Cesar Franck And Paul Dukas Selected Piano Works: New CD By Mehmet Okonsar

ANKARA, Turkey - Aug. 13, 2013 - PRLog -- Turkish born Belgian pianist Mehmet Okonsar released a new CD featuring works by Cesar Franck and Paul Dukas.

The "Prelude, chorale et Fugue" and "Prelude Aria et Final" by Cesar Franck and the "Variations interlude and Finale" ("sur un theme de Rameau") by Paul Dukas.

The Prelude, chorale et Fugue is a cyclical music composition where the theme appears in each movement. Vincent d'Indy affirms that this Prelude is following the tradition of Baroque preludes for Suites. The meditative introduction where the main theme is placed between its own accompaniment displays audacious and vibrant modulations and leads with dramatic pauses to the Chorale.

The Chorale in E-flat minor is articulated with three expositions of the theme between chromatic and tragic developments. The main theme itself is presented with a descending diatonic bass-line where some authors did recognize the theme of church-bells in Parsifal.

The Fugue's main theme is still the main theme of the work. Franck takes the path of Beethoven in his last sonatas. Fugal writing gradually merges into a pianistic writing of the highest virtuosity.

Prelude Aria et Final was authored in 1886-87. The critics mentioned, on its premiere, that this remarkable piece was "long" and "boring". In that distinctive piece we can see more organ writing than piano.

Cortot outlined once that this piece attempts to make a large-scale cyclical sonata form. In the way Franck did with his D-minor symphony.

French music composer Paul Dukas was born and died in Paris (1865-1935). During his musical work studies at the Paris Conservatory he linked with Claude Debussy. He obtains the Second Prize at the "Prix de Rome" in 1888. His reputation widens with the Symphony in C major, 1897, and specially with the Apprentice Sorcerer, his big hit.

From 1901, the "Variations interlude and Finale" ("sur un theme de Rameau") was first performed by Edouard Risler the year of its work. A very concise Menuet called "Le lardon" by J. P. Rameau, from his "Pieces de clavecin" is the starting element of an awesome series of incredible variations. A novel analogy is with the Diabelli Variations by Beethoven. Both start with a real easy motive and expand on it to huge proportions. According to Vincent d'Indy the primary eleven variations are somehow "commenting out" the theme, then after a widely developed "interlude" which presents the twelve-th one, lead to a "Finale" which elaborates on the theme to monumental proportions."