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Jose L. Brophy New Options within Classical Music

Published: June 2011

Description: The emergence of a performer: Mehmet Okonsar, pianist, composer, conductor and musicologist. His biography along with his works. The actual multifaceted artist and his awesome many ways pertaining to modern art creation, his personal convictions in addition to approaches.

Only a few people ponder the particular faith provided by birth. Many people consider it is a spontaneous factor we don't have valid reason nor desire to modify down the road.

However, musicians are different within many things this holds valid with regards to religion as well. Throughout history, susceptible natures like artists have ventured radical about a lot of things including religion. At one time there was the trend of "going east" for the particular journey of "serenity" within the exotic approaches to life.

Lots of them, however, have chosen to convert to Judaism. From Marylin Monroe to Sammy Davis Jr. the number is certainly substantial. Mehmet Okonsar is a Belgian pianist and composer but also conductor and musicologist. He was born in Istanbul and presently lives in Turkey. Okonsar's running for Judaism in the existing conjecture happens to be dazzling.

The pianist Mehmet Okonsar provides quite a few strings to his bow: an increasingly powerful career as a solo pianist that is augmented by composing and additionally, about several years ago, he started to adopt up the baton. In fact, he doesn't utilize any conducting baton, exactly like Pierre Boulez whom he admires and also veneers.

Mehmet Okonsar was born in Istanbul (Turkey) and resided in Paris throughout his earliest instruction. He started learning piano in the National Conservatory of Ankara, with Nimet Karatekin and Necil Kazim Akses. Thanks to the abundant resources the Ankara Conservatory then possessed and also the Mediatheque of the Centre Culturel Francais d'Ankara, he grew up studying the music of Pierre Boulez, Edgar Varese, Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Schaeffer, composers which will have a powerful affect on him.

Franz Liszt, for Mehmet Okonsar, is definitely not a teenager passion for pianistic exuberance and keyboard "pyro-technie". The training Okonsar received at the Brussels Royal Conservatory, from Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, who himself got it from Eduardo del Pueyo, is truly a direct inheritance from the Hungarian master. That is via a special French "piano-researcher", essentially the initial artist who attempted to "research scientifically" on how to play the piano most efficiently: Madame Marie Jaell. This particular lady was one of the pupils Franz Liszt accumulated around him at Weimar upon his last years.

In the course of this period of discord who had been the nineteen seventies in Turkey, Okonsar connected on both friendly and professional basis with a pianist and conductor, ex-student of Pierre Sancan. Through this specific companionship he mastered the basic principles of the keyboard technique principles of Pierre Sancan who has been the teacher of pianists like Michel Beroff and the student of Yves Nat.

His initial recital took place in 1979. The program integrated Preludes by Messiaen and the Pictures of an Exhibition by Mussorgsky.

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 conclusion of his piano studies, Okonsar acquired the privilege of working with one of the best composers of Belgium: Madame Jacqueline Fontyn. He also studied with a student of Messiaen, Claude Ballif. In 1989, he gets his degrees in Composition-Orchestration from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Brussels.

Alexis Weissenberg, right after listening to a recording by Okonsar invited him (on a scholarship or grant) to study in Switzerland.

Okonsar endorsed the Belgian citizenship in 1992, although at the same time the President Suleyman Demirel of Turkey rewarded him with the title "State Artist of the Turkish Republic". Consequently Okonsar will settle in Turkey along with his wife Lale Okonsar, artist.

Okonsar performs, at this point, through Turkey on a hectic agenda; concertizing, composing, writing and teaching. He possesses and also handles a CD label exclusive to his own recordings, LMO-Records, along with a publishing enterprise "inventor-musicae."

Among others Mehmet Okonsar played with conductors Joseph Silverstein, Charles Dutoit, Sylvain Cambreling, Ingo Metzmacher, Christof Escher along with the orchestras Utah Symphony, Antwerp Philharmonic, Poznan Philharmonic and Lublin Philharmonic.

His notable concerts incorporated the "premiere" in Turkey of the Concerto for piano by Schoenberg and his awesome performances of the Concerto for piano by Lutoslawski in Poland.

His studies on music and technology were presented in a lecture at the Yamaha head office in Hamamatsu, Japan. Okonsar wrote and also presented a documentary series about music technologies on the National Television Broadcast of Turkey, the T.R.T.

Okonsar is a published writer in many music related journals in Turkey and in the website Internet site he created: "inventor-musicae". He released, in a Turkish periodical on classical music, fabricated interviews with "Mephisto"; as regards to the global decadence with the quality of classical music. His additional themes mostly are with regards to musical composition, analysis, music history. Okonsar publishes in English and French.

Okonsar has performed recitals offering the whole piano works by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. Regardless the fact that he denies just about all sort of "musical specialization", his repertoire is greatly on the "modern" side; with Igor Stravinsky "Three Movements of Petrouchka", the "Sequenza" for the piano by Luciano Berio and also the Klavierstucke by Karlheinz Stockhausen.

The entire piano performances technique from Okonsar are certainly world-class.

The actual dynamics selections for a pianist; how much is the most sublime "pianissimo" far from the actual smashing "fortissimo", produces a key point in the connection power associated with that particular artist.

Mehmet Okonsar in no way gets above any instrument's sound limits. The particular pianissimos are completely full and also expressive, whilst tremendous energy inside fortissimos makes they will never be dry neither unpleasant.

Hands and fingers really are comfy and so they "stretch" practically at sight. Okonsar's fingertips never replicate a playing "machine" or a mechanical device, one can possibly just about enjoy the actual "lengthening" and additionally, the wonderful versatility of them.

The continuity along with the sense of coherence is exclusive within Okonsar's performances. The works carried out acquire a clearly defined appearance and unfold as being like a nicely elaborated "story". This can be the outcome of an authentic loyalty for the composer's hints written in the score which is learned by the way of wonderful artists Okonsar got the benefit of studying together. They are Alexis Weissenberg, Jean Claude Vanden Eynden and also partially Eduardo del Pueyo.

Another stimulating facet of Mehmet Okonsar's playing is its directness, its naturalness, which turns up specifically in his selection of tempos. Mehmet Okonsar will have absolutely nothing to do with any accepted customs; yet you have the feeling the tempos selected are established and that he has thought about every possible choice after which he purposely decided to pick his and overthrow others.

Okonsar's official site: http://www.okonsar.com is usually a wide reference or resource pertaining to quality music listening, watching performance movies as well as studying intriguing and interesting stuff on classical music.
About the author:
Jose Brophy is a part-time classical music writer and record collector. He studied classical piano and continues to play as his day-job permits. He is a fan of J. S. Bach and pre-Baroque music. He occasionally contributes to inventor-musicae.com a music blog-site founded by Mehmet Okonsar (http://www.okonsar.com). He is contributing in various other music blogs as well.

Sample link to the published article...
Note: those articles are published in about 500 human-reviewed content sites. The specific URL is often not available and may change frequently. Therefore the link given here is to ezine.com, one of the most respected publication portals in the Net. You may search within the site to get the article if you wish.



Rosemary J. Cordero Getting Creative Tracks within Classical Music

Published: June 2011

Description:  The emergence of a musician: Mehmet Okonsar: pianist, composer, conductor and also musicologist. His biography along with his works. The particular multifaceted creative mind and his numerous ways for present-day art creation, prosecutions in addition to procedures.

Liberation associated with creativeness is unanimously regarded as the most significant attribute of an excellent artist. Still might an artist end up being actually free with regard to making his art?

The censors in addition to "patrons" and their present day followers, the "sponsors" as well as the music-entertainment "market", were being consistently present in a way or some other throughout history and they're still there.

Music was obviously the art form most depending of many people (patrons, sponsors, great organizations) for being expressed and divulged to its public. Composers needed performers, orchestras, publishers as well as marketers though the performers were "muted" in the event that they are not provided with an audience along with concert halls.

Burning alive the particular creator together with his few manuscripts belongs to the past, at least throughout most international locations. However is the particular artist or maybe resourceful man is/was truly free in order to share his-her tips? Censorship seems oldish around many countries, but isn't monetary feasibility or marketing a further variety for censorship?

The actual appearance associated with independent artists using the Internet to publish their art takes the form of a second Renaissance.

I first noticed Mehmet Okonsar playing in the Royal Opera House, London, it seems before that he grew a beard. To call his playing "trendy" is usually precise, however, not fair. To be positive, it is idiosyncratic, but the man appears to have a significant unique relationship along with just about every single note he plays. As a result, his interpretations are certainly more Zen-like than crowd-pleasing, and to call them quirky happens to be an undeserved put-down.

Mehmet Okonsar was born in Istanbul (Turkey) and lived in Paris throughout his first schooling. He began learning piano at the National Conservatory of Ankara, with Nimet Karatekin and Necil Kazim Akses. On account of the abundant resources the Ankara Conservatory then possessed and the Mediatheque of the Centre Culturel Francais d'Ankara, he was raised studying the music of Pierre Boulez, Edgar Varese, Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Schaeffer, composers which would have a powerful affect on him.

Throughout this period associated with problems, who had been the seventies in Turkey, Okonsar connected on both friendly and professional basis with a pianist and conductor, ex-student of Pierre Sancan. From this particular friendship he mastered the fundamentals of the keyboard concepts of Pierre Sancan who was the teacher of pianists like Michel Beroff and the student of Yves Nat.

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

Always in need of understanding more, Okonsar went after that, still at the Brussels Conservatory, on Composition and Orchestration and once again he got the most beneficial educators out there: Madame Jacqueline Fontyn the primarily Belgian composer and also sporadically he also studied with a student of Messiaen, Claude Ballif.

One afternoon the phone rang and a lady phoning from Switzerland questioned him. Alexis Weissenberg, a pianist Okonsar venerated along with nearly worshiped, desired him to study with in Switzerland. Cash was short but the master made available Okonsar a whole scholarship grant.One can witness in all performances by Okonsar how deeply Weissenberg had an effect on him.

"Performing through Turkey is just not out of the question in our times" claims the pianist. It holds true that he is especially comfortable using the computer systems and has now a really effective presence on the Internet. Okonsar is quite active from Ankara where he performs, practice, compose and writes. He runs a CD company plus a publishing house.

Mehmet Okonsar's international career started off having the 1st 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. His various other prizes are: Paris, 1989, "J. S. Bach" at the Salle Gaveau: 2nd prize; 1990, Rome, Association Chopin "Premio Etruria": first prize; and 1991, United States, Utah, the sixth prize at the "Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition".

Mehmet Okonsar performed, among others, with the following orchestras: Utah Symphony, Antwerp Philharmonic, Poznan Philharmonic as well as Lublin Philharmonic. A portion of the conductors he played with: Joseph Silverstein, Charles Dutoit, Sylvain Cambreling, Ingo Metzmacher, Christof Escher.

His out-of-the-ordinary programs brought the premiere in Turkey of the Concerto for piano by Schoenberg and he also is a great admirer as well as performer of Lutoslawski.

Okonsar is a published author in numerous music linked publications in Turkey and in the website Internet site he created: "inventor-musicae". He released in a Turkish periodical on classical music, fabricated interviews with "Mephisto" as regards to the worldwide decadence on the quality of classical music. His additional themes are pretty much regarding musical composition, analysis, music history. Okonsar publishes in English as well as French.

His repertoire encompasses a range from the early seventeenth. century ("The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book") including, among others, Orlando Gibbons and Giles Farnaby and extends to late 20th century with the works by Karlheinz Stockhausen and Witold Lutoslawski. Well known works in this particular repertoire are: J.S. Bach "The Art of Fugue" performed on organ (or piano) and also harpsichord; the Goldberg Variations, the integrale of Well-tempered Keyboard.

One crucial element for any efficiency, in addition to the potential of transmission, for just about any pianist, or even almost any musician and performer at large, is definitely the variety of dynamic power. How well it can be utilised is an additional point but with a cramped assortment things may never work of course.

Mehmet Okonsar in no way gets about any instrument's sound boundaries. The particular pianissimos are generally full-blown as well as expressive, as the tremendous potential inside the fortissimos makes they should never be dried out neither harsh.

Almost magical, inspiring speed and correctness characterizes the particular "Lisztian" octaves as Okonsar plays them. Nevertheless, they aren't dry nor technical. In Okonsar's playing by far the most "showy" sets of octaves which are generally executed as outbursts of a machine-gun, turn out to be orchestral in sound. This can be due to the fact that Okonsar takes the extra attempt to perform all of them pretty much legato so they appear to be the Violins One and Two of an orchestral ensemble.

Pedal is certainly not utilized to cover flaws. With Okonsar, pedaling is usually occasionally in conjunction with the confines of the harmonic blur, nevertheless this really is purposely and it becomes straightaway evident.

An additional stimulating aspect of Mehmet Okonsar's playing is its directness its naturalness, which usually turns up specifically in his selection of tempos. Mehmet Okonsar could have absolutely nothing to do with any recognized traditions; but you've got the feeling the tempos selected are established and that he has thought about every possible choice after which he purposely decided to pick his and overthrow others.

Okonsar shouldn't be interested with popular success. His compositions, well served through his immense musical and general expertise background are fearlessly exploratory. He generally claimed his particular contempt for lots of present-day composers trying to get "a way to unite" popular liking along with contemporary music creation. People may find it over-intellectualized, Okonsar really wants to go after on the trails of the structuralist "ecole" associated with Pierre Boulez and Iannis Xenakis.

Searching for "okonsar" on the Internet will certainly cause mind-boggling results. The particular classical music enthusiast is certain to get never ending hours of genuine music pleasure be it as audio or even video.
About the author:
Rosemary Cordero was born in a truly musical family. She started learning piano at seven and since then practices daily. Owning an exhaustive collection of recorded music which includes valuable rarities, from 78rpm original historic discs to our days mp3's she is a fan of J. S. Bach and of Mehmet Okonsar, http://www.okonsar.com, she discovered while searching for new and interesting recordings

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Published: June 2011

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Sample link to the published article...
Note: those articles are published in about 500 human-reviewed content sites. The specific URL is often not available and may change frequently. Therefore the link given here is to ezine.com, one of the most respected publication portals in the Net. You may search within the site to get the article if you wish.


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Published: June 2011

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About the author:
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Sample link to the published article...
Note: those articles are published in about 500 human-reviewed content sites. The specific URL is often not available and may change frequently. Therefore the link given here is to ezine.com, one of the most respected publication portals in the Net. You may search within the site to get the article if you wish.


<author> <title>

Published: June 2011

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<article>
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About the author:
<author bio>

Sample link to the published article...
Note: those articles are published in about 500 human-reviewed content sites. The specific URL is often not available and may change frequently. Therefore the link given here is to ezine.com, one of the most respected publication portals in the Net. You may search within the site to get the article if you wish.