After Lubomyr Melnyk came on the scene, the world of the piano was permanently changed! He completely revamped the nature of the instrument, and brought a whole new level of virtuosity to the stage, with music that is both engaging and forceful. His new visions for the piano introduced astounding new elements into piano playing.

Born in Ukraine in 1948, Lubomyr Melnyk fell for the piano at an early age. Given lessons as a young child after his family emigrated to Canada after the iron curtain came down, he was immediately transfixed by the possibilities of the instrument. “On the piano, you can create whole worlds,” he reflects. “I realised that it could be an orchestra, a choir of sound.”

Trained for the Classical concert halls, Lubomyr changed course while living in Paris in the early 1970-s where, bereft of income and living the life of “La Boheme” he discovered this new world of the piano. Homeless and in desperate need of money, he supported himself by accompanying dance lessons for a company run by the experimental choreographer Carolyn Carlson. The experience became a kind of epiphany: watching Carlson’s dancers, he began to play a new kind of music, spontaneous and improvisatory – responding not to rigid classical conventions but the dance he saw unfolding. Using the sustain pedal to create echo and reverb, he transformed free-flowing cascades of notes into hypnotic waves of sound. Eventually he found a name for this new style: ‘continuous music’, which he uses to this day.

Press:

‚Captivating as ever‘ – The Wire

‚Modern classical raptures‘ 4/5 – Uncut

‚Stately, lush and quietly virtuosic‘ 4/5 – MusicOMH

‚A pianist of remarkable talent and insight‘ 9/10 – Line Of Best Fit

‚A delight from start to finish‘ 5/5 – The Skinny

‘Hypnotic’ 4/5 – Rolling Stone, Germany

‘Cascade-ish discharging beauty’ – Spex, Germany

‚Epic, meditative stillness‘ Album of the Week – WQXR Q2 Music

‚A lustrous, shimmering soundworld‘ Album of the Month – Textura

https://lubomyrmelnyk.com

https://www.instagram.com/lubomyr.melnyk

Photo: Aleksandra Kawka