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As a soloist and teacher, Gekic is a thoughtful and inventive musician. On 20 April 2004 at the Aventura Northern Trust Bank Auditorium, Gekic performed 'The Art of the Transcription' (presented by Patrons of Exceptional Artists and the Aventura, Florida Classical Music Society). That art is alive and well. Gekic's own transcription of Mikhail Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture accomplishes the near impossible -- the transfer of the orchestra's thousands of rapid fire notes to a mere two hands and one keyboard. What a brilliant showpiece he has produced! Gekic played this showcase work with glittering pianistic bravado. That he can also play with light as a feather touch and glowing tone was proven by his rendition of Prelude in B Minor by Alexander Siloti -- a beautiful rewrite of a J S Bach organ work. The sheer musical imagination and subtly achieved turns of musical phrasing that Gekic brought to Liszt's Reminiscences de Don Juan turned a keyboard showpiece into a characterful musical portrait. Liszt's keyboard version of Rossini's William Tell Overture allowed Gekic to unleash his full panoply of pianistic fireworks. An exciting performance indeed!

A series of Liszt transcriptions of Schubert lieder found Gekic at his most poetic. Ave Maria seemed to glow and sing on heavenly wings. Serenade had the most beautiful coloristic touches. The dramatic Erlkonig was powerful in its pianistic delineation of horse's hoofs and its sensitive voicing of the vocal line -- a beautiful instrumental evocation of the desperation of the song's characters. As an encore Gekic offered Liszt's arrangement of Rossini's Barcarola -- all musical velvet. Gekic achieved the most delicate of sounds from his instrument. Inspired music making! Both solo and duo-piano concerts revealed that some of music's greatest joys lie in transcriptions -- a tribute by one master to another. Music that comes alive when played with such great keyboard mastery!