THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

Aydın Karlıbel

(b. 4 October 1957, İstanbul).

Turkish composer of mostly chamber, choral and piano works that have been performed in Europe; he is also active as a pianist.

Mr. Karlıbel began playing piano at age four. He studied composition, conducting, harmony, music history, music theory, orchestration, and piano privately with Cemal Reşit Rey in İstanbul from 1966–85. He studied at the Lycée Français Saint Michel in İstanbul and Robert Lisesi – Robert College in İstanbul, later studied at Boğaziçi Üniversitesi in İstanbul, received the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music in piano in London in 1986 and earned his master's degree at İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi in 2001.

Among his honours are the Jury Prize in the competition Nejat Eczacıbaşı (1996, for Concerto) and a finalist in the competition of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (1998, for March for the 75th Year of the Republic). His music has been performed in France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and the UK.

As a pianist, he has worked as an accompanist and répétiteur at the İstanbul Devlet Opera ve Balesi since 1986. He often performs the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Claude Debussy, Alberto Ginastera, Franz Liszt, Cemal Reşit Rey, and Igor Stravinsky in recitals.

Mr. Karlıbel is also active in other positions. As a scholar, he prepared vocal scores of five marches by Cemal Reşit Rey in the book Cemal Reşit Rey'in MarşlarıCemal Reşit Rey's Marches (1996, Cemal Reşit Rey Konser Salonu Yayınları), prepared new manuscripts of his SonatinSonatina for piano (1928) and his symphonic poem Karagöz (1931), both in 1999, and copied the missing orchestral parts of his opera in 4 acts Çelebi (1942–73) in 2006. In addition, he translated the analysis Hector Berlioz Les Troyens by Ian Kemp (2008, Pan Yayıncılık).

In addition to the works listed below, he has made arrangements of music by Cenan Akın, Johann Sebastian Bach, Hector Berlioz, Rifat Bey, Johannes Brahms, Giuseppe Donizetti, Hammâmîzâde İsmâil Dede Efendi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Modest Mussorgsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Cemal Reşit Rey, Hikmet Şimşek, Muammer Sun, Hasan Toraganlı, and Carl Maria von Weber.

His primary publisher is the Keturi Musikverlag.

CONTACT INFORMATION

E-mail address: a.karlibel@superonline.com

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

STAGE:

EyyûbîlerThe Ayyubids (opera in 2 acts with ballet, libretto by the composer, after Sir Walter Scott), 1986–98

ORCHESTRAL:

Büyükada Fantezisi, piano, orchestra, 1974 (also version for 2 pianos)

Symphonic Piece after the Folksong 'Adana'nın Yolları', 1993

Fanfare, 1993

Concerto, piano, orchestra, 1995 (also version for 2 pianos)

Harp Akademileri marşı, symphonic band, 1999

Concerto Movement for the Right Hand (in memoriam Vedat Kosal), piano right hand, orchestra, 2001

CHAMBER MUSIC:

DoğaçlamaImprovisation, trumpet, piano, 1975

Fuga alla turca, string quartet, 1992 (version of work for piano)

AnımsayışErinnerung, violin, cello, piano, 1995

FügFugue, guitar, 1995

Galop de bal, violin, cello, piano, 1996

Pastorale, oboe, piano, 1996

Romanze, soprano saxophone, piano, 1996

Suite, violin, piano, 1996

RüyaTräumerei, flute, 1996

Waltz, 3 guitars, 1997

Waltz, harp, 1997

Two Character Studies, flute, bassoon, 1999

Quintessenz, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, vibraphone, 1999–2000

CHORAL:

ENKA'nın otuzuncu yıl marşıMarch for the 30th Year of ENKA (text by Zeki Ömer Defne), mixed chorus, 1987

A cappella ve piyano eşlikli altı parçaSix pieces a cappella and with piano accompaniment (texts by the composer, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī [Turkish translation]), mixed chorus, piano, 1986–97

Hymn for Robert College (text by Max Ehrmann), mixed chorus, 1997

Twelve Pieces (texts by the composer, Mehmet Âkif Ersoy, Michael Arends, Ömer Bedrettin Uşaklı), children's chorus, piano, 1995–98

Alfabe Şarkısı (text by the composer), children's chorus, orchestra, 1995–98

Kaplan (text by the composer, after William Blake), children's chorus, orchestra, 1995–98

Halikarnassos (text by the composer), soprano, tenor, bass, children's chorus, orchestra, 1995–98

Anatolia (text by Michael Arends), children's chorus, orchestra, 1995–98

İlkbahar (text by the composer), children's chorus, orchestra, 1995–98

March for the 75th Anniversary of the Republic (text by the composer), mixed chorus, 1998 (also versions for mixed chorus, orchestra, 1998; any voice, piano)

Beyatlı (oratorio, text by Yahya Kemal Beyatlı), soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, ensemble from Turkey, orchestra, 2005–08

VOCAL:

Liederpalette (song-cycle, texts by Joseph von Eichendorff, Michael Arends, Heinrich Heine), low voice, piano, 1996 (also version of first song [translated by Ahmet Haşim], low voice, piano, 1996)

Sirens (text by the composer), any voice, piano, 1998

March for the 75th Anniversary of the Republic, any voice, piano, 1998 (version of choral work)

PIANO:

Büyükada Fantezisi, 2 pianos, 1974 (version of work for piano, orchestra)

Aquaphonie (trilogy), 1975

FanteziFantasy, 1977

HecelerSyllables (suite), 1977

Fuga alla turca, 1992 (also version for string quartet)

BagatelBagatelle, 2 pianos, 1992

Cumhuretiyin onuncu yıl marşıTenth-Anniversary March for the Republic, 1992

Six Préludes, 1975–93

Cemal Reşit Rey'in 'Türkiye' senfonik şiirinden iki transkripsiyon ve parafrazTwo Transcriptions and a Paraphrase on Cemal Reşit Rey's Symphonic Poem 'Turkey', 1996

Gençlik albümüYouth Album, 1993–97

Eski İstanbul'a dair tarihi resimlerHistoric Pictures of Ancient İstanbul, 1997

Concerto, 2 pianos, 1998 (version of work for piano, orchestra)

Twelve Marches (Originals and Arrangements), 1996–2001

DISCOGRAPHY (as composer)

Cemal Reşit Rey'in 'Türkiye' senfonik şiirinden iki transkripsiyon ve parafraz; Allegro giocoso. Vedat Kosal, piano (Phil.Lip Verlag, Joseph Schmiedseder, 1998)

Liederpalette. Fred Silla-Silhanek, tenor; Anke Schwabe, piano (itonmusik: CD 65158, 2001)

Büyükada Fantezisi (original version); Fuga alla turca (original version). Aydın Karlıbel, piano; Erol Erdinç/İstanbul Devlet Senfoni Orkestrası (itonmusik: CD 65177, 2005)

Twelve Pieces (excerpt). (CD-MC TRT)

DISCOGRAPHY (as pianist)

On iki prelüd ve fügTwelve Preludes and Fugues (Cemal Reşit Rey). Aydın Karlıbel, Seher Tanrıyar, pianos (Yapı Kredi Yayınları, 1996)