La valse by Ravel (Dror Biran) -Part I

DROR BIRAN's playing has been described in Die Bleed as "powerful, but also beautiful sensitive, brilliant but full of artistry, seductively lyrical but intensely dramatic at the climaxes". The Plain Dealer added "his fortissimos crashed and roared, but next to them came pianissimos that whispered seductively...he has technique to burn and uses it effectively..."
His superb tonal control combined with interesting phrasing and voicing has won him consistent critical acclaim and enthusiastic audience.
Born in Israel, Dr. Biran is a top prize winner of several national and international piano competitions. He is a graduate of the Givataim Conservatory where he studied with Mrs. Lily Dorfman and The Rubin Academy of Music at Tel-Aviv University where he studied with Prof. Arie Vardi.
Dror Biran won top prizes at the M.K Ciurlionis International Piano Competition (1995), and the Cleveland International Piano Competition (1997) where he also received a special prize for the best performance of works by Chopin. His honors include the first prize at the "Pilar Bayona International Piano Competition" in Zaragoza, Spain (1998), first prize at the Israeli Rubin Academy Piano Competition (1998), and the Rafi Goralnik prize for pianists, in the Aviv Competition 2000. Dr. Biran has been a recipient of multiple the scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation for distinguished musicians.
Dr. Biran has performed widely as a soloist with major orchestras including the Lithuanian Philharmonic Orchestra, RTVE Symphony Orchestra of Spain, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, The Louisville Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He has played under the batons of Etinger, Rodan, Gueller, Gacia Asensio, Lane and others. His concert tours have taken him to the United States, Eastern and Western Europe, Israel and South Africa.
As a chamber musician Dr. Biran has appeared on a regular basis with different music ensembles such as Carmel and Aviv String Quartets, he has also performed with members of The Cleveland Orchestra in different venues. His concerts have been broadcast by WUOL, WCLV, WQXR, The Voice of Music -- Israel, Classic FM South Africa among others. Dr. Biran can be heard on the JMC (Jerusalem Music Centre) labels featuring ballades by Brahms and Chopin.
Dr. Biran received his Doctoral degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Mr. Paul Schenly and Dr. Daniel Shapiro.Dr. Biran taught at Youngstown State University, Case Western Reserve University and University of Louisville.
Currently, he holds an Associate Professor of Piano position at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati.
His future engagements include chamber and solo concerts in USA, Europe and Israel.

[@rheumer]

Absolutely breathtaking! You are a master.

[@joebruin24]

Isn't it only coincidental that this song has come to represent "Beauty in Wartime". I've read that Ravel didn't mean for it to represent that at all, and I feel that that's such a limiting and myopic interpretation of this piece.

[@musicsdarkangel]

beautiful tone control
Stunning interpretation
I will actually be studying with Dr. Schenly and Dr. Shapiro next year (I am quite excited!).

[@licoricestic]

very fine performance, so many colors! which arrangement is this? i recognize ravel's transcription of his piece but seems different

[@CenterEntertainment]

EPIC FACE

[@CenterEntertainment]

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