John Wolf Brennan
Pianist and composer John Wolf Brennan was born in Dublin, Ireland, and has been widely acclaimed as an outstanding musician. His distinctive style, marked by a deep interest in contemporary archeology, a personal quest for adventurous avant-garde, an ongoing research of his Celtic roots, and his "Swiss watchmaker exactness," sets him apart from other free jazz and avant-garde musicians of his generation. His compositions feature music rich in atonal textures, and cover a wide spectrum of musical concepts and methods -- ranging from piano pieces (prepared and unprepared) to vocal scores, chamber music, and orchestral works -- both for classical and jazz ensembles. At the University of Fribourg, Brennan studied musicology, film, and literature. At the Lucerne Conservatory, he studied piano with Eva Serman; at the Academy of School and Church Music, he studied organ and conducting. He continued his studies in composition with Karl Berger at CMS in Woodstock, NY, and James Wilson at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. Additional master classes in composition with Ennio Morricone, Edison Denissov, Klaus Huber, and Heinz Holliger helped to shape his musical education and concepts. John Wolf Brennan is a member of the Swiss composer's group Groupe Lacroix, and the Pan-European quartet Pago Libre. Concert tours have brought him to Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Canada, and the U.S.A. He has recorded four solo albums as well as with the Pan-European quartet Pago Libre. He has conducted several orchestras, such as SinFONietta and the Creative Works Orchestra. His continuing interest in literature and the performing arts has led him to write numerous works for theatre, dance, sound sculptures, installations, and acoustical environments. Included among these performing arts are the Klangschiff, a steamboat on Lake Lucerne; a setting of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream in a forest; water music in a swimming pool; Sculpted Sound to sculptures created by Derek Shiel; and new music for the Glockenspiel at the Swiss Centre, London. John Wolf Brennan also teaches and gives lectures and workshops throughout Europe.
© Paula Edelstein /TiVo
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Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Pilgrims
John Wolf Brennan, Tony Majdalani, Marco Jencarelli
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 1 Mar 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
M.A.P.
John Wolf Brennan, Urs Leimgruber, Norma Winstone
Jazz - Released by L+R Records on 2 Oct 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Aurealis
Robert Dick, John Wolf Brennan, Daniele Patumi
Jazz - Released by Les Disques VICTO on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henceforward
Christy Doran, John Wolf Brennan
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Speed of Dark - Solopiano
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 1 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nitty Gritty Ditties
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 20 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Twinkeys; Tarkus and Other Live Stories
Esther Fluckiger, John Wolf Brennan
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 1 Sep 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pictures in a Gallery
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 1 Nov 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Time Jumps - Space Cracks
John Wolf Brennan, Daniele Patumi
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 8 Jun 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Zero Heroes
John Wolf Brennan, Peggy Lee, Dylan Van Der Schyff
Classical - Released by LEO RECORDS on 5 Oct 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oriental Orbit
John Wolf Brennan, Tony Majdelani, Marco Jencarelli
Jazz - Released by LEO RECORDS on 16 Dec 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pilgrims in Trance It
John Wolf Brennan, Tony Majdalani, Marco Jencarelli
World - Released by iMusician | Narrenschiff on 18 Apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo