St Martin’s Embassy and Cultural Institute Series
This program is organized in memory of the 40th anniversary of the cancellation of the Orient Express train route that first set off from Paris to Istanbul in 1883 and consists of the works of the composers from the countries that are on this route.
Orient Express that has stops in important cities of Europe such as; Munich, Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest, carried people from all over the world in its railway cars for years and has been an inspiration to a lot of novels.
In today’s world where transportation has evolved so much, I aim to take my audience on a musical journey and make them witness the important part that the intercultural interaction plays in music through bringing together works of composers from different countries in my program.
Programme
Frédéric Chopin – Nocturne Op.32 No.1
Jean Françaix – Hommage à Haendel
Jean Françaix – Hommage à Chopin
J.S.Bach – Capriccio BWV 992
W.A.Mozart – Fantaisie in d minor K.397
W.A.Mozart – Turkish March K.331
F.Schubert/ F.Liszt – Soirées de Vienne No.6
Béla Bartok – Romanian Dances
Yüksel Koptagel – Toccata
Performer
Born in Milan in 1982 and started playing the piano at the age of 15 at “Istanbul Anatolian Fine Arts High School”. Then he continued his studies in “Yıldız Technical University”, Art and Design Faculty, Music Ensemble Department. Immediately after, he enrolled in “Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris” in Germaine Mounier’s “Diplôme Supérieurd’enseignement” class. Following this; he continued his music studies in the “National Rueil-Malmaison Conservatory” and he carried on his piano studies in “National Aubervilliers – La Courneuve Conservatory”. He also attended summer schools such as; “Trossingen Music Summer School” with Gerlinde Otto and “Colombes Music Summer School” with Yuri Serov.
Başol participated in several piano contests; he won a bronze medal in the “40.Claude Kahn Piano Contest” and he was the finalist of International Piano Competition Orchestra’Sion Istanbul. He also performed solo piano recitals in the distinguished concert halls in Turkey, France, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Serbia, Tunisia and England. The pianist also had the honor and the privilage of having big names like; İdil Biret, Verda Erman, Pascal Godart as a part of his audience in his concerts.
In addition to his career as a solo artist, Başol also concentrated on Musicology and started his master’s degree at “Paris IV Sorbonne” in 2009. He published his first thesis named; “The Piano Sonata of Jean Françaix and its Harmonic Analysis” in 2010 and his second thesis named; “The French Clavichord Suites composed between 1687 and 1705 and their Harmonic Analysis” in 2012.
Güray BAŞOL is currently writing a column in the Turkish classical music magazine “Andante” about promoting works and composers and teaches music skills at National Conservatory Aulnay-sous-Bois in France.
