Biography
Maximilian Mangold is regarded „…as one of the most interesting current German guitarists“ (Fono Forum 10/2003). The German Guitar Magazin „Gitarre Aktuell“ calls him an „exeptional guitarist“. He has won numerous prizes and awards, amongst other the International Guitar Competition in Mettmann in 1991, the Competition of the Guitar Foundation of America in Quebec (Canada) in 1994 and in Northridge (USA) in 1995. In 1992 he was the prizewinner of the German Music Competition and thus was selected to perform in the 38th German „Young Musicians of the Year Concert Series“. He has also been awarded scholarships by the German National Scholarship Foundation, the Bavarian Music Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service. In 1994 he was awarded the Bavarian Ministry of Culture‘s prize for the promotion of young artists.
Due to his great reputation he was portrayed and interviewed by the German classical music magazins „Fono Forum“, „Concertino“, and by the guitar magazins „Gitarre Aktuell“ and „Akustik Gitarre“. He has an extraordinarily extensive repertoire documented on 20 CD recordings which have been higly acclaimed by critics and hailed as recording references.
M. Mangold performs regularly at many German and international music festivals like the Christopher Summerfestival in Vilnius (Lithuania), Holland Music Sessions Amsterdam (Netherlands), Hudebni Forum (Czech Republic), Agimus Catania (Italy), Master concert series in Wiltz (Luxembourg) and Aabenra (Denmark), Moselfestspiele, Hunsrücker Musiktage, Europäische Wochen Passau, Fränkischer Sommer and others. In 2001 he was invited to Munich and Nuremberg to play the complete ROYAL WINTER MUSIC by Hans Werner Henze in honour of his 75. birthday. In 2003 he was invited by the cellist Boris Pergamenschikow to his chamber music festival at Elmau. He has performed major guitar concertos with several orchestras.
Besides being very devoted to contemporary music he also plays extensively baroque music, spanish music and guitar music of the 19th century on a historical instrument of that period. Apart from his solo recitals, M. Mangold is very devoted to chamber music and performs extensively in duos with Harp, Flute, Piano, Harpsicord, Narrator, trio with Flute and Viola and with the String Quartett „Vlach Quartet Prague“ and on historical instruments with fortepiano and flauto traverso. Besides recording for broadcasting companies like Radio Bremen, WDR, BR, HR, SWF, NDR, Czech Broadcasting and CONZERT ZENDER NEDERLANDE he has a wide range of repertoire and has released many CDs which have received highest critical acclaim: „Central Guitar“ for AUREA VOX and „English Guitar Music“ for Cantate-Musicaphon – „…one of the most interesting recordings of the year“ (P. Päffgen in Gitarre und Laute). In adition to that he has recorded the whole ROYAL WINTER MUSIC by Hans Werner Henze: „With Mangold everything is perfect …Threedimensional images, which at times are superior to those of Julian Bream when it comes to clarity“ – Klassik heute: „A new reference recording: technically brilliant, with warm and flexible intonation and a great sense of feeling for dynamic subtleties“ – Fono Forum: Spanish guitar music by Federico Moreno Torroba: „…his playing radiates enormous sensuality, pleasure in the tune, pleasure in pure guitar!“ (Gitarre und Laute); Platero and I: „As ever Mangold‘s interpretation is excellent“ (Fono Forum).
One of Mangolds recent CD-releases contains contemporary works by Strasfogel, Henze, Farkas, Ghedini, Genzmer and Leyendecker and was awarded as „Star of the month“ in Fono Forum 10/2003). Every year one or two CD-releases follow. Several composers dedicated music to him and his ensembles: Konstantin Vassiliev, Juan Manuel Cortes, Maximo Diego Pujol, Chiki Serrano, Narciso Saul, Ulrich Leyendecker, Alois Bröder, Jörg-Peter Mittmann, René Mense, Timo Jouko Herrmann, Rafael Catalá, Dieter Mack, Cord Meijering, Gerhard Müller-Hornbach, Alberto Rodriguez Molina, Manuel Murgui and others.
Maximilian Mangold is editor together with Mirjam Schröder of a new publication series „Music for guitar and harp“ and „New guitar music for music schools and youth musicians“ published by Neue Musik Berlin.
Maximilian Mangold studied classical guitar at the Würzburg College of Music under Prof. Jürgen Ruck from 1987 until 1992. Having graduated from here with distinction, he continued his studies with Prof. Alvaro Pierri in Montreal (Canada), with Oscar Ghiglia in Basel (Switzerland) and under Prof. Thomas Müller-Pering at the „Franz Liszt“ College of Music in Weimar where he obtained his soloist certificate in 1996.