The Polish president Lech Kaczynski decorated Idil with the medal "Kryzem Kawalerskim Orderu Zaslugi Rzeczypopolitej Polskiej" at a ceremony in January.

In the letter informing Idil Biret that she would receive the order, the Polish Ambassador to Turkey, Grzegorz Michalski, wrote: "Music of Chopin has always been a symbol of our national culture. Polish in its very essence, it is beloved in Poland, recognizable all over the world.

"In our view, playing Chopin means translating a part of Polish culture for the outside world. We are deeply convinced that your artistic achievements, your input in the promotion of Polish music in general and Chopin's music in particular, deserve to be commemorated.

"It has become a tradition to honour those foreign artists who by their life and artistic achievements help consolidate the universal dimension of Polish culture. Therefore, it is our intention to express our gratitude for your contribution granting you a Medal of the Republic of Poland."

Later, in June, the Istanbul Festival gave their annual award to Idil and the violinist Ayla Erduran at the opening of the Festival when it was presented to them by the legendary Turkish soprano Leyla Gencer.

The year 2007 was the first for more than 20 that did not see the issue of a new CD by Idil Biret but the backlog of recordings waiting for release is impressive.

These are the three Tchaikovsky Concertos, the two Liszt Concertos and the Totentanz, the Concertos of Grieg and Schumann, and the 32 Beethoven Sonatas (now completed and being edited). During the year it was decided to issue all these and future recordings of Idil on her own label - Idil Biret Archives (IBA) - and to market them worldwide, both digitally for downloading and as CDs, using the services of a major distributor. More information will soon be available on Idil's website.

The year was rich in publications. Following the appearance of her book, A Turkish Pianist in France published by Buchet-Chastel in 2006, translations appeared in Turkey published by Can Yayinlari in June and in Germany in September published by Staccato Verlag.

In June, a day was organized in Paris where Idil signed copies of her book and the recently issued Alpha CD of concertos of Massenet and Franck. Work on the new edition of Chopin's piano scores also advanced with New York publisher International Music Company (IMC) issuing the Tarantella and the Bolero during the year. The editing work on the two Rondos op.1 and op.5 is also complete with a publication target of February 2007.

Concert activities once again reached far-flung places from the beautiful city of Van in eastern Turkey, with snow capped mountains throwing their shadows on the calm waters of its lake, to New Orleans, a city still trying to recover from the tragic consequences of the Hurricane Katrina that destroyed so much of it.

In February, during the US tour, she gave a recital in New Orleans and two concerts with the Louisiana Philharmonic performing Chopin's E minor Concerto. The second of these became, as the local press reported, the first sold-out concert since the storm decimated the orchestra and its audience, destroying also the Philharmonic Hall.

Another memorable event from the US trip was a recital at the historic Herbst Memorial Hall in San Francisco where she played an all Chopin programme to a capacity audience.

The next day Idil visited Muir Forest where some of the oldest giant Sequoia trees are found, dating back a thousand years or more. A week of much needed rest followed in Hawaii at Maui Island's Waikiki Beach which she greatly likes.

Britain was a favourite place with three visits, two for concerts in London, a recital for the Chopin Society in October and then a concert in November at St.George's Cathedral to perform the Rachmaninov Concerto no.2 with the Whitehall Orchestra (the orchestra of the UK Civil Service) under conductor Michael Nebe.

Another highlight of the year was a recital in Germany at Nordkirchen Castle near Münster, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of Naxos, where she also signed copies of the German version of her book which had just been issued.

There were also many concerts and other activities in Turkey. A most memorable occasion was at Van University where Idil performed at the invitation of the University Rector who had been under personal attack from reactionary forces in the city.

Idil "brought along" a concert grand piano, a gift to the University purchased with the support of a sponsor. Sadly, it was discovered that posters announcing her concert, displayed at the University's student dormitories (run by the Ministry of Education), had been removed by unknown people who were apparently disturbed by her visit.

Nevertheless, the concert hall was packed. Other concerts took place in Ankara, Eskisehir, Antalya, Bursa, Izmir, and Istanbul where she gave two performances during the Festival. At the opening day she played Bach's Concerto for two pianos with the gifted child pianist, eleven year old Mertol Demirelli and later gave a recital at the Festival after which she signed copies of her book which had just been released in Turkey.

In September, Idil played another Bach Concerto (D Minor) at the ancient theatre of Phaselis near Antalya. In July she had given a week-long series of master classes to gifted young piano students at the music academy in Ayvalik at its beautiful location on the shore of the Aegean Sea.

There was also participation on the juries of two piano competitions, the Busoni Competition in Bolzano Italy in August and the Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow in September. From Glasgow she took a trip to the Herbides to visit the island of Staffa and its famous Fingal's Cave with Mendelssohn's music in her ears while sailing in a stormy sea.

Voice of Turkey (Türkiyenin Sesi) Radio broadcast from Ankara a most interesting series of twelve programmes in three months from October to December. Each week a different programme of 10 minutes was broadcast - in many languages including Hungarian, Romanian and Chinese - describing Idil's life and work and including excerpts from her many recordings.


2008 will be another busy year, opening with a recital on January 8 for the benefit of the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation "Mehmetçik Vakfi" at the newly opened historic Süreyya Hall in Kadiköy, Istanbul.

In January, Idil will perform in Ankara all five Piano Concertos of Beethoven with the Bilkent University Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit, music director of the Warsaw Philharmonic. They will then record the Concertos and the Choral Fantasy for release on the IBA label as part of a 20 CD series to include the 32 Sonatas and the 9 Symphonies transcribed by Liszt.

Idil will travel to Poland in April to perform the Schumann Concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic and will repeat the concerto performance in Lublin and then give a recital in Gdansk. Among the concerts of the year are recitals in New Orleans and Brussels where she will play the Ligeti Etudes.

Work is also in progress for tours in Cuba and Vietnam. In June Idil will participate in the jury of the Sviatoslav Richter competition in Moscow, in July the Competition in New Orleans, and in October the Geneva Competition.

January and February will be months for concerts in Turkey with performances in Istanbul, Eskisehir, Ankara, Adana, Antakya and Izmir. Work will continue on the new Chopin scores edition for IMC as well as the English translation of her book.

A few quotes from the year . . .

"I will never forget Idil's recital at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow in 1960. The audience went just wild with excitement."

Viktoria Postnikova (at the Glasgow Competition)

"Dear Ms. Biret, I´m not sure that you´ll ever get this message, but I´m just writing to tell you that I have purchased your recording of the Chopin Works for Piano and Orchestra in São Paulo, Brazil, last week and I would like to tell you that I love your tempi and interpretation of these pieces. You are truly a great artist and may God bless you for your talent and musicality. I thank you for reminding me of the beauty of music, which is a language that cannot be expressed in words, as you know.
Thank you for your attention.
Warmest regards.
Walter Asvolinsque (Brazil)


"We in Poland keep admiring and praising the music of Chopin in a somewhat self-congratulatory manner. I was glad to hear today in another country similar words of praise from a distinguished musician on Chopin's music." - Polish president Lech Kaczynski speaking at the reception after hearing Idil Biret's speech at the ceremony where she was decorated with the Polish medal.