Charles Baudelaire, one of the most influential poets of the 19th century, is frequently considered the founder of modern poetry. His masterwork, Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil), published in 1857, shattered conventions with its somber, introspective themes and innovative style. 

Baudelaire's work is a vivid illustration of the existential conflicts and paradoxes of life. He skillfully navigates the complex interplay between beauty, decay, and the human condition, delving into the darker aspects of life—decadence, sin, and death. His revelation of their peculiar allure continues to captivate readers, drawing them into the enigmatic world he creates. 

Baudelaire's poetry is a unique blend of classical decorum and revolutionary content. He employs conventional verse structures, such as the alexandrine, but also integrates raw, erotic, and occasionally startling imagery. In his poem 'The Flowers of Evil,' he uses vivid and sometimes shocking imagery to depict the darker aspects of life, creating a palpable sense of tension that adds intensity and drama to his work.

Baudelaire's poetry introduces a new symbolic richness by exploring the 'correspondences' between the physical and spiritual realms. He believed that the human experience could be more profoundly understood when the senses, emotions, and nature were interconnected. This concept of 'correspondences 'is a key to unlocking the depth and interconnectedness of his work, inviting readers to delve deeper into his poetry.

Ultimately, Baudelaire's poetry is a voyage into the depths of the human experience, where beauty and darkness coexist, and art serves as a means of confronting the existential issues of life.

Les Sons et les Parfums Tournent Dans l'Air du Soir (Sounds and perfumes turn in the evening air),16 Préludes for the Piano (and "extended*" Piano), is an evocative exploration of Baudelaire's poetry through the lens of modern, atonal contemporary classical music.

The pieces for solo piano and electronically processed piano conjure a delicate interplay between natural and surreal sonic landscapes. The untreated piano serves as a tactile connection to the physical world, representing the sensuality of "perfumes" and the natural flow of sound. In contrast, the electronically processed piano fragments these sounds, creating a haunting, ethereal resonance that mimics the drifting and turning of the evening air.

Through its atonal structure, the work reflects the ambiguity and emotional complexity of Baudelaire's imagery. Rhythmic unpredictability and dynamic contrasts add to the sensation of flux. At the same time, layers of electronic manipulation suggest the dreamlike distortion of perception, as if the listener is caught between waking and reverie, sound and silence, scent and air. It's a piece that invites introspection, mirroring twilight's shifting, transient nature.
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* extended piano: piano parts electronically processed with the use of echoes and delays

Translucent Lanes 12 Ballades for the solo piano

I. Twilight Serenade (Les Sons et les Parfums.. for piano and processed piano)

Symphony No. 11: Baroque Horizons by David Ezra Okonsar is a groundbreaking contribution to contemporary music, blending the harpsichord, symphonic orchestra, and electronics into a cohesive, atonal framework with baroque influences. This innovative work reimagines the relationship between antiquity and modernity, producing a unique sound world that bridges centuries of musical evolution.

Historically tied to the baroque era, the harpsichord is here liberated from its traditional role. Rather than serving as a continuo instrument, it becomes an equal participant, engaging in dialogues with orchestral timbres and electronic textures. Okonsar transforms the harpsichord's metallic, percussive voice into a versatile sound generator capable of rhythmic propulsion and ethereal resonance by employing contemporary playing techniques and sound processing.

The inclusion of electronics marks a significant innovation, expanding the symphonic palette beyond acoustic limits. Drawing on concepts from mid-20th-century electronic pioneers, Okonsar uses sound envelopes, filters, and formants to craft textures that interact dynamically with the orchestra. This synthesis creates a layered, multi-dimensional soundscape where electronic elements are not merely decorative but integral to the work's structure and character.

While atonal and thoroughly contemporary, Baroque Horizons retains a deep connection to baroque idioms. The structure of its five movements—"Chaconne Reimagined," "Continuum Dialogues," "Fugue of Fractured Light," "Baroque Shadows in Flux," and "Horizons Resolved"—hints at traditional forms, deconstructed and reframed within a modern harmonic language. The chaconne, fugue, and shadowy references to baroque gestures are fragmented and reassembled, creating echoes of the past that shimmer within a futuristic context.

What sets this symphony apart is its integration of disparate musical traditions and technologies. The juxtaposition of the harpsichord's historic timbre with electronic modernity and the orchestral core symbolizes a merging of worlds. This interplay reflects Okonsar's broader compositional philosophy, which embraces complexity, multi-layered textures, and the fusion of seemingly opposing elements.

Baroque Horizons challenges the listener to reconsider the boundaries of symphonic music. It asks profound questions about the role of tradition in contemporary composition and how the tools of modernity can revitalize historical forms. By presenting baroque materials through a 21st-century lens, Okonsar not only honors their legacy but also propels them into uncharted territories.

David Ezra Okonsar's Symphony No. 11: Baroque Horizons stands as a testament to the power of innovation in music. Its combination of harpsichord, orchestra, and electronics offers a visionary redefinition of the symphonic genre, melding the ancient with the avant-garde in a work that is as intellectually compelling as it is sonically thrilling. It affirms Okonsar's place as a leading figure in contemporary composition, continually expanding the horizons of what music can achieve.

V. Horizons Resolved

IV. Baroque Shadows in Flux

III. Fugue of Fractured Light

II. Continuum Dialogues

I. Chaconne Reimagined

Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy is considered one of the greatest works of world literature. Its complexity, beauty, and profound exploration of theology and philosophy have solidified its lasting impact on Western culture.

Dante created a vivid depiction of the afterlife in this monumental work that continues to captivate readers and scholars alike. The epic series of cantics which makes the Commedia is a journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, guided by the poet Virgil and his beloved Beatrice. Through vivid imagery and allegorical characters, Dante weaves a narrative that explores themes of sin, redemption, and the human experience.

The work inspired many composers to create musical adaptations based on its themes and characters. Among them are Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, and Igor Stravinsky.

The Dante-Symphony (No. 10) by David Ezra Okonşar is another example of how Dante's Divine Comedy continues influencing artists across different mediums. These musical interpretations bring a new dimension to Dante's timeless masterpiece, showcasing its enduring relevance and impact on creative expression.

The symphony takes the audience on a journey through the depths of hell, purgatory, and heaven, using a unique blend of instrumentation and orchestral colors to capture the emotional intensity and spiritual journey of Dante's work. By blending classical music with modern instruments, the Dante-Symphony by David Ezra Okonşar offers a fresh perspective on the iconic narrative, captivating audiences with its innovative approach to storytelling through music.

The composition has three main movements (hell, purgatory, and paradise) and seven or nine sub-movements, following the subdivisions ("circles") of the Divine Comedy's hell (9), purgatory (7), and heaven (9) sections. Additionally, the composition incorporates a wide range of instruments, both traditional and electronic, as well as vocal styles to enhance the narrative and emotional impact.

The pitch-class organization of the symphony is as follows:
4 Main ("key") pitches are set for each movement. These are heard in isolation at the beginning and end of each movement. The "key" pitches are I. Cantica 
(inferno): C, C#, F#, B; II: Cantica: (purgatorio): D, F, Bf, E and III: Cantica (paradise): Ef, G, Af, A.
For each movement, 2 or 3 of these are repeated in the pitch universe, thus reducing the number of usable pitches out of 12. Reused pitches are I. Cantica: 
Inferno {C, F#}; II: Cantica: Purgatorio {F, Bf, E} and III: Cantica: Paradiso {Ef, G, A} . Cantica: Inferno {C, F #}; II: Cantica: Purgatorio {F, Bf, E} and III: 
Cantica: Paradiso {Ef, G, A}. Reusing pitches in this way creates a sense of unity and cohesion within the movement, and the 'absent' pitches give the 
section its own distinctive sound color, engaging the audience in a unique musical experience.

Three "leitmotifs" are present throughout the entire symphony: the "Dante-Theme," "Virgil-Theme," and "Beatrice-Theme." These leitmotifs are woven into the fabric of the symphony, representing the characters and themes from Dante's Divine Comedy. The repetition of certain pitches and motifs helps to guide the listener through the complex structure of the piece, creating a cohesive and immersive listening experience.

The Dante Symphony (No. 10) by Okonşar is a masterful example of programmatic music. Drawing inspiration from Dante Alighieri's epic poem, Okonşar's use of leitmotifs and unique orchestration techniques creates a rich tapestry of sound that transports the listener into the world of the Divine Comedy.

III. Prologue to Paradiso - Cantica: Paradiso - Epilogue to Paradiso

II. Prologue to Purgatorio - Cantica: Purgatorio - Epilogue to Purgatorio

I. Prologue to Inferno - Cantica: Inferno - Epilogue to Inferno

This orchestral work is based in the latin palindromic sentence: "In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni". Its title means "Torch" in Galician language and it's an interpretation of the previous latin sentence.
It uses harmonies coming from the planetarium systems Kepler-11 and Kepler-186, which also appears horizontally and not only vertically. Its form respond to the palindromic nature of the latin sentence and the slowly elimination of its principal motifs to the end. Also, this piece present some textures on the woodwind and string sections that recreate the character of the torch.

This record is a mixture from the live recording of its premiere night and its second performance by the CSMB orchestra in Badajoz (Extremadura, Spain) (23rd of January, 2025) and Villanueva de la Serena (Extremadura, Spain) (24th of January, 2025).
It was conducted by Juan Pablo Valencia.

Facho (in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni), for orchestra

Composer and mathematician with a special interest in composing soundscapes and contemporary classical and electroacoustic music (also mixed music or live electronics). Moreover, I research the way to incorporate different mathematical process in music and to combine music with other arts and performance.

Also interested in photography.

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Compositor y cuasi-matemático con especial interés en la música clásica contemporánea, en la aplicación de procedimientos matemáticos a la música, en la música electroacústica y el paisaje sonoro; buscando combinar la música con otras artes y la performance.

También realizo incursiones en otras artes como la fotografía.

David Ezra Okonsar, Belgian pianist, composer, conductor and musicologist was born in Istanbul, Turkey. He studied piano, composition and orchestration at the Brussels Royal Conservatory and musicology at the Istanbul Technical University. His primary teachers were J. Cl. Vanden Eynden and Alexis Weissenberg for the piano and Madame Jacqueline Fontyn for composition. He is laureate of numerous international piano competitions including the Gina Bachauer. Besides his international concert career he is a prolific composer and music writer.

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