Selman Ada

 
Style of Art : Artist / conductor, composer, pianist
Branch of Art : Classical music: conducting, composition, piano
Art Profile :

Selman Ada was born in Ceyhan in 1953. When he was twenty years old, he started working as a music director at the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. In 1965, he went to Paris and studied with Pierre Pasquier, Anette Dieudonné, Christian Manen, Roger Boutry and Elsa Barraine at Paris Supreme Conservatory. He graduated as the first in 1971. In 1973, Ada began working as an assistant and student of general music director, Robert Wagner at the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. In 1975, Ada conducted Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” instead of the conductor. His success on the stage led him to be an orchestra conductor. Between 1979 and 1980, Ada worked as general music director at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet. In 1980 he played piano for the tenor, Mario del Monaco until his death. Later, after returning to Paris, Ada served as a professor in the Department of Opera Korrepetitor and Orchestra Conductor, which he founded in Ecole Normale Superieure de Musique.

Ada, who has composed since the age of seven, has given various concerts and recitals in many countries. Among his operas, which have been played in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia since 1968 are: Opera “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, Oratorio “Mavi Nokta” and “Herakülesalle”. The world premiere of his last opera “Aşk-ı Memnu” was made at the Mersin State Opera and Ballet in 2003.

Ada is a member of German Composers Society “Gema”. His oratorios and operas are translated into English, German, Flemish, and French. All his works were published in five languages by Strube Verlag München-Berlin edition. In 2002 he started working as general music director at the Mersin State Opera and Ballet. Besides it, he also serves as an orchestra conductor in the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet.

His compositions:

Piyano works:
"The Forty Thieves" for Piano (1960)
Köçekçe" for Piano (1964)
5 Works for Piano” (1965) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
To the Villege” Suite for Piano (1967) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Nishapur” a Sonata for Piano (1973) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
12 Amodal Prelude” (apostrophic styrofoams) for Piano (1980-1991) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Asimagies” (Sihr-i Şark) 20 Pieces for Piano (1994) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
5 Etude” for Piano (1998) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Rhapsodie” (Nihavend Lunga) for Piano (1998) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Jeux de piano” (Piano Plays) 24 Pieces for the Youngs (2000) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
German Folklore Song Book for Piano” (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Three Instantaneous” for Piano (2004) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Mini Piano” Small Pieces for Piano (2004) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)

Chamber music works:
3 Eurasian” A Suite for Flute and Harpsichord (1994) (Edition Zurfluh Paris1994)(Strube Verlag München-Berlin 2004)
Valse Charmante” (Charm waltz) for Clarinet and Piano (1999) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Karciğar Oyun Havası” (Tanzlied) for 5 Wind Instruments (2001) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Suite for 5 Wind Instruments" (2001) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
2 Concert Prelude” for Flute-Viola and Harp (2002) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
3 Concert Parts for 2 Trumpets” (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Ebenmass” for Flute and Piano (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Brass-Quartet” for Trumpet, Horn, Trombone and Tuba 2003 (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Small Jazz Suite“ for Strings Quartet (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
4 Preludes for Guitar” (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
3 Byzantine Dances“ for Clarinet and Piano (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)

Singing-Piyano Works:
Ottoman Songs” (Dök Zülfünü Meydâne Gel) (1977) for Baritone (or Bass) and Piano (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Türküler Şarkılar” an Album for Piano and Singing (1977-2001)
5 Mozaik-Nağme” for Baritone and Piano (2000) (Poems: Tarık Günersel)
Opera-Aria” for Singing and Piano (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Practice Book for Singer” Accompany with Piano (2003) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)

Chorus works:
Yemen Türküsü” (for a Big Chorus) (from the Aşk-ı Memnu opera) (2002) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Rast Semai” (with performance from Dede Efendi) (for a Big Chorus) (from the Aşk-ı Memnu opera) (2002) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Let’s go to Göksu” (Gidelim Göksu’ya) (Türkü) (for a Big Chorus) (from the Aşk-ı Memnu opera) (2002) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)

Symphonic works:
The Forty Thieves Overture” (1990)
2 Raks” (from the Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves Opera) (1990)
Symphony” 2004

Oratorio/Orchestra-Singing works:
Mavi Nokta” Poetic Opera (9 volumes, libretto: Tarık Günersel) (1995) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Ballade” for Mezzo Soprano and Small Orchestra (2004) (Poem: Gülseli İnal: “Yapayalnızsındır”)

Operas:
Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves” Opera Act 2 (libretto: Tarık Günersel) (1990) (Strube Verlag München-Berlin)
Aşk-ı Memnu” Opera Act 2 (libretto: Tarık München-Berlin) Günersel) (2002) (Strube Verlag)

Reference: classical-composers.org; beethovenlives.net

 

Foundation : Mersin State Opera and Ballet
Country : Turkey
Preferred Lang. : Turkish
Images :