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Idil BiretTurkish pianist.
Date of Birth: 21.11.1941
Country:  Turkey |
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Biography of Idil Biret
Idil Biret (Turkish: İdil Biret) is a Turkish pianist born on November 21, 1941, in Ankara. She started learning piano at the age of five under the guidance of Mithat Fenmen. In 1949, with a special permission from the Turkish parliament, Biret went to study at the Paris Conservatory with Nada Boulanger and also took lessons from Madeleine de Valmalète. After completing her studies at the conservatory, Biret further honed her skills under the guidance of Alfred Cortot and Wilhelm Kempff, the latter considering her his favorite student.
International Career
Biret's international concert career began in 1958. In 1960, she performed in the Soviet Union for the first time and went on to give around 100 concerts in the USSR and Russia over the years. Her greatest achievements are associated with the romantic and post-romantic repertoire, starting with Beethoven (Biret performed all 32 sonatas and, as an exotic repertoire, piano arrangements of all nine symphonies by Franz Liszt - 1986 recording, EMI label). Her recording of all of Chopin's piano compositions (15 discs, 1992) received awards in Poland. Biret performed all of Brahms' solo piano works during five consecutive concerts in 1997, commemorating the centenary of the composer's death. Notable recordings by Biret also include a set of 10 albums featuring works by Rachmaninoff (2000) and Pierre Boulez's sonatas (1995, awarded Best Recording of the Year by "Mond" newspaper). She has also recorded György Ligeti's etudes.
