Mehmet Okonsar On Stage Live In Addition To On Compact Disc

The Gina Bachauer International Piano competition, held just about every four years (pertaining to the particular "seniors" class) in Salt Lake City, Utah, is unquestionably among the best in the world.

You will find several elements original to this special competition that helps it to be so excellent. One vital for example is the fact that typically the selections accomplished from the competitors happen to be free choice. Compared with a lot of alternative piano tournaments we do not have here general demands for example "one prelude fugue from J. S. Bach" or maybe "(a several) Etudes by F. Chopin". Such needs are generally more suitable for Conservatory assessments or maybe university concerts however, at this point we enjoy a genuine showcase of pro musicians and artists who are supposed to have , without a doubt, draw their own strategy into the international music arena.

Okonsar, composer, conductor and musicologist in addition to pianist seems to have already been one those laureates who constructed a very important affect and even jumped to international degree by way of the strategy for this competition. Chosen performances with the diverse rounds of the event are released within a Compact disk release that is talked about here.

The program of the CD (tracks) are: Alexander Scriabin, Sonata N.9 op.68 "Black Mass"; Gabriel Faure, Nocturne N.6 in D flat Major op.63; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Fantasy in D minor K.397; Jean-Philippe Rameau Selections from harpsichord pieces; Franz Liszt Dante Sonata and "Funerailles".

The CD launch reviewed here is a collection from the actual performances of the Turkish born Belgian artist within the various rounds of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, 1991, where he has been awarded the sixth prize.

This individual piano competition, contrary to a lot of others in the domain, highlights a magnificent array of jury members, mainly coming from executing music artists, not necessarily piano educators. It in addition, gives the players a great exclusive opportunity to freely opt for their particular programs. This allows each individual composer to present whatever they consider is their most effective.

Probably the most innovative and inventive pianists and also composers of the 19th century, Franz Liszt was noted for taking lovely masterpieces of music through literature. Quite a few criticized him with regard to his boldness nonetheless his works remain many of the most breathtaking works in classical music these days.

After a quantity of really thorough interpretations that had been produced on records recently I had very nearly forgotten just what a creatively fascinating work the particular Dante Sonata is. That is one of the most entertaining performances of the Dante Sonata I often hear.

The Fantasy in D minor, K.397 by W. A. Mozart presented within this project is in fact weird in lots of aspects.This piece is certainly performed extraordinarily slow. More or less "a la Glenn Gould", the main melody develops here a very unique fascination. Quite a few ones would certainly say "pretty romantic" yet I suspect this is certainly very worthwhile a reading of that special piece.

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)has been a Russian composer as well as pianist whom formulated the initial color keyboard as well as music notation with regard to lights and even colors based upon his own scale connected with "Synesthetic" hues.

His symphony "Prometheus: The Poem of Fire" (1910) has been the initial creative work throughout historical past which in turn integrated notation for lamps and even coloring materials.

Scriabin's large-scale public concerts in Moscow as well as New York happen to be the initial concert events ever along with lights and even colors experienced on the color keyboard and even projected to the particular rhythm in addition to harmony connected with his particular music works, therefore preceding contemporary rock shows.

This version of the so-called "Black Mass" sonata, number 9 op.68 by Alexander Scriabin is actually one of the most magnificent ones.

Certainly there is such a selection of highlights and even colors inside this amazing playing. The real heart and soul associated with Scriabin's composition emerges with a strong feeling of structural continuity.

The particular trills are really precisely what they ought to become: visionary vibrating sounds and even the particular most challenging climax is in fact carried out along with highest exactitude.

In his piano works, Faure shunned instrumental virtuosity in support of the classical lucidity of the People from France. His particular piano musical works routinely implement arpeggiated harmonic figures, with the particular melody interspersed in between the two hands, in addition to incorporate finger alterations natural for organists.

These facets cause them to become a challenge with regard to some pianists, and also even a virtuoso like Franz Liszt recognized Faure's piano music challenging to play. The initial piano works usually are clearly motivated from Chopin. An even greater effect was Schumann, whose piano music Faure liked much more than any other.

With the sixth Nocturne op.63 in D flat Major provided through Okonsar, composer, conductor and musicologist in addition to pianist inside this album, Faure entirely came forth from any predecessor's shadow. The pianist Alfred Cortot mentioned, "There are few pages throughout all music comparable to these." The critic Bryce Morrison has observed the fact that pianists often value more highly to play the admirable earlier piano works, like the Impromptu No. 2, instead of the later piano works, which in turn communicate "such private passion in addition to isolation, this kind of switching madden and even resignation" the fact that audience remain unsure.

Faure appeared to be not impressed by the completely virtuoso pianists, saying, "the greater they are, the worse they play me."

Mehmet Okonsar's performance of that Nocturne demonstrates without the need of discussion the fact that with regard to a pianist qualified in the model of Alexis Weissenberg, Liszt's Dante Sonata in addition to Faure's extremely timid Nocturne N.6 are virtually all doable in addition to so well.

Mehmet Okonsar was born in Istanbul (Turkey) and lived in Paris for the duration of his primary schooling. He began learning piano in the National Conservatory of Ankara, with Nimet Karatekin and Necil Kazim Akses.

During this era connected with turmoil who was the 70's in Turkey, Okonsar linked on both friendly and professional basis with a pianist and conductor, ex-student of Pierre Sancan. Via this friendly relationship he learned the basics of the keyboard principles of Pierre Sancan who was the teacher of pianists like Michel Beroff and the student of Yves Nat.

Even at his very first public appearance in 1979, the actual eclecticism connected with his recital programs to come can be observed. He offered a collection of the Preludes by Messiaen amongst others.

The piano studies of Okonsar ended with all the greatest honors any student can certainly ever get at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. "Premier Prix avec Distinction", performing the "Dante Sonata" by Liszt followed by "Diplome Superieur de Piano Avec la plus Grande Distinction, Premier Nomme", in 1986, performing the Piano Concerto Op. 42 by Arnold Schoenberg.

At the end of his piano studies, Okonsar found the particular privilege of working with one of the biggest composers of Belgium: Madame Jacqueline Fontyn. He also studied with a scholar of Messiaen, Claude Ballif. In 1989 he receives his degrees in Composition-Orchestration from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Brussels.

Shortly after becoming a Belgian national, Mehmet Okonsar and his wife Lale, artist headed back to Turkey following an invitation by the President Suleyman Demirel who offered him the most sought-after title of "State Artist of the Turkish Republic".

"Operating through Turkey will not be impossible in our days" suggests the pianist.

It holds true that he is specially comfortable while using the computers and has a very potent presence on the Internet.

Okonsar is very active from Turkey where he performs, practice, compose and also writes. He runs a CD company plus a publishing house.

Mehmet Okonsar's global career begun having the first prize at the International Young Virtuoses Competition of Antwerp in 1982. His orchestral debut was the 3rd Concerto by Rachmaninoff executed at the "de Singel" Concert Hall in Antwerp, Belgium. His other prizes are: Paris, 1989, "J. S. Bach" at the Salle Gaveau: second prize; 1990, Rome, Association Chopin "Premio Etruria": 1st prize; and 1991, United States, Utah, the 6th prize at the "Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition".

He has been recently a visitor judge at the National Piano Competition of Japan beneath the auspices of the P.T.N.A. ("Piano Teachers National Association").

His experiments on music and also technologies were given in a lecture at the Yamaha head office in Hamamatsu, Japan.

His repertoire includes an assortment from the early 17.th century ("The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book") including composers, amongst others, Orlando Gibbons and Giles Farnaby and also extends to late 20th century with all the works by Karlheinz Stockhausen as well as Witold Lutoslawski.

Distinctive works with this repertoire are: J.S. Bach "The Art of Fugue" performed on organ (or piano) as well as harpsichord; the Goldberg Variations, the integrale of Well-tempered Keyboard.

The Belgian artist Mehmet Okonsar is undoubtedly a powerful adept of the particular "Free Music" philosophy. Virtually all his compact discs end up being shared through most of the autonomous performer. This is actually a good solid refreshing viewpoint which, regarding to the particular musician will probably be of enormous returns to equally most of the artist, the main launch along with the main classical music arena.

Similarly most of the number one video sharing site Youtube(r) displays wide variety of Mehmet Okonsar performances at the piano music videos. Usually his Compact disk releases are in addition submitted as video recordings into the artist's Youtube(r) channel: mokonsar.