subject: Musical Improvisation But No Jazz: "shadowy Arcade" From The Belgian Artist Mehmet Okonsar [print this page] The talents connected with improvisation may apply to a lot of different expertness or forms of communication and expression through all inventive, scientific, physical, intellectual, educational, and even non-academic professions. With regard to case in point, improvisation can produce a significant participation inside music, dance, preparing food, showing an address, sales and profits, personal or romantic relationships, sports, floral coordinating, fighting techniques, hypnotherapy, and rather more.
Tactics connected with improvisation are typically vastly taught within the entertainment arts; for illustration, music, theater as well as dance. To "extemporize" or "ad lib" is in fact basically the same as improvising.
Colloquial phrases for instance "let's play it through ear," "have the idea as it comes down," as well as "produce it up as we go along" are usually every bit of accustomed to summarize "improvisation."
The particular tunes, as per the artist, happen to be labeled at a later time. The multi-faceted music artist Okonsar played them without having virtually any preliminary prep work, the artist claims that simply no pre-conceived harmony as well as chord sheets were created and that he only "sat on the piano and played out". Nonetheless The composer, conductor and musicologist as well as pianist Okonsar besides that brings that he stored for the purpose of the last release only approximately one 10th of the takes.
The tracks of the CD are: "He has snatched away the thunderbolt from heaven and the scepter from the sovereign"; "Briefly thyself remember" (Lear); "Every hero becomes a bore at last" (Emerson); "What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted" (Henry VI); "A change came o'er the spirit of my dream" (Byron); "Such stuff as dreams are made of" (Tempest); "A merry heart goes all the day" (A winter's Tale); "Angel visits few and far between" (Campbell); "The gods too are fond of a joke" (Aristotle); "Flowers preach to us if we will hear" (Rossetti); "Illusion is the first of all pleasures" (Wilde); "I give him joy that's awkward at a lie" (Young); "Beauty born of murmuring sound" (Wordsworth) and "As Morning Light Breaks" (Bob Dylan).
Track one, "He has snatched away the thunderbolt from heaven and the scepter from the sovereign", starts off lushly and also happens to be reminiscent of the design of Lyle Mays throughout his record "Solo". Nonetheless the particular complexities belonging to the harmonies are definitely more throughout lines along with Alban Berg, Alexander Scriabin; occasionally Polish composers, particularly Karol Szymanowski comes straight into mind.
Bravery is really the design of the track number four: "What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted" (Henry VI). It is really realized on the piano with to some extent a heavy in addition to massive "ecriture". One could notice the clashing armors and even the particular distinguished harshness of the subject.
"A change came o'er the spirit of my dream" from Lord Byron, track number Five, mixes the actual "middle age" sounding fearless chords and also hefty keyboard idioms along with a lighter touch as compared with the tracks One or perhaps four upon which the large Middle-Ages overall tone was a lot more visible.
The particular continuity and even the sense of coherence is certainly completely unique throughout Mehmet Okonsar's performances. The works done consider form as well as unfold like a very well elaborated tale. This happens to be the result of a balanced loyalty to your composer's hints and even it is in fact learned with the excellent artists, The pianist and composer Okonsar had the advantage of studying with. These people are really Alexis Weissenberg, Jean Claude Vanden Eynden as well as to a certain extent Eduardo del Pueyo.
There is not any avoidable gesture at the hands of The multi-faceted music artist Okonsar. Any movement is precisely deliberate to reach the key throughout a way to activate the mechanics lurking behind it with regard to the wanted sound. Hands are calm as well as they stretch pretty much at eyesight. Mehmet Okonsar's hands and fingers never mimic a playing "machine" one can pretty much witness the actual extension and the amazing flexibility.
Pianists, as with music performer or singer by the way, are usually divided within two different types . The ones together with a common dynamic range and others along with a spectacular palette of sound which in turn works with nearly each and every instrument.
The Belgian pianist (but additionally composer, conductor and musicologist) Mehmet Okonsar was born within the "bridge-city" of Istanbul. Actually this concept of a "bridge" in between East and West is definitely the key point in asserting the exceptional position of this artist in the international classical music stage. Despite the fact that having started his education at Ankara, at the National Conservatory of this city founded by Paul Hindemith, he regularly said that all his "real" musical education was initially offered in Belgium.
Right after about a year and half learning at the Ankara Conservatory, the Okonsar family moved to Belgium where Mehmet got into the course of Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden at the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music.
Additionally, the actual style as well as concepts of Pierre Sancan who have been the mentor of Michel Beroff, met with Okonsar in the person of one of the master's students he met throughout his limited stay in the Turkish capital at the last years of the 70's.
His initial crucial recital took place in 1979. The program integrated Preludes by Messiaen and the Pictures of an Exhibition by Mussorgsky.
The piano studies of Okonsar was concluded with the best honors any student can ever get at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. "Premier Prix avec Distinction", performing the "Dante Sonata" by Liszt pursued 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 had the actual privilege of working with one of the greatest composers of Belgium: Madame Jacqueline Fontyn. He as well studied with a scholar of Messiaen, Claude Ballif. In 1989 he will get his certifications in Composition-Orchestration from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Brussels.
One afternoon the phone rang and a lady calling from Switzerland inquired him. Alexis Weissenberg, a pianist Okonsar venerated and almost worshiped, required him to study with in Switzerland. Funds has been short though the master made available Okonsar a complete scholarship grant. One can witness in all performances by Okonsar how deeply Weissenberg had an effect on him.
Soon there after becoming a Belgian national, Mehmet Okonsar and his spouse Lale, painter went back to Turkey following an invitation from the President Suleyman Demirel who presented him the particular most sought-after title of "State Artist of the Turkish Republic".
"Operating from Turkey is just not difficult in our times" suggests the pianist.
It holds true that he's in particular comfortable while using computer systems and has an exceptionally formidable position on the Internet.
Okonsar is quite effective from Turkey where he performs, exercise, compose and also writes. He runs a CD company and a publishing house.
Mehmet Okonsar's international career began having the first prize at the International Young Virtuoses Competition of Antwerp in 1982. His orchestral debut was the third Concerto by Rachmaninoff executed at the "de Singel" Concert Hall in Antwerp, Belgium. His various 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 a guest judge at the National Piano Competition of Japan within the auspices of the P.T.N.A. ("Piano Teachers National Association").
His researches on music and technological innovation were presented in a lecture at the Yamaha head office in Hamamatsu, Japan.
Okonsar has performed recitals featuring the total piano works by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. Despite he refuses many form of "musical specialization", his repertoire is intensely 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 Turkish born Belgian artist is certainly one adept of the actual "Free Music" ideological background. Every one of his discs are really shared by the the entire 3rd party creator. This is actually a good contemporary approach which, according to the musician and performer is going to be of big returns to both the particular artist, the actual launch and the entire classical music scene.
Moreover the leading video site Youtube(r) has a range of the Belgian artist Mehmet Okonsar's performances at the piano video recordings. Many times his Compact disk releases are additionally published as videos into the artist's Youtube(r) channel: mokonsar.