A semi-final of magical contrasts, courtesy of Liszt, Ravel and Beethoven

Hailing from Minnesota, Evren Ozel began piano lessons at the tender age of three. Just eight years later, Ozel was making his debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, and at 14, he was convinced that music would be his life from thereon in. Since then, Ozel has won a panoply of prizes and grants, and is a veteran of the concerto stage, appearing variously with the Cleveland Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestra.

Now a finalist at the Cliburn, he is only too aware of how subjective piano competitions can be. “One can never expect anything from competition results,” he tells Apple Music Classical, “since the material we work with is so personal to everyone.” Ozel’s semi-final programme, however, catered for a wide range of tastes, with Liszt, Ravel and Beethoven providing intriguing and dramatic contrasts.

Liszt’s rippling impressionistic canvas, Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este, melts into the opening movement of Gaspard de la nuit, Ravel’s portrait of a water nymph, where Ozel controls the initial filigree right-hand accompaniment with astonishing lightness and evenness of touch. In the ensuing movement, Ozel proves a master storyteller, bringing the music’s nightmarish visions to breathtaking life.

Ozel ends with Beethoven’s final piano sonata, Op. 111, his performance mesmerising to the final hushed note. “To me, it is one of the most profound works ever written for the instrument,” he says. “It traverses so many waves of genuine feeling that are impossible to ignore. The conclusion of the sonata feels like giving thanks, to the listeners perhaps, for taking this musical journey with me.”