When mandolin and balama meet, a dialogue is created between two cultures that have more in common than it seems at first glance. Derya Yldrm and Avi Avital explore the connection between baroque, folklore and contemporary chamber music with the sonically experimental Ensemble Resonanz. Together they create an evening that rethinks traditions, tells stories and builds musical bridges – from Anatolia to Europe, between past and present.
»Folk music is not nostalgia. It is movement, change, expression – a mirror of society.« This attitude characterises Derya Yldrm’s music: songs that are passed on, re-perceived and constantly redefined. Her voice and the balama tell of longing and resistance, migration and identity – sometimes tender and melancholic, sometimes powerful and rousing.
Avi Avital, on the other hand, has re-established the mandolin as a classical concert instrument. Famous for his virtuoso interpretations of baroque and Italian music, his heart also beats for folk music – especially that of the Mediterranean region.
Now the two exceptional artists are meeting on stage for the first time – brought together by Ensemble Resonanz, which shares a close musical friendship with Derya Yldrm and regularly explores boundaries with its flair for sonic experimentation. Together they present a multifaceted programme: Anatolian folk songs, traditionally and newly arranged for balama, mandolin and strings; baroque masterpieces from Locatelli to Vivaldi; as well as musical dialogues between past and present. Composer Taner Akyol has written a new work especially for this evening that draws on the sound colours of these special instruments and combines them to create something new. A concert that transcends musical categories – direct, expressive and deeply moving.
PERFORMERS
Ensemble Resonanz chamber orchestra
Derya Yldrm balama, vocals
Avi Avital mandolin
PROGRAM
Pietro Locatelli
Sinfonia composta per l’esequie della sua donna che si celebrarono in Roma in F minor for two violins, viola and basso continuo
Taner Akyol
Göcmen Kuslar (Lied der Zugvögel)
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto in G minor, RV 315 »L’estate (The Summer)«
Taner Akyol
PHOENIX for balama, mandolin, percussion and string orchestra (world premiere)
as well as songs by Antonis Anissegos, Ali N. Askin, Avi Avital, Derya Yldrm and others
