The Power of Music: Historical Aspect
by Mimoza Keka, Ph.D.
Introduction
In exploring the historical aspect of the power of music, it is essential to delve into the wisdom of ancient philosophers, who contemplated the influence of music on human emotions and society. Plato, the renowned ancient Greek philosopher, provided profound insights into the significance of music in his works, especially in “The Republic.” One of his notable quotes on music illuminates the enduring understanding of its power:
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”
His words emphasize the transcendent and universal nature of music, a sentiment that continues to resonate across cultures and centuries, underscoring the enduring power of music throughout human history.
Pianist Mimoza Keka met with music lovers at Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center
Keka gave the audience an emotional night with her music combining Turkish and Macedonian culture. North Macedonian pianist Mimoza Keka met with music lovers at Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center. Making a statement to the AA correspondent before the concert held in cooperation with the North Macedonia Cultural Center and the Istanbul Philharmonic Association, Keka said:
“It is very nice to be in Istanbul. I’ve been here before, but this is the first time I came for a concert. I’m so excited for this. I will give a concert in a very nice hall. I would like to thank the supporters of this concert. “I dream of a beautiful and emotional night for the audience.” she said.
Stating that she played at the Ohrid Summer Festival last week, Keka said:
“I combine classical and traditional in my music. Turkish and Macedonian cultures are very close to each other in this sense. I know that especially folk songs have a lot in common. After my concert tonight, I will also give concerts in Germany and Austria.” she said.
Pianist Keka included Franz Liszt’s “B Minor Sonata” and Dimitrije Buzharovski’s “Nocturnes Op.52” in the concert program. The concert, organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture of North Macedonia and Şişli Municipality, lasted approximately 1.5 hours.
The young but very talented Macedonian pianist Mimoza Keka wowed the audience at the “Ohrid Summer” festival last night by holding a recital under the acoustic arches of the “Sveta Sofia” church. The music critic says that “..her performance is distinguished by a clear and suggestive creative imagination, with a precisely crafted dynamic, articulation and rhythmic plan and an extraordinarily developed pianistic technique…” which was confirmed last night at the all-night concert.
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Ohrid Summer Festival Press 2023
A unique recital by the young pianist Keka at “Ohrid summer”
August 17, 2023
12:56 p.m
“Ohrid summer” hosted over 1000 artists from 20 countries of the world, Serbia, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, France, Turkey, Israel, USA, Ukraine, Spain, Montenegro, Greece, Germany, Romania, Portugal, Egypt, Russia,… and of course, artists from the Republic of North Macedonia. “Ohrid Summer Festival” climbed to a high fifth place among the top five among 140 festivals, members of the European Festival Association (EFA).
Unique Recital By Pianist Mimoza KekaOhrid Summer Festival Press 2023 The young but very talented Macedonian pianist Mimoza Keka wowed the audience at the “Ohrid Summer” festival last night by holding a recital under the acoustic arches of the “Sveta Sofia” church. The music critic says that “..her performance is distinguished by a clear and […]
Piano Four-Hands, Two Pianos Recital "Fidan" at Filharmonija with Jovana Trajcheva as a part of the season 2022/2023 of Skopje Philharmonic
The recital featured a stunning repertoire of music by renowned composers and their vibrant compositions. The audience heard the musical masterpieces by Bach/Kurtág, Saint Saëns, Saint Saëns/Debussy, Piazzolla, Milhaud and Rachmaninoff. The recital started with the beautiful melody of Bach’s Cantata no. 106 and continued with Rachmaninoff’s “Six Morceaux,” a collection of exquisite pieces showcasing the composer’s emotional depth. The program then took a mesmerizing turn with Piazzolla’s “Adios Nonino”. Then, the melody weaved its way through the passages of “Danse Macabre” by Saint Saëns and Saint Saëns’ “Introduction et rondo capriccioso” transcribed for two pianos by Debussy. The exciting Programme for Piano Four-Hands and Two Pianos included “Scaramouche” by Darius Milhaud. With the three movements of “Scaramouche,” each with its own distinct character, the audience have had the opportunity to experience the compelling energy of the first movement to the tender and introspective melodies of the second, and finally culminating in the exuberant finale called “Brazileira”.
“Chamber Cohesion between two outstanding pianists that create unity on stage” – NU Filharmonija. (2023, June). Skopje: NU Filharmonija Press.
“Two Outstanding Musicians are going to perform Piano Duo Recital tonight in Filharmonija”– NU Filharmonija. (2023, June). Skopje: NU Filharmonija Press.
Piano Duo Concert by pianists Mimoza Keka and Jovana Trajceva on September 16th, in the exquisite hall of Jana Deyla Conservatory in Prague, Czech Republic. The pianists performed works by Liszt, Brahms and Schubert. The concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the entrance is free.
The piano-duo performs regularly since 2018, their first appearance for the benefit concert for SOS Children’s Village Skopje, a project by Mimoza Keka. Since then, the duo has toured in Paris and Rome, performing a piano duo recitals in Teatro Marcello and the American Cathedral, as well as played a yearly New Years’ Concerts in the Chamber Hall of the Philharmonic in Skopje in 2019 and 2021, where in 2021 they toured in the cultural centers in the country – with two concerts in Skopje and one in Kumanovo.
The Festive Rhapsody
is back again this winter!
The New Year’s Concert of pianists Mimoza Keka and Jovana Trajcheva continues this year with a piano-duo recital entitled Festive Rhapsody no. 3 on December 17th 2022, starting at 8 PM at the Chamber Hall – Skopje Philharmonic. The pianists performed a programme from the piano four-hands literature.
Mimoza Keka and Jovana Trajcheva perform numerous recitals throughout the country and abroad. In 2022, they performed a piano-duo recital at the Jana Deyla Conservatory in Prague, they also performed at the Concerti del Tempietto and Les Dimanches Musicaux festivals in Rome and Paris, as well as for the SOS Children’s Village Skopje with a recital entitled Autumn Fairy Tale. In 2019, their Festive Rhapsody began and in December 2021 they performed a series of concerts under the title Festive Rhapsody No.2, concluding it with a concert at the Chamber Hall – Skopje Philharmonic.
Music Video from Live Concert at Philharmonic Hall
The weekend on September 3rd and 4th 2022, pianists Francesca Orlando and Mimoza Keka, both students of Prof. Lilya Zilberstein, performed concerts in Skopje and Bitola following their piano-duo recital in Bristol
The pianists performed in the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle in Skopje and in the Palace of Culture – Officers’ Hall in Bitola.
– It was a great pleasure to perform in front of the audience, excellent connoisseurs of classical music, including the ambassador of the EU in our country, His Excellency David Geer, who took the time to attend the event. – We played beautifully selected programme for piano four-hands, where in the first half we performed the Sonata in D major KV 381 (I. Allegro, II. Andante, III. Allegro molto) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, followed by the Sonata for piano four-hands (I. Prelude, II. Rustique, III. Final) by Francis Poulenc and the Slavonic Dances op. 72 no. 2 Starodávný/Dumka & no. 7 Kolo by Antonín Dvořák. In the second half we performed Fantasie in F-minor for piano four-hands by Franz Schubert, followed by the Petite Suite (I. En bateau, II. Cortège, III. Menuet, IV. Ballet) by Claude Debussy and Libertango by Astor Piazzolla.
ABOUT
Born in Florence, Francesca Orlando is a British-Italian pianist who has performed internationally both as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician across many European cities including London, Copenhagen, Budapest, Malta, Florence and Rome. Since her debut recital in Florence, at the age of fourteen, she has performed extensively in acclaimed concert venues such as the Wigmore Hall, St James’ Piccadilly, the Royal Academy of Arts, London, St George’s Hall Bristol and as soloist with Exeter University Symphony Orchestra, Bristol Symphony Orchestra and ‘Orchestra Filharmonica Mediterranea’. She has been performed in numerous music festivals across England including Petworth Music Festival, Bloomsbury Festival, Farley Festival and Dartington International Summer School as duo partner with renowned pianist Steven Osborne. Francesca was awarded an Open-Academy Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music, where she completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in solo piano performance under the tutelage of Prof. Joanna MacGregor and Diana Ketler respectively. She has studied with Nicholas Walker and is currently under the tutelage of Prof Lilya Zilberstein at MdW, Vienna and Elisso Virsaladze at “Scuola di Musica di Fiesole”. Featuring high in numerous competitions, in 2021 Francesca received first prize in ‘Premio Crescendo’, Florence, and ‘Concorso Internazionale “Citta di Massa”. During her studies she was awarded highly commended, in the Lilian Davies Beethoven Sonata prize alongside the Edna Bralesford prize, William Northam Prize and Mozart Concerto Prize in 2017 at the Royal Academy of Music. Francesca has also a strong love for song accompaniment, receiving masterclasses from Richard Stokes, Joseph Middleton, Michael Dussek and Ian Ledingham. She is currently teaching as Italian vocal coach at the Royal Academy of Music and in April 2022 accompanied baritone Charles Cunliffe in the semi-finals of the at highly-acclaimed singing competition, ‘The Kathleen Ferrier awards’ in Wigmore Hall, London.
Pianist Mimoza Keka, born in Skopje, earned acclaim as a recitalist, chamber musician, piano accompanist and recording artist with her numerous projects and concerts across the country and abroad. Since studying at the Faculty of Music in Skopje with Prof. Todor Svetiev and Prof. Lilya Zilberstein, obtaining a Bachelor of Music (2015) and a Master of Music Arts (2017), as well as being awarded in 2021 with a PhD in Music Arts, Mimoza has launched into a successful concert career as a solo artist, with concerto appearances, solo recitals and chamber concerts. In 2022 she published her book “The use of digital technologies in quantitative analysis of piano performance” available at Amazon.com as well as she published her first solo album named NON-FUNGIBLE, available on all streaming platforms.
Mimoza has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Sasha Nikolovski-Gjumar, under whose baton she performed the Piano concerto no. 2 from Camille Saint-Saens, As a chamber musician she joined the Ensemble for contemporary music Contempora from SOKOM. Furthermore, she has enjoyed performing recitals in many European Cities including Paris, Rome, Bristol, Milan, Trieste, Siena, Punta Ala, Sovicille, Montrond-les-Baines, Sozopol, Sarajevo, having performed at Concerti del Tempietto in Rome, Les dimanches musicaux in Paris, at the International Francophone Festival Soleil in Sozopol, Bulgaria, Siena Summer Festival, as well as in 2022 she performed a solo recital in New York City, at Gallery MC. In 2019 she participated in TEME Project (Transnational European Music Entrepreneur) held in Trieste and Camerino, Italy, as a part of the program Music Moves Europe. Mimoza has also performed in a number of master classes with highly acclaimed pianists as well as having accomplished professional trainings at prestigious music academies including Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy with maestra Lilya Zilberstein from 2015 to 2017.
On Wednesday, June 15th, Mimoza Keka performed a Piano Recital at Gallery MC, New York City
Pianist Mimoza Keka, born in Skopje, earned acclaim as a recitalist, chamber musician, piano accompanist and recording artist with her numerous projects and concerts across the country and abroad. Since studying at the Faculty of Music in Skopje with Prof. Todor Svetiev and Prof. Lilya Zilberstein, obtaining a Bachelor of Music (2015) and a Master of Music Arts (2017), as well as being awarded in 2021 with a PhD in Music Arts, Mimoza has launched into a successful concert career as a solo artist, with concerto appearances, solo recitals and chamber concerts. In 2022 she published her book “The use of digital technologies in quantitative analysis of piano performance” available at Amazon.com, as well as she published her first solo album named NON-FUNGIBLE, which is available on all streaming platforms.
Piano Recital NYC Mimoza Keka
Mimoza has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Sasha Nikolovski-Gjumar, under whose baton she performed the Piano concerto no. 2 from Camille Saint-Saens, conductor Sasho Tatarchevski, as well as conductor Bisera Chadlovska with whom she has an active collaboration at the Faculty of Music in Skopje. As a chamber musician she joined the Ensemble for contemporary music Contempora from SOKOM. Additionally, she has active engagements playing piano duo with pianist Francesca Orlando. Furthermore, she has enjoyed performing recitals in many European Cities including Paris, Rome, Bristol, Milan, Trieste, Siena, Punta Ala, Sovicille, Montrond-les-Baines, Sozopol, Sarajevo. Mimoza has performed at Concerti del Tempietto in Rome, Les dimanches musicaux in Paris, International Festival Akordeon Art Plus in Sarajevo, at the International Francophone Festival Soleil in Sozopol, Bulgaria, Siena Summer Festival, having performed in the renowned hall of Palazzo Chigi Saracini in Siena, Italy (2015, 2016, 2017), Festival international de piano Jeunеs Talents in Montrond-les-Baïnes, France, as well as she participated in the spring concert season of the Bristol Music Club in Bristol, United Kingdom. In 2019 she was chosen to participate as one of the ten participants of TEME Project (Transnational European Music Entrepreneur) held in Trieste and Camerino, Italy, a project approved and supported by the European Commission and part of the program Creative Europe and Music Moves Europe. In April 2022 Mimoza took part in the initiative “Europe for Ukraine” of Amelia Ray, and participated in the recording of the original song of Amelia Ray “Hands in Hearts”. Mimoza has also performed in a number of master classes with highly acclaimed pianists and has participated in professional trainings at prestigious music academies, including Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy with maestra Lilya Zilberstein from 2015 to 2017.
ABOUT THE WORKS BY MACEDONIAN COMPOSERS
This recital program with its creative and modern character, includes the fundamental piano works from the 18th through the 20th century and continuing to the 21st century – classical and contemporary/modern music, combining compositions by contemporary Macedonian authors.
The performance of such a recital program enables the listener to get acquainted with the style of composing of the contemporary Macedonian composers from the second half of the 20th century until today. The program is set in a way that allows a historical overview of the composed piano works: the Suite for Piano solo op. 27 by Tomislav Zografski, published in 1960, followed by the Nocturnes on themes of Macedonian folk songs for piano by Dimitrije Buzarovski published in 2004.
The suite as a musical form was especially important in the Baroque era and was used by the composers Francois Couperin, Georg Philipp Telemann and Johann Sebastian Bach, but with the advent of classicism it fell out of use. Tomislav Zografski with the Suite for Piano Solo op. 27 won the 1st prize at the first competition for classical music in 1960 in Skopje.
Regarding the Nocturnes by Dimitrije Buzharovski, this cycle of compositions was written in the musical form Nocturne, which was particularly significant in the 19th century and was a one-piece composition for solo piano, first used by the Irish composer John Field and actualized by Frederick Chopin. In fact, the very title Nocturnes means the form, which in translation means night, evening, i.e. a composition that was performed at evening parties from the 18th century. The Nocturnes on themes of Macedonian folk songs are a fundamental work for piano by the composer Dimitrije Buzarovski, who through the actualization of this musical form, returns to the original tradition, by using themes of Macedonian folk songs.
Pianist Mimoza Keka joins the band for the song Hands in Hearts
Our pianist Mimoza Keka will be part of the group of musicians from 50 European countries who will participate in the recording of Amelia Ray’s original composition, “Hands in Hearts”. The song is part of the “Europe for Ukraine” initiative, as a gesture of solidarity with this country.
– Just as the United States sparked hope in Africa for a better future when “We Are The World” was released in 1985 through “Hands in Hearts”, “Europe for Ukraine” inspires the promise of a stronger community, supporting neighborly love, organizers say.
Listen to the new album by pianist Mimoza Keka with works by Barber, Bach and Scriabin. The new album of classical music with works by Samuel Barber, Johann Sebastian Bach and Alexander Scriabin by pianist Mimoza Keka is now available for listening at YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music.
The album is titled “Non-Fungible Scriabin Barber Bach”, and is the pianist’s first solo album release. It combines several musical styles ranging from baroque music, romanticism and contemporary music from the 20th century. The album contains two piano – sonatas and a toccata, and the Sonata op. 26 by the American composer Samuel Barber was premiered and recorded in the Republic of North Macedonia by the pianist.
Mimoza Keka starts learning piano at the age of five, completes her undergraduate studies in piano in the class of prof. Todor Svetiev at the Faculty of Music in Skopje, holds a master’s degree under the mentorship of prof. Lilya Zilberstein, and in 2021 she obtained her PhD in Musical Arts. Performs at Golden Lyre, New Cultural Wave, Autumn Music Festivals, Days of Macedonian Music, Festival international de piano Jeunes Talents in France, Siena Summer Festival of Classical Music in Italy, Solei – Festival of Francophonie in Bulgaria, International Festival Concerti del Tempietto at the Teatro Marcello in Rome, Italy, Music Sundays in Paris, as well as at the Bristol Music Club in United Kingdom. Among her most significant performances is the performance with the Symphony Orchestra of FMU-Skopje, under the baton of maestro Sasha Nikolovski – Gjumar where she played Concerto no. 2 for piano and orchestra by C. Saint-Saens. Mimoza also performs in chamber ensembles, with the ensemble ConTempora, piano duo, as well as piano collaboration. Mimoza Keka is engaged at the Faculty of Music in Skopje as a guest artist – expert in practice and is a member of the Union of Music Artists of Macedonia.”
This book is the first of its kind and scope in the history of piano performance’s analysis. The book is intended for musicians, pianists, professional piano teachers, performing pianists, college students who would like to pursue their education in the field of music performance, as well as for all the adult amateurs who would like to broaden their knowledge.
This dissertation book shows how to design a pattern for quantitative analysis of the piano performance using the digital technologies, starting with review towards the analysis of piano performance and the use of digital technologies, historical review of the treatises on piano performance, defining the problems of the pianistic performance, review of the digital technologies applied in music, continuing with presentation of the research methodology (sample, instrument, procedure, database structure, processing of data obtained from MIDI, audio and video recordings, and presenting the results of the analysis of MIDI, audio and video recordings. The book offers useful information about the treatises for piano technique and music performance, the implementation of the digital technologies and their connection with the music performance analysis. It also deals with related piano playing techniques, the interval/melodic and metric/rhythmic plan, as well as the interpretive plans – dynamic, articulation and tempo/agogic. The text is illustrated with score samples, pictures (amplitude and spectral envelopes) and graphical representations.
This doctoral dissertation research work by virtuoso concert pianist Mimoza Keka ”The use of digital technologies in quantitative analysis of piano performance” is available now in English language.
Endorsements/Reviews:
“Firstly, I would like to express my greatest pleasure for the completion of this doctoral dissertation, for the choice of the subject, which is a significant novelty for the piano theory. The research itself is extraordinary, being written with great detail and quality. It has clear and concise review of the evolution of the pianism, from its very beginnings to the modern achievements in the field of use and application of digital technologies and quantitative analysis. I must make a statement about the extraordinary structure of the work, with its rich bibliography, lavish elements and parameters of modern, scientific research work. This work represents significant contribution to the modern digitalization, which opens up new perspectives not only in the music theory, but also in the piano theory and piano pedagogy for further scientific researches of this kind.”
– Prof. Mr.art. Todor Svetiev, Professor of Piano, University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje.
“I must say that this research and the way it was done was very fascinating. Firstly we wanted to do this research with the use of the Disklavier, but since there is not any instrument of its kind here in the country, nor in the Balkans, therefore we used both MIDI controller and piano (piano performance on a Bösendorfer). This work is revolutionary and first of its kind not only here in the country but also abroad.”
– Prof. PhD. Dimitrije Buzharovski, Professor of Musicology, University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje.
“It is an honor for me to be part of the evaluation committee. This book reaches new heights in the creation of the doctoral dissertations at our Faculty, which will serve as both as a guideline and a challenge to the new candidates which will enroll to this study program. The structure and the content of this work is excellent, which will be of great guidance for the new researchers. This is how one doctoral dissertation should look like. ”
– Prof. Dr.аrt. Marija Gjoshevska, Professor of Piano, University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje.
“Congratulations for the creation of this book. This work is of extreme importance for the performing pianists because it shows completely new approach to the piano performance analysis, as well as new method of analyzing the dynamic, tempo/agogic, in order to improve the overall piano performance. ”
– Prof. Dr.аrt. Emilija Potevska Popivoda, Professor of Piano, University Goce Delčev in Štip
“Many congratulations to Ms. Keka for this revolutionary work in which she, along with her mentor, created new approach to the analysis of music interpretation, in this case the piano interpretation itself, and for the first time with the use of the digital technologies. I am delighted to assume that the goal of this research is completely and fully accomplished. This research with its remarkable interdisciplinary approach, it is exemplary not only in the country but also abroad. Throughout the creation of this work, Mimoza also mastered an elite piano repertoire which makes this doctoral dissertation complete.”
– Prof. Dr.sc. Trena Jordanoska, Professor of Musicology, University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje.
You must not miss this outstanding book on piano performance analysis using the digital technologies. Mimoza Keka’s comprehensive coverage of the subject belongs in every piano teacher’s and music researcher’s library. Reward yourself with this book on piano performance analysis. Read this review and then order it promptly. You will not only be richly rewarded with a resource you will refer to frequently but also take great pleasure in reading its clear, intriguing text. Highly recommended. Though this is the first book devoted to the use of digital technologies in quantitative analysis of piano performance, it sets a high standard with its clear, comprehensive coverage of the subject.
The Power of Music 
