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Hello,
The pieces are not new, but I played them recently in Rome. I hope you like the performances. Thank you.

Scarlatti K.141 and Saygun Op. 38 No 1

[video:youtube]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ffdE5lMXw&feature=youtu.be[/video]

I very much enjoyed both pieces. I liked that the Scarlatti didn't sound too machine gun like and although you played it fast it didn't sound like your were just trying to show off your repeated notes. What was piece the piece by Saygun you played or does it just have an ppus number?

Can you tell us a little more about the competition you were in and your prize?

Finally, what kind of piano was the performance on? Is the name on the side the name of the technician?

Thank you so much for your kind words pianoloverus. The second piece is by Adnan Saygun, a Turkish composer. This collection of Op. 38 is called Etudes on "Aksak" Rhythms. There is no exact translation of Aksak, but if you are interested in, you may read this short note by the composer himself:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/34894245/aksak.pdf

The video is from the winners concert of the International Piano Competition: Rome 2012. I won the absolute first prize in category A.

And, the piano was a steinway, however neither the acoustics of the hall nor the piano was good in my opinion.

Thank you again
Can

Great stuff, Can! You really are a wonderful pianist -- but, more importantly, an excellent musician. There's such a sense of style in both pieces.
That's my first exposure to Saygun. Sadly, you're probably aware that the jazz musician who really introduced America to Turkish rhythms, with his "Blue Rondo a la Turk" (in that case, 2 + 2 + 2 + 3), Dave Brubeck, just died a couple days ago, one day before his 92nd birthday. It was nice to hear the Saygun piece in that context.

Thanks for sharing this! I'm sure you'll have a place in the Classical music world for years to come.

Great stuff! I always enjoy your recordings. Thanks for sharing.

Can, that was some really nice playing! I think the Saygun is much improved over the last recording you posted of it before, and you may even play it better now than the recording by Dalkilic that we discussed before. Congrats on the win!

Thank you very much Tim Adrianson and Damon.

Brubeck was a great musician. As far as I know, he composed Blue Rondo a la Turk on the basis of a folk tune he heard when he was in Istanbul. Originally the rhythm was 9/8 but (2+2+2+3) was his original contribution to what he heard. It is really a very nice piece.

I know it is very difficult and I have a very very long way to become a pianist, but I'm working hard both to understand music and to develop appropriate technique(s) to play music. Thank you again.

Thank you MarkH, for your kind words. I really like Saygun's music and by time passes I feel I'm much closer to the right technique and understanding to play these pieces. However, I still do not have enough courage to play his sonata (did you listen to it?)

I have indeed listened to his sonata, however, it's a more challenging experience. I'm still digesting it. Are you working on it now and afraid to perform it, or just trying to find the courage to study it?

The second option MarkH, I don't have the courage to study it. May be after 2-3 years I will be able to do it.