- …a talented, sensitive player… (The New York Times)
- …lyric and grand manner in the Amsterdam concertgebouw… (de Volkskrant)
- …in every respect phenomenal… (Frankfurter Rundschau)
- …a magnificient performance… (Moscow news)
- …a convincing actor… (Trouw)
- …he doesn't play his instrument, he is his instrument…it isn't sheer music, but life itself… (Brabants Dagblad)
- …superbe, extraordinaire... (Pierre Boulez)
- ...magnifique... (Olivier Messiaen)
Biography
Dutch clarinettist Michel Marang studied with Walter Boeykens and finished conservatory cum laude in 1987, the same year in which he also got his degree in philosophy at Amsterdam University. Hereafter he studied with Hans Deinzer (Germany) and took masterclasses with Roger Heaton (England) and Susan Stephens (USA).
Apart from his interest and activities in classical music, theatre, and world-music, Marang specializes in contemporary music. He collaborated with many composers, including Olivier Messiaen, Morton Feldman, Edison Denisov and Karlheinz Stockhausen. With the latter he studied his monumental ‘Harlequin’, a 45 minute solo for a dancing and miming clarinettist. Over a hundred compositions were dedicated to him. In addition, Marang wrote music for several theatre productions, such as "Nicky Somewhere Else", which was very successful on Broadway.
Besides, Marang works as a photographer.
He was a member, guest and/or soloist with all the leading new music ensembles in Holland, as well as Musikfabrik in Cologne, Contrechamps in Geneva, Aleph in Paris and Studio New Music in Moscow.
As a soloist, Michel Marang performed throughout Europe, the USA, Mexico, Russia, China, Ukraine, Estonia, India, central Asia and the Middle-East. He gave seminars at many leading institutions, including the Moscow Conservatory.