100 Years of Western Music in Turkey: Mehmet Okanşar piano concert

 

Mehmet Okonşar, a renowned musicologist, pianist and composer from Turkey, will be performing at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury, on Thursday 23 January as part of a series charting the birth and development of the Republic of Turkey. The event is organised by the MCS Young Artists Fund and will take place under the auspices of H.E. the Turkish Ambassador Mr. Ünal Çeviköz. Following the concert, Mehmet Okonşar will hold a Q&A session with the audience.

2013 marked the 90th year of the demise of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of the Republic of Turkey. As the countdown to Turkey’s centenary year begins, the series: Countdown – 100 years of Western Music in Turkey 2013-2024 will put the spotlight on how Classical music from the West fused with Turkish culture.

Concert Programme

The event will start with a brief introduction and a short talk by Mehmet Okonşar on the History of Piano performance in Turkey, to by the followed by his piano recital:

• Piano sonata KV331 in A minor – ‘Turkish March’ - W.A. Mozart

Interval

• Three Sonnetti da Petrarca – Franz Liszt
• Three movements of Petrouchka – Igor Stravinsky

About the lecture talk

How Mozart was inspired by the Turkish Military Band (Mehter Takımı). How Liszt's performance inspired the Sultan who hosted Western operas at his palace, and how the arrival of Kemal Atatürk influenced general public perception of the shared European cultural heritage.

Both through his lecture and performance, Mehmet Okonşar will guide the audience through the history of Western Classical music in Turkey. The evening will be followed by Q&A and an optional champagne reception with Mr Okonşar.

Venue address: Pushkin House, 5A Bloomsbury Square London WC1A 2TA

Doors open: 6.30pm

Concert starts: 7.30pm

Tickets are priced £20 with an optional £12 for the post-event champagne reception, which can be purchased:

• By telephone from the Pushkin House 020 7269 9770
• Online from Eventbrite.com 
• Or email ticket@mcsyaf.com for more information