World-famous Turkish pianist İdil Biret, who is also a state artist, is getting ready to present all the studio recordings she has done in her 60-year art life in a package comprising of 130 CDs and four DVDs on the Turkish and world market.
The collection, including all of Biret's studio recordings since 1959 and some of her concerts, will take their place on shelves in music markets around the world in May.
Biret told Anadolu Agency (AA) that she is really excited for this collection.
Her first record was in 1957. "Recording was a new thing for me in the 1950's. In those times, it was not that common. This is why recordings were so important. I have habitually recorded to date," she said.
Explaining that there will be concert recordings along with studio recordings in her latest music collection, Biret continued, "I am not aware of time. The only time zone that I recognize is the time in music. While playing the piano, time passes and I cannot recognize it since I live it deeply. You feel time in the rhythm of music. You only recognize how long you have played your instrument in time. Sixty years neither means so much to me nor affects me. The 130 recordings are actually a result of intense work. I do not complain as I like recording."
'Recordings are like photos'
The veteran pianist stressed that everyone thinks the atmosphere in studios is not very comfortable; on the contrary, it is cold, and this can affect concentration. However, the artist explained this is actually not true."When you fully concentrate, you have the chance to try and discover things you like in studios. I hope I will have more recordings. The repertoire of pianists is very large. We are lucky in this context," she added.
Explaining that she likes all of the works that she has performed to date, Biret said, "Recordings are like photos. That is, they tell the moment. Our perspective and things we like can change some time later. There is no certain thing. However, these recordings are kind of like memories. In my first recordings, I recorded the works of Johannes Brahms, Bela Bartok and Ludwig van Beethoven. Then, I started big series and continued."
Mentioning that it was a pleasure for her to record the works of Ertuğrul
Oğuz Fırat, Biret indicated that she will continue to perform her works.
Piano adaptations in latest collection
Biret's dedication has brought her awards, such as the Chopin Award in Poland and the Diapason d'Or (Golden Tuning Fork) in France with her latest work. This collection, which comprises of studio and stage recordings of Biret's 60-year art life, includes 130 CDs in 10 different boxes.
In this work titled "Super Box," the piano concertos of Beethoven, Brahms, Frederic Chopin, Cesar Franck, Edvard Grieg, Paul Hindemith, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, Robert Schumann and Pyotr llyich Tchaikovsky and some concertos of Johann Sebastian Bach, Bela Bartok, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Prokofiev, Camille Saint-Saens, Adnan Saygun and Dmitri Shostakovich take place along with some other composers' works.
Presenting more than 60 songs to listeners, the "Super Box" also features all the solo piano works of Brahms, Chopin and Rachmaninoff, 32 piano works of Beethoven, Bach's 48 Preludes and fugues and important piano pieces of Liszt.
The piano adaptation of two of Brahms symphonies was recorded by Biret herself in the collection. Besides, Louis Hector Berlioz's "Harold en Italie" (Harold in Italy) and "Symphonie Fantastique," the most-loved songs of Franz Schubert and adaptations of Richard Wager's opera music performed by Liszt can be heard in the collection.
Other works in the collection are Pierre Boulez's "Piano Sonata No.3," two of György Ligeti Etudes, Igor Stravinsky's piano adaptation of "The Firebird" and "Petrushka" ballets, Adnan Saygun's 12 Preludes, two pieces of Ertuğrul Oğuz Fırat, Piano Quintet of Brahms, Franck and Schumann in the chamber music recordings, Brahms' two sonatas for the cello and piano and Ateş Pars's Sonata for Viola and Piano.
The concerts that Biret gave with prominent conductors such as Jose Serebrier, James Loughran, Antoni Wit, Jean Fournet, Louis Fremaux and Toshi Shimada, and famous orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra and Yale Symphony Orchestra are also in the collection.
