A Masterful Rendition of Tchaikovksy Works by Fedoseyev and Onay
photo by: Murat Can Yıldız (MAN/III)
Last week, on October 7, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra performed an all-Tchaikovsky concert at the Bilkent Concert Hall. The audience was fortunate to hear the two of the Russian master's most beloved works interpreted by two musicians famous for their knowledge of this repertoire: the internationally renowned Russian conductor Vladimir Fedoseyev and the stellar Turkish pianist Gülsin Onay.
Maestro Fedoseyev has been artistic director and principal conductor of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra since 1974. He was also chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. In recent years, the maestro has collaborated with many of the world’s leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Köln Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Zurich Tonhalle, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and the Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. He was appointed a principal guest conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been invited to serve as a principal conductor of The Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.
He was clearly in his element at this weekend's concerts, coaxing a sonorous and idiomatic performance from the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto in B flat minor (Op. 23), and the Symphony No. 4 in F minor (Op. 36).
Gülsin Onay has played Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto to enthusiastic audiences all over the world and also recorded it to much critical acclaim. As Bilkent University Artist in Residence, she needs little introduction here. Her sparkling, technically masterful and heartfelt performances always draw a warm response from Ankara listeners, and this weekend's concerts were no exception. With soloist, conductor and orchestra united in their devotion to bringing Tchaikovsky's music to life in all its beauty and poignancy, the concert could not but be a jewel in this season's crown.