have already successfully worked together.

Maak & Albertz have consciously and consistently expanded their artistic ideas: from the conception and realization of multimedia projects, to the creation and implementation of the Ibero-American music festival “Con Guitarra” (“A fine festival...a jewel”, reported the Leipziger Volkszeitung), which has had the support of national and international institutions such as UNESCO, the University of Leipzig and the Cervantes Institute of Spain. All these projects have been based on unique concepts. The talents of the duo have become increasingly evident throughout this process, not only as musicians (interpreter and composer), but also in the area of video and sound design, photography, and the conception and dramaturgy of programs.

Interested in new challenges and collaborations, Maak & Albertz performed in late March 2019 the world premiere of ‘Aria, Ciaccona & Vivace’. the result of an exciting collaboration with composer Krzysztof Penderecki. This was the last premiere in the lifetime of the renowned composer, and a year after his passing, his first solo piano music appears on the musician couple's new release, giving it symbolic significance.

Like the Polish composer's world premiere recording, the concept album contains exclusively new creations of Albertz's interculturally influenced music. In the Secret of the World spans a wider dramaturgical arc and rounds off an overall concept that began with the previous 2018 production Resplendences around Bach: “...a recording that brings both interesting and innovative ideas” (PIANONews, June 2019). It is a creative approach to exploring identity and truthful perception of the artistic. The influences of Bach, Beethoven and other composers have a place, as well as Ibero-American culture, pop and electronic music. Thus, the artistic-creative discourse is transformed into a cosmopolitan vision.

“With our music, we move in the secret of the world without the urge to unveil a secret, but in the perceptual realm of inexplicable, deep sensations that enrich the experience of life and interpersonal connections”, according to Maak & Albertz.

Anna-Maria Maak und Sef Albertz sind ein Künstlerpaar in einer seltenen Kombination in der aktuellen Musikszene. Er ist Komponist und schreibt die Musik für sie - die Pianistin, die es als ihr großes Anliegen betrachtet, sein künstlerisches Schaffen einer breiten Öffentlichkeit vorzustellen: Eine künstlerische Symbiose, welche die Tradition der kreativen Zusammenarbeit á la ‚Clara und Robert Schumann‘ auf eigene Weise fortsetzt („...ein treffender Vergleich“ - LVZ, 18.05.2018).

„Ein großartiger Komponist...eine fantastische Interpretin...eine kraftvolle Arbeit!“ so die Meinung des estnisch-amerikanischen Dirigenten Kristjan Järvi, mit dem Maak & Albertz bereits sehr erfolgreich zusammengearbeitet hat.

Anna-Maria Maak & Sef Albertz haben ihre künstlerischen Ideen bewusst und konsequent ausgebaut: von der Konzeption und Realisation multimedialer Projekte bis hin zur Erschaffung und Durchführung des Iberoamerikanischen Musikfestivals ‚Con Guitarra‘ („Ein feines Festival ... ein Juwel“, LVZ 2011), welches von nationalen und internationalen Institutionen wie der UNESCO, der Universität Leipzig oder des spanischen Instituto Cervantes unterstützt wurde. All diese Projekte basierten auf Konzepten, die ihres Gleichen suchen. Dabei traten die Talente des Duos als Musiker, Komponist, Klang- und Videodesigner, Fotograph, Programmgestalter und geschickter Dramaturg zum Vorschein und entwickelten sich unausweichlich miteinander weiter.

Interessiert an neuen Herausforderungen und Kooperationen haben Maak & Albertz Ende März 2019 die fulminante Erstaufführung des Ergebnisses einer spannenden Zusammenarbeit mit dem Komponisten Krzysztof Penderecki verwirklicht: Aria, Ciaccona & Vivace. Dies war die letzte Uraufführung im Leben des namhaften Tonschöpfers und ein Jahr nach seinem Ableben erscheint seine erste Solo-Klaviermusik auf der neuen Veröffentlichung der Musikerehepaar und erhält dadurch eine symbolische Bedeutung.

Ebenso wie die Ersteinspielung des polnischen Komponisten beinhalt das Konzeptalbum ausschließlich neue Schöpfungen der interkulturell geprägten Musik von Albertz. Mit In the Secret of the World (Im Geheimnis der Welt) spannt sich ein weiter dramaturgischer Bogen und rundet ein Gesamtkonzept ab, welches mit der vorangegangenen 2018er Produktion Resplendences around Bach begann: „...eine Einspielung, die mit interessanten wie innovativen ldeen aufwartet“ (PIANONews, Juni 2019). Es ist ein kreativer Ansatz zur Auseinandersetzung mit Identität und wahrhaftiger Wahrnehmung des Künstlerischen. Einflüsse von Bach, Beethoven und anderen Komponisten finden ihren Platz ebenso wie die iberoamerikanische Kultur, Pop und elektronische Musik. So verwandelt sich der künstlerisch-kreative Diskurs in eine kosmopolitische Vision.

„Mit unserer Musik bewegen wir uns im Geheimnis der Welt - In the Secret of the World - ohne den Drang, ein Geheimnis zu lüften, sondern im Wahrnehmungsbereich unerklärlicher, tiefer Empfindungen, die die Erfahrung des Lebens und die zwischenmenschlichen Verbindungen bereichern“, so Maak & Albertz.

Anna-Maria Maak y Sef Albertz son una pareja de artistas en una combinación poco habitual en el panorama musical actual. Él es compositor y escribe la música para ella, la pianista que considera primordial presentar su obra artística a un amplio público: Una simbiosis artística que, de manera muy particular, continúa la tradición de colaboración creativa a la 'Clara y Robert Schumann' (“...una comparación muy acertada” - LVZ, 18 de mayo 2018).

“Un gran compositor... una fantástica intérprete... ¡una obra poderosa!” es la opinión del director de orquesta estonio-estadounidense Kristjan Järvi, con quien Maak & Albertz ya han colaborado con mucho éxito.

Maak & Albertz han ampliado sus ideas artísticas de forma consciente y consistente: desde la concepción y realización de proyectos multimedia hasta la creación y realización del festival Iberoamericano de música ‘Con Guitarra’ („Un fino festival...una joya”, LVZ 2011), que ha contado con el apoyo de instituciones nacionales e internacionales como UNESCO, la Universidad de Leipzig o el Instituto Cervantes de España. Todos estos proyectos se han basado en conceptos únicos. En este proceso, los talentos del dúo se han hecho, de manera inevitable, cada vez más evidentes, no solo en cuanto al aspecto musical (en la interpretación y composición), sino además desarrollándose entre sí con el diseño de espacios sonoros y video, fotografía, concepción y dramaturgia de programas.

Interesados en nuevos retos y colaboraciones, Maak & Albertz realizaron a finales de marzo de 2019 el brillante estreno del resultado de una emocionante colaboración con el compositor Krzysztof Penderecki: Aria, Ciaccona & Vivace. Este fue el último estreno mundial en vida del célebre compositor, y un año después de su fallecimiento, su primera música para piano solo aparece en el nuevo lanzamiento de la pareja de músicos, lo que le confiere un significado simbólico.

Al igual que la grabación mundial del compositor polaco, el álbum conceptual presenta exclusivamente nuevas creaciones de la música intercultural de Albertz. In the Secret of the World amplía el arco dramatúrgico y redondea un concepto global que comenzó con la anterior producción de 2018, Resplendences around Bach: “...una grabación que aporta ideas tanto interesantes como innovadoras” (PIANONews, junio de 2019). Se trata de un enfoque creativo para explorar la identidad y la percepción veraz de lo artístico. Las influencias de Bach, Beethoven y otros compositores tienen cabida, así como la cultura iberoamericana, el pop y la música electrónica. Así, el discurso artístico-creativo se transforma en una visión cosmopolita.

“Con nuestra música nos movemos en el secreto del mundo sin el afán de develar un secreto, sino en el ámbito perceptivo de las sensaciones inexplicables y profundas que enriquecen la experiencia de la vida y las conexiones interpersonales”, declaran Maak & Albertz. 

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Maak & Albertz

have combined their extraordinary talents and artistic & pedagogical skills to create a variety of platforms that allow both artists realize their most cherished projects:
The Festival Con Guitarra!, diverse discographic productions, multimedia recitals & concerts but also the teaching and refinement in the performance of piano and guitar are some of the aspects implicit in the scope of action of those successful artistic platforms.

All the projects carried out over the years, are imbued with an artistic ideal, which is dedicated to beauty.
Thus a recording production becomes an artistic work of music, word and image...a festival transforms into a symphony in four movements...a concert is an experience for all senses!

BUNCH OF STRINGS

A TRILOGY CON GUITARRA!

On his new album «Bunch of Strings» (Label Florentyn Music - Release May 17, 2024), Sef Albertz expands the spectrum of the guitar, not only in terms of sound, but also in terms of repertoire.

"It sounds absolutely wonderful. Congratulations to the arrangements and to your beautiful playing!".
(Göran Söllscher: Swedish guitarist, Prof. Malmö Academy of Music - Lund University,
Deutsche Grammophon Artist)

The starting point of this Trilogy Con Guitarra! by the Venezuelan-German composer and guitarist is his three-movement Suite for Solo Guitar «...alla Bach!» (in the style of Bach): a conscious search for the musical presence of the great Thomaskantor (Church Cantor of St. Thomas) from Leipzig.
Then, with compositional reinterpretations - unprecedented in the repertoire of the instrument - Albertz constructs a chamber music dialogue of the guitar with itself and, subsequently, with the string instruments, based on two milestones of music of all times: Robert Schumann’s «Kinderszenen» (Children’s Scenes), reimagined for Guitar Quartet, and Felix Mendelssohn’s «Lieder ohne Worte» (Songs without Words), reimagined for Guitar and Strings.

Albertz's all music scores of his new album are published by the renowned Vienna-based Universal Edition and can now be ordered HERE.

BUY Maak & Albertz's new Album 'In the Secret of the World'

IN THE SECRET
OF THE WORLD

CD & Streaming | Sept. 17, 2021
Pianist Anna-Maria Maak plays an All World Premiere Recording 
with music by Sef Albertz and Krzysztof Penderecki. 

With In the Secret of the World the artist couple Maak & Albertz spans a dramaturgical arc and completes a large artistic concept that started with the previous 2018 production Resplendences around Bach:
“...a recording that comes up with interesting as well as innovative ideas”
(PIANONews, June 2019).

The concept album features exclusively world premiere recordings of the intercultural music of German-Venezuelan composer Sef Albertz and Krzysztof Penderecki's first solo piano music - the result of a collaboration between the late Polish composer and Maak & Albertz.

The whole release brings together a musical kaleidoscope of multi-faceted and moving piano works: A creative approach to the exploration of identity and the truthful perception of the artistic phenomenon.
Along with the influences of Bach, Beethoven and other music creators, Ibero-American culture, pop and electronic music also find their place in this album. Thus, the artistic-creative discourse transforms into a cosmopolitan vision.

“With our music we move in the secret of the world without the urge to unveil a secret, but in the perception of these inexplicable, deep sensations that enrich the experience of life and human connections”, comment Maak & Albertz. 

LISTEN & BUY HERE


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RESPLENDENCES AROUND BACH

CD, LP & Streaming | 2018 
Pianist Anna-Maria Maak plays world premiere recordings
of original & arranged music by Sef Albertz. 

"...a fruitful collaboration between
pianist Anna-Maria Maak and composer Sef Albertz
...entirely committed to modernity...
with impressive sovereignty...masterly virtuosity
and intimate empathy...as well as innovative ideas"
(Magazine PIANONews 3-2019)

"...an enrichment of contemporary piano music"
Prof. Volkmar Lehmann
(Dir. Em. Institute for Piano, University of Music Weimar)

„A dramaturgical [and] skillful connection to a fascinating musical world, an exquisite combination of progressive and traditional, jazz and funk, Mediterranean temperament and profundity“
(MDR Press)

LISTEN & BUY HERE

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PLATERO UND ICH (2015)

'An Andalusian Elegie'

Anna-Maria Maak (Narration & Piano)
Sef Albertz (Guitar)
--------------------
Texts: Juan Ramón Jiménez
Music: M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco

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SEASONS (2015)

Sef Albertz & his guitar students
(Including world premiere recordings of works by Sef Albertz)
„a so interesting and professionally conceived CD recording...a valuable medium to share and to expand creativity with others”
(Torgauer Zeitung)

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HOMMAGE (2013)

Double Album including
world premiere recordings.
Music by J. S. Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn & Sef Albertz. 

Anna-Maria Maak (Piano),
Sef Albertz (Guitar) & Strings from MDR Sinfonieorchester

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INFANCIA (2012)

Double Album of Anna-Maria Maak 
with world premiere recordings
of Piano works by Sef Albertz.
Also including Ibero-American
Piano Music by H. Villa-Lobos,
A. Estévez, F. Mompou, M. Moleiro,
X. Montsalvatge, F. Ruíz,
A. Roldán & Astor Piazzolla

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CON GUITARRA! (2011)

Duo Albertz plays world premiere recordings of new Ibero-American Music for Flute & Guitar.
All compositions written for and dedicated to Sef Albertz
by Leo Brouwer (Cuba), Carlos Cruz de Castro (Spain), Diego Feinstein (Argentina) & Marlos Nobre (Brazil)

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...DE NORTE A SUR!
(2005)

(SOLD-OUT)
Duo Albertz plays traditional and contemporary Ibero-American
Music for Flute & Guitar
including  lyrical & virtuoso
compositions from Cuba, Argentina, Brazil & Venezuela

Maak & Albertz
Academy


[ DE ]
Spezielle Methode für Anfänger
Notenkenntnisse keine Voraussetzung
Regelmäßiger Einzelunterricht.

Kontaktieren Sie uns für eine Probestunde und entdecken Sie die Freude, die es bereitet, selbst Musik zu machen. Unsere enthusiastischen Schüler können Ihnen diese Behauptung bestätigen!

Zurzeit gibt es 1 freie Plätze für Klavier und 2 freie Plätze für Gitarre.

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[ EN ]
Specials methodes for beginners
Read music is not required
Regular individual lessons.

Contact us for a trial lesson and discover the satisfaction of making music with your own hands. Our enthusiastic learners confirm this assertion.

Currently there are only 1 free places for Piano Lesson and 2 free places for Guitar Lessons.

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Address

Littstr. 9 HH
04103 Leipzig
Germany

Management

José Hernández
Email: info@maak-albertz.com
Phone: +49 (0) 341 9 27 78 00

Links

Anna-Maria Maak | Pianist
Sef Albertz | Composer 
Florentyn Music | Music Label

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