Who is İdil Biret?

İdil Biret, (born November 21, 1941, Ankara), Turkish piano artist. İdil Biret, whose interest in music started at the age of two, started playing Bach's preludes at the age of four. His uncle was musicologist Mahmut Ragıp Gazimihal. He took his first lessons from Mithat Fenmen. In 1948, at the age of seven, the second president, İsmet İnönü, made a proposal to the Turkish Grand National Assembly to meet the needs of Biret's education abroad. The law passed specifically for İdil Biret as a result of this proposal is known as the "Law of Wonder Children". Biret, who was sent to Paris Conservatory with her family for her education within the framework of this law, worked here with Nadia Boulanger, one of the important pedagogues of the 20th century. He gave his first concert on Paris Radio at the age of eight. He took lessons from the French pianist Alfred Cortot. His teacher, German pianist Wilhelm Kempff, who referred to İdil Biret as “my most valuable student” throughout his life, continued his musical relationship with him throughout his life. Biret played Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos with Kempff at the Champs-Elysees Theater at the age of 11. From time to time, he attended master classes that Kempff gave in Positano. He played at the concert for Kempff's 90th birthday.

Art life

Biret was 15 when she graduated from the National Conservatory of Paris in high piano, accompaniment and chamber music. She has been on various World stages since the age of 16. He performed his first concert in the United States at the age of 21 with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra under Erich Leinsdorf, playing Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. He made his first Russia tour at the call of pianist Emil Gilels and was a great success in this country. Over the years he gave nearly a hundred concerts in this country. Biret played with famous conductors such as Atzmon, Copland, Kempe, Keilberth, Sargent, Monteux, Fournat, Leinsdorf, Pritchard, Scherchen, Rozhdestvensky, Mackerras in concerts covering five continents; He participated in festivals of Montreal, Berlin, Montpellier, Nohant, Royan, Dubrovnik, Athens, Ankara and Istanbul. He gave concerts all over the world with the Boston Symphony, Orcher National de France, Orcher Suisse Romande, London Symphony, Leningrad Philarmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Dresden Staatcapelle, Tokyo Philarmonic, Sydney Symphony and Presidential Symphony Orchestra.

İdil Biret, who has been a jury member in many international piano competitions such as Queen Elisabeth (Belgium), Van Cliburn (USA), Busoni (Italy), Liszt (Germany), received "Lili-Boulanger" (Boston), "Harriet Cohen / Dinu Lipatti ”(London), the Polish government's“ cultural merit ”and the French government's“ Chevalier de I'Ordre National de Merite ”are also included. İdil Biret has been a state artist since 1971.

Studio recordings

The number of records and CDs he has performed to date exceeds 80. Biret's recordings for the Atlantic and Finnadar in the 60s and 70s range from romantic repertoire to contemporary composers. In the 1980s, for the first time in record history, the artist voiced all the adaptations of Beethoven symphonies made by Liszt. Later, all piano works of Frederic Chopin, all solo piano works and concertos of Johannes Brahms, all piano works of Sergei Rachmaninoff were recorded by Biret. These performances were admired by many critics and led the artist to be described as "one of the most prominent piano masters of our time".

In 1995, the series of Chopin's all works received the special jury prize in the "Chopin Records Grand Prize" competition held in Warsaw. The CD, which includes three sonatas by French composer Pierre Boulez, which he recorded in the same year, won the "Golden Tuning for" award of the year in Paris and was selected among the best records of the year 95 by the newspaper Le Monde. In 1997, on the occasion of his 100th death anniversary, he performed all of Brahms' solo piano works in a series of five concerts. Biret also recorded the studies of Ligeti in 2002. Biret is the world's largest repertoire pianist. Biret's adaptation of Stravinsky's "Bird of Fire" suite and the records in which he played the adaptations of his teacher Kempff are also important recordings. Biret was honored with the "Distinguished Service Medal" by the President of Poland in 2007 for Chopin comments.

İdil Biret continued her series of Liszt adaptations of Beethoven symphonies, which she previously made into records and performed in concerts, by recording all the concertos and sonatas of the composer in the 2000s. The "Beethoven edition", released in five continents in December 2008, is the first collective presentation of the composer's concerto, sonata and symphonies. All of this series came out with a label belonging to the artist.

Awards and badges 

• In 1952, Biret graduated from the high solfege and deciphering departments at the Paris Conservatory with the First Prize, and in June 1957, she graduated from each of the piano, chamber music and accompaniment classes she attended at the conservatory with a first prize and received the title of "First of the First". Reine Laurent Award and Popelin Award.
• 1954 - Lily Boulanger Memorial, Boston
• 1957 - Paris Conservatory, Conservatory First
• 1961 - Harriet Cohen - Dinu Lipatti Gold Medal, London
  • Adelaide Ristori Order, Italian Government
  • Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite, France
• 1971 - State Artist, Turkey Idil Biret
• 1974 - Culture / Order of Merit, Polish Government
• 1988 - Boğaziçi University, Honorary Doctorate
  • Eskişehir Anadolu University received an Honorary Doctorate
• 1995 - Uludağ University, Honorary Doctorate
• 1995 - Grand Prix du Disque Chopin, Warsaw
• 1995 - Golden Forklift, France
• 1996 - Sevda Cenap And Music Foundation Honor Award Gold Medal
• 2003 - Middle East Technical University Honorary Doctorate
• 2006 - Polish Distinguished Service Medal (for recording and voicing Chopin works)
• 2007 - 35th International Istanbul Music Festival, Honorary Award