Anatolian Fantasy with the Özgen Trio
Music from Istanbul and the Ottoman Court
Neva Özgen, kemençe; Mesut Özgen, guitar; Kathleen Purcell, flute
The UCSC Music Department's "Friday Night Live" series kicks off the 2010-2011 season with a concert featuring faculty guitarist Mesut Özgen leading the Özgen Trio, with Turkish kemençe master Neva Özgen and flutist Kathleen Purcell, presenting a repertoire from the classical and folk musics of Turkey on Friday, October 22, 2010, 7:30 pm at UCSC Music Center Recital Hall.
The program includes works by Prince Dimitrie Cantemir, Yalçin Tura, Mesut Özgen, and David Evan Jones, whose new piece for kemençe, guitar, and computer-generated tape will receive its premiere at this concert. Neva Özgen, a master of kemençe (Turkish bowed instrument with gut strings) and one of the most respected improvisers in Turkish classical music, currently teaches at the Istanbul University Turkish Music Conservatory. For more information call the UCSC Ticket Box Officet at 831-459-2159 or email at tickets@ucsc.edu. A repeat concert will also be presented at the St. Mary's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Pacific Grove on Saturday, October 23.
Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 4:00 pm
St. Mary's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church
146 12th Street, Pacific Grove, California 93950
Donations at the door (Seats are limited and cannot be reserved in advance, there is a high demand for this concert, please arrive early.)
Friday, October 22, 2010 at 7:30 pm
UCSC Music Center Recital Hall
Santa Cruz, California 95064
Web: www.santacruztickets.com
UCSC Ticket Box Office:Phone: 831-459-2159
more info...
Notes About the Program
The Özgen Trio presents a repertoire from the classical and folk musics of Turkey. First, it travels back in time to the world of Prince Dimitrie Cantemir (Kantemiroglu, as known in Turkey) – a Moldavian prince, scholar, musician, and royal guest of the Ottoman Sultan. He was one of the influential composers in the 17th century Ottoman court. Three pesrevs by Cantemir are combined with several folk songs from his native Moldavia and Turkey, as well as taksims, which are improvised preludes in a traditional Turkish performance style. After Anatolian Fantasy by Mesut Özgen, an original composition inspired by Anatolian folk music, the first half ends with Rumeli Türküsü, which is a term referring to the light urban style Turkish folk music from Thrace. Songs of this genre are composed within the scales and melodic progression of the classical makam system. Since the 17th century, some of the most distinguished composers of Ottoman classical tradition have written light tunes in the form of türkü, forming a bridge between the élite and popular taste. Özgen’s composition incorporates two original Rumeli Türküsü into this piece.
The second half of the program begins with the world premiere of News From Afar by UCSC composer David Evan Jones, as the first piece in a projected series of pieces using processed news podcasts (recordings) in combination with live instruments. As David explains "I have always wanted to do something musical with the bad news I hear on the radio everyday; this is but one approach. The podcasts (in multiple languages) are slowed down to various extents. Pitches are imposed upon each recording in such a way that the intonation contour of the original speaker is retained but the spoken pitches are stablized around the selected scale -- more like speech-song than normal speech. News From Afar plays with the idea of tuning a radio to diverse radio stations to hear the news in many languages: altered recordings in Malaysian, Russian, and English are featured here. Finally, I am grateful and appreciative for the courage and musicianship of the performers who agreed sight unseen to enter this strange new world with me." Next comes Vira Sevda by Mesut Özgen, based on a song by Mesut’s father Bilge Özgen, which was composed in the style of classical Turkish music with lyrics written by Yalç¦n Benlican. "Vira" means continuous and "sevda" refers to passionate love. The music is in makam buselik, which is similar to natural minor, and two types of usûl, evfer and düyek, are used as rhythmic patterns. Hüseyni Saz Semaisi by Yalç¦n Tura, renowned Turkish composer who is also a Cantemir specialist and was the head of Istanbul University Turkish Music Conservatory between 1997-2001. Saz semaisi is a typical instrumental form in classical Turkish music, this one is in makam (mode) hüseyni. Mesut Özgen’s settings of Three Folk Songs from Istanbul and Azerbaijan conclude this musical journey.
About the Musicians
Neva Özgen, a master of the kemençe (Turkish bowed instrument with gut strings) and one of the most respected improvisers in Turkish classical music, currently teaches at the Istanbul University Turkish Music Conservatory. She is the disciple and daughter of renowned Turkish master musician Ihsan Özgen and also studied Turkish music with renowned Turkish musician Alaeddin Yavasça. She also studied clarinet in the Istanbul Technical University Conservatory. She joined the Anatolia Ensemble led by Ihsan Özgen in 1994 and become the leader of the ensemble after her father's retirement in 2004. Other than classical Turkish musicians, she has also collaborated with many international musicians, and performed with Montreal Tribal Trio, Atlas Ensemble, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Nv/Elect.Voices, and the Mercan Dede Ensemble. Her recordings include “Legacy”, “Aegean and Balkan Dances”, and “Masterworks of Itri and Meragi.”
Kathleen Purcell has played principal flute under the batons of Leopold Stokowski’s associate conductor Maurice Dubonnet, choral and orchestral conductor Robert Shaw, and Richard Woitach of the Metropolitan Opera. She holds a Bachelors degree in flute performance from the University of Idaho School of Music and a Masters degree in flute performance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Additionally, Ms. Purcell has played with the University of Idaho Faculty Quintet, was principal flutist with the Washington Idaho Orchestra, and toured Europe as principal flutist and soloist with the United States Honor Band. She has coached with Samuel Baron, Julius Baker, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Currently, she has an active flute studio in Santa Cruz.
Turkish guitarist/composer Mesut Özgen has performed and taught master classes throughout the United States, Spain, and Turkey. in addition to being a prizewinner in the International Portland Guitar Competition, has performed as featured soloist in many international festivals in Spain, Turkey, and the United States. Özgen's compositions are mainly based on or influenced by traditional Turkish music. His solo CD "Troubadour" features classical guitar works inspired by folk traditions and was reviewed by the Acoustic Guitar magazine as "stunningly versatile and expressive throughout." His award-winning multimedia concert DVD New Dimensions in Classical Guitar includes new guitar works with visual accompaniments. It was reviewed by the Classical Guitar magazine of England as "the finest music DVD ever to have come my way, remarkable achievement." His new CD "Anatolian Fantasy" will be released in December 2010. He currently teaches guitar at UCSC.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to all the supporters of Özgen Trio: Kenny Hill and the Hill Guitar Company, Ed and Margie Claxton, Mathew Shafe and Kimiko Bokura, Alan and Charlene Heit, Leah and Necdet Erez, Nicholas and Ruth Royal, and Nancy and John Lingemann.