Always all or nothing: Cliburn medalist Evren Ozel's Portland Piano International recital * Oregon ArtsWatch

"Portland Piano International, as is its wont during the years in which the Van Cliburn International Piano competition is held, brought one of the Cliburn medalists to Portland for a recital. This year it was bronze medalist Evren Ozel, an American pianist whose powerful Tchaikovsky 1 and sublime Beethoven 4 concerti helped propel him to the podium. I had the great pleasure of attending the finals at the Cliburn this year, which I wrote about at length at OAW earlier this summer."

"A great number, to be sure, but the artistic and spiritual wealth of this treasure trove is incalculable. They are much shorter in duration and are typically in a simple binary form (not in the compound binary form we think of when it comes to keyboard sonatas). As such, everything must be given at every second; there is no time to have a lapse and deliver a dull phrase or an idea that dwindles; these short gems are always all or nothing."

Portland Piano International presented bronze medalist Evren Ozel in a recital at Lincoln Performance Hall, PSU, on September 7. He earned the bronze medal at the Van Cliburn competition after distinguished performances of Tchaikovsky No.1 and Beethoven No.4 concerti. The program opened with three Scarlatti sonatas, showcasing the composer's 555 short works and their binary forms that demand constant intensity. Ozel emphasized individual voice-leading, delicate lyricism, and lively yet controlled ebullience. His dynamic phrasing embraced pianissimo and precise baroque technique, maintaining clarity of texture and avoiding lapses in short, concentrated movements.

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