subject: Selected Discs Of The Aria And Variations (bwv988-goldberg) By J. S. Bach [print this page] In spite of the actual criticism with regards to declining cultural interest in classical music, it is without question crucial to note that a related situation appeared to be existing during most of the time frame of Beethoven and also Brahms.
World, throughout Beethoven as well as Brahms's times, deemed music of the past "old-fashioned" and outdated, usually seeking the recent musical trend. By the today's criteria, The Leipzig Cantor is simply considered a real music genius.
Then again, it was not until eventually Felix Mendelssohn discovered the music by Johann Sebastian Bach the society truly understood his genius. Possibly we could guilt Mendelssohn with regard to delivering "aged" music back from the particular past.
The "Kappelmeister" finished the entire Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 throughout the year 1741.
The main musical work comprises an "Aria" in addition to 30 Variations. Scholars at the end of the last century ended up debating the particular exact specifics of the work's origins, nonetheless quite a few acknowledge the fact that J.G. Goldberg commissioned it.
His job was to perform for Count Keyserlingk, a fabulous persistent insomniac who needed music to lull him to rest. Lots of documents suggest that Johann Sebastian Bach, at one time taught Goldberg, a good well known virtuoso, who would have easily happened to be in a position to play the actual variations. It is in fact also deemed that the technical sorcery necessary to perform the very variations originates from Johann Sebastian Bach's analysis of Domenico Scarlatti's Essercizi for keyboard from 1739, itself a real daunting piece for great players.
The Turkish born Belgian pianist's tempos happen to be nearer to those of Glenn Gould rather than Jarrett. Although there is, without question, a real subdued similitude in Okonsar and Jarrett's ways, while they end up being completed on distinct instruments, Jarrett on harpsichord and the pianist and composer Okonsar on piano.
The actual analogy of the two readings remain on conceptual side. Okonsar and also Jarrett share a real non-exaggerated view of The Leipzig Cantor. Neither artist is obssessed about the "historical-authenticity" view nor the entire "romantic" method.
The Belgian pianist (but additionally composer, conductor and musicologist) Mehmet Okonsar was born within the "bridge-city" of Istanbul. Essentially this concept of a "bridge" among East and West is definitely the key point in asserting the special position of this artist within the international classical music stage. Even though having began his education at Ankara, at the National Conservatory of this city founded by Paul Hindemith, he often claimed that all his "real" musical education ended up being provided in Belgium.
Right after about a year and half learning at the Ankara Conservatory, the Okonsar family transferred to Belgium where Mehmet got into the school of Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden at the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music.
Additionally, the specific style as well as guidelines of Pierre Sancan who have been the particular mentor of Michel Beroff, met with Okonsar in the person of one of the master's students he met during his brief stay in the Turkish capital in the last years of the nineteen seventies.
Even at his primary public appearance in 1979, the specific eclecticism connected with his recital programs into the future might be found. He presented a collection of the Preludes by Messiaen among others.
The piano studies of Okonsar terminated with all the maximum honors any student can 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.
Often anticipating discovering a lot more, Okonsar went after that still at the Brussels Conservatory, on Composition and Orchestration classes and all over again he had the most effective educators obtainable: Madame Jacqueline Fontyn the principal Belgian composer and sporadically he also studied with a student of Messiaen, Claude Ballif.
Alexis Weissenberg, right after hearing a recording by Okonsar invited him (on a grant) to study in Switzerland.
Soon after being a Belgian national, Mehmet Okonsar and his wife Lale, painter headed back to Turkey following an invitation from the President Suleyman Demirel who provided him the particular most sought-after title of "State Artist of the Turkish Republic".
Okonsar works currently from Turkey on a tight agenda concertizing, composing, writing and teaching. He is the owner of and manages a CD label exclusive to his own recordings, LMO-Records, and a publishing enterprise "inventor-musicae."
A first prize at the International Young Virtuoses Competition of Antwerp in 1982, appeared to be the start of his intercontinental career.
Often programming one of the most difficult pieces, Okonsar's orchestral debut was the Third Concerto by Rachmaninoff performed at the de Singel Concert Hall in Antwerp.
Having said that his authentic leaping board had been in Utah, the 6th prize at the "Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition", 1991.
His experimental activities didn't get unseen either, the "Academie des Arts Contemporains" of Enghien, Belgium presented him together with both Gold and Bronze medals for his acoustic and electro-acoustic compositions.
He has been a visitor judge at the National Piano Competition of Japan beneath the auspices of the P.T.N.A. ("Piano Teachers National Association").
Operating widely on technological things, as he says "the technology may actually "free" the artist", his experiments ended up displayed in a lecture at the Yamaha headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan.
Okonsar has performed recitals presenting the entire piano works by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. Even though he declines almost all kind of "musical specialization", his repertoire is heavily 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 main mastering through The pianist and composer Okonsar's of the particular theme, "Aria", is actually near that of Glenn Gould. Certainly, there happens to be a powerful apparent simpleness as well as "naivete" which hardly covers one unimaginable arrangement as well as a good solid perfectly operated contact. Those happen to be unique indications for an stunning keyboard technique that will certainly exhibit soon by means of the coming variations.
The purity of the main outlines are exemplary. Truly it basically even comes close with Gould. Each of scales, arpeggios combined with other runs happen to be astonishingly equal. Nevertheless, Okonsar manages not really to get caught in mechanized neither "robotic" playing.
Only a very handful of music artists can actually play Johann Sebastian Bach to the piano in addition to yet get hold of the particular clearness and also sharpness commonly associated with the "clavicembalo". Okonsar, composer, conductor and musicologist in addition to pianist is simply one of them. The actual so-called historical authenticity is simply not likely a dried out term there.
The Turkish born Belgian artist is without question a particular adept of the particular "Free Music" philosophy. Every one of his discs are shared basically by most of the autonomous composer. This is undoubtedly a real cool frame of mind which, regarding to the particular creator might be of mind boggling profit to equally the very artist, most of the release combined with the entire classical music community.
Likewise most of the first video portal Youtube(r) features a quantity of Okonsar playing video clips. Generally his Compact disc releases are in addition uploaded as live performance video clips into the artist's Youtube(r) channel: mokonsar.
