BBB Music Magazine November 2004 Rating

Winner of numerous prizes, pianist Miki Skuta was born in 1960. He studied mainly in Bratislava, and during 1984 spent a period with Claude Helffer in Paris. He's played with the Slovak Chamber Orchestra, Capella Istropolitana (well known from their many Naxos recordings) and the Symphony Orchestra of Slovak Radio. Conductors have included - Ondrej Lenard, Robert Stankovsky, Heja Domonkos and Bohdan Warchal.
Miki Skuta also pursues a career in Jazz, playing piano and keyboards. On Sextet, he joins Oscar Rozsa where he can be heard on piano, keyboards, bells and rainstick. He also contributes a theme for the group to play around in Sextet Part 1. As a Jazz musician Miki Skuta's performed in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and in Bratislava's Jazz Days. He's also played many times with Octet Ost, alongside trumpeter Tomasz Stanko.
Miki Skuta's new album, Identity, features eight of his own compositions. "I spent a long time deciding on the title of this CD." Miki Skuta recalled. "I believe that I finally succeeded in writing music that gives the listener a representation of my identity in today's world."
When it comes to repertoire, Miki Skuta's at home with Miles Davis, Messiaen, Chic Corea, Ligeti, Steve Reich, Gershwin, Rachmaninov and Ravel. He's recently played the Piano Concerto by Christian Muthspiel - also worked with his Jazz guitarist brother Wolfgang - and will record, in November, the Piano Concerto by Slovak composer Lubica Salamon Cekovska.
Miki Skuta's recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, newly released by Hevhetia, results from many years study. He did not play them in public until 2001. A review of those early accounts noted: "...excitement and concentration are seldom as obvious during a performance, as they were that evening, when Miki Skuta mesmerised the audience with the magic of Bach's music."
"...Skuta approaches each and every one of the variations with the clear intent of revealing its poetry and individuality. In this way he reveals the richly varied contrasts within the work as a whole."

Nicholas Anderson, BBC Music Magazine, November 2004