Michael Gees
Once billed as the Westphalian Mozart, German pianist Michael Gees was a genuine child prodigy, although one who shunned the role for a time. His success has extended into middle age and into the less spotlighted role of accompanist as well as those of solo recitalist and concerto player. He has also composed and performed an unusual amount of original music. Gees was born October 9, 1953 in Bielefeld; indeed, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Both his parents were singers, and by age three he had shown a strong predisposition toward the piano. He started lessons at five, won a Hamburg contest sponsored by the Steinway piano maker at eight, and began studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria on a scholarship. He took further lessons at conservatories in Vienna and in Detmold, Germany, and by age 15, he already had a substantial track record of concertizing. Restless and anxious to explore the world of composition, he dropped out at that point and worked for several years at odd jobs: as an archaeological assistant and, for two years, as a sailor. He returned to school, almost by chance, at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, immersing himself in composition and jazz at first rather than in piano performance. Finally, on his own, he rebuilt his technique from scratch and returned to concertizing, giving solo concerts in New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo. He began a long career as a lied accompanist with the tenor Christoph Prégardien. Gees has continued to create unusual cross-genre projects, both in his own concerts and with the "forum kunstvereint," which he founded in his adopted hometown of Gelsenkirchen, and the Consol Theater, which has nurtured the music, dance, and theatrical careers of young artists. Gees made his recording debut in 1996 and has recorded for Haenssler, Carus, and most recently Challenge Classics, often offering programs that treat lieder and other works in unusual improvisational ways. In 2017 he released Bach, Mendelssohn: Metamorphosis, the aim of which he described this way: "How can a musical idea develop over and above what has been written down? What would Bach have thought about Mendelssohn? What would have happened had they been able to encourage each other to extemporise on their compositions?"
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discography
15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, Schwanengesang & Winterreise
Andreas Staier, Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Classical - Released by Challenge Classics on 7 May 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Winterreise
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Classical - Released by Challenge Classics on 19 Nov 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Classical - Released by Challenge Classics on 22 Mar 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Lieder von Abschied und Reise
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blooming
Classical - Released by Challenge Classics on 4 Oct 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler, G.: Lieder, Songs
Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
Classical - Released by haenssler CLASSIC on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
R. Schumann, Wolf & Mahler: Lieder
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Classical - Released by haenssler CLASSIC on 12 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Robert Schumann: Der Rose Pilgerfahrt
Anna Lucia Richter, Christoph Prégardien, Michael Dahmen, Michael Gees, Süddeutscher Kammerchor, Gerhard Jenemann
Classical - Released by Carus on 1 Apr 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach - Mendelssohn - Metamorphosis
Classical - Released by Challenge Classics on 8 Sep 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Follow Goethe
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Classical - Released by CPO on 30 Sep 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Lieder von Abschied und Reise
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Pfitzner: Lieder (Complete Edition, Vol. 1)
Andreas Schmidt, Christoph Prégardien, Julie Kaufmann, Rudolf Jansen, Michael Gees, Donald Sulzen
Classical - Released by CPO on 1 Apr 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pfitzner: Lieder (Complete Edition, Vol. 3)
Classical - Released by CPO on 31 Aug 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo