Buster Keaton according to Matan Porat

Praised by the 'New York Times' for 'great sound and a breeze of expression', pianist and composer Matan Porat has performed in great places, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, Auditorium du Louvre and Salle Gaveau in Paris and Alte Oper in Frankfurt, with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

As an avid chamber musician, Matan Porat has participated in many recognized festivals, including Marlboro, Lockenhaus, Ravinia, Verbier, Hohenems, Musikfest Berlin and Rheingau Festivals. His chamber performances include collaboration with the Artemis Quartet, Quatuor Ysaÿe, Cuarteto Casals, Pacifica, Modigliani, Schumann and the Jerusalem Quartet.

Born in Tel Aviv, Matan Porat studied with Emanuel Krasowski, Maria João Pires and Murray Perahia, obtaining a master's degree at the Juilliard School. His composition teachers include Ruben Seroussi and George Benjamin.

He is known for his unique, narrative-based programming. Porat's diverse repertoire includes complete sonatas and partitas by Bach and Schubert, Sonata by Ives 'Concord' and Ligeti's Concerto. His debut CD for Mirare, 'Variations on Scarlatti' – featuring compositions by Couperin to Boulez that relate to Scarlatti's Sonata K. 32 – was considered 'a fantastic album to be listened to over and over again' ('Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung').

His passion for the performing arts prompted him to collaborate with the legendary director Peter Brook, with whose production of Mozart's "Magic Flute" for solo piano and seven vocalists he toured.

Porat also improvises live music for silent films, which has been recognized by Alex Ross of New York as 'an amazing feat of creative musicality'.

You must admit that these recommendations are really impressive!