KEMAL GEKIC is universally acclaimed as one of today s most formidable and exciting pianists, displaying an unmatched originality, strength of interpretation and perfect mastery of his instrument. His controversial, daring approach to tone, agogics, and form have marked him as something of a maverick in the musical world, a distinction he welcomes: the very strength of his artistry challenges, provokes, and intrigues. Born in Split on the Dalmatian coast of Yugoslavia in 1962, Gekic could already pick out melodies accurately on the piano at the age of one and a half. He received his early musical training from his aunt, Prof. Lorenza Batturina, and in 1978 entered the class of Prof. Jokuthon Mihailovic (a graduate of Moscow Conservatory) at the Art Academy of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. He earned the highest mark ever granted a diploma exam recital in 1982, and was immediately appointed to the faculty of the piano department, which he now directs. In 1985 he created a sensation at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where his individual, spectacular playing provoked a mixed response from the conservative members of the jury, but won the hearts of audience and critics alike. He subsequently began performing extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, Canada, the USSR, Japan, the Southeast Pacific Rim, and of course, Yugoslavia, with broadcasts on RAI Italy, TV Portugal, RTV Lower Saxony West Germany, Intervision, POLTEL Poland, RTV USSR, TV Yugoslavia, Egyptian TV, Radio Canada, and NHK Japan. His Warsaw appearance also led to a recording contract with JVC Japan, who issued the live competition recordings as the first in his ongoing series of CDs. In 1988, history repeated itself when Gekic was eliminated from the Montreal International Competition after the semifinals. Public indignation reached such fervor that fans organized a sell-out protest recital and awarded him the proceeds as a Peoples' Prize. During the early 1990s Gekic went into seclusion for a further period of intensive study and recording, seeking even higher levels of perfection in his art. His fifth CD, the accoladed landmark recording of the complete Liszt Transcendental Etudes, presaged his current re-emergence as the major pianist of his generation.

"Kemal Gekic is a phenomenal pianist. His transcendental performances of the Figaro Fantasy and Chasses Neiges are beyond compare. When I listen to them, I am aware that a remarkable musician is presiding at the keyboard."
—Alan Walker, noted Liszt biographer

"He left the electrified audience breathless and on the verge of absolute hysteria."
—La Vanguardia, Spain

PROGRAM

Thirty-two Variations on an Original Theme in C minor, WoO 80 Romanze in F-sharp, Op. 28, no. 2 Presto passionata (original Finale to Sonata No. 2 in G minor), Op. 22 Toccata in C, Op. 7 Pavane pour une infante défunte Jeux d'eau

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Robert Schumann (1810-56) Robert Schumann Robert Schumann Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Maurice Ravel

INTERMISSION

Polonaise-fantasie, Op. 61 Funerailles Grand Gallop chromatique

Frédéric Chopin (1810-49) Franz Liszt (1811-86) Franz Liszt