Saturday 12 September 2015

Tayfun Erdem's Composition of Ararat "The Border Crossing" of 1986









Biography of Tayfun (in its inimitable google translation):

Having grown up in Istanbul. Between 1974-80 lessons in piano, harmony and composition with Cemal Reschid Rey (1904-85), the founder of `zeitgenössischen` music in Turkey and student of Gabriel Fauré and Marguerite Long ... After visiting the University of Indiana, Bloomington , USA (1980-82) and composition lessons with the Chilean composer Juan Orrego-Salas and counterpoint lessons with Bernhard Heiden, a companion of Hindemith.

Since `82 in Berlin ... appearances as pianist and singer with his own works ... premiere of his musical` Dramas` "Ararat Legend" after the novel by Y. Kemal for narrator and orchestra in Berlin (1985). Performances in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Bremen, Utrecht, including cities and mission of "Ararat Legend" in the WDR, NDR, ORF ... RIAS and release of his first solo album "Ararat The Border Crossing" (1986, LP) .. . music reviews in the TAZ (1984-87) and articles in "Die Zeit", "Geo", including magazines, lectures and radio broadcasts on music and culture policy issues ... premiere of his `Music Literature image Dramas`" What does Niyazi in Naunynstraße? "(1987) for narrator, orchestra and 2 slide projectors after the poem trilogy of A.Ören and images of Kandinsky, Klee, Bosch, among others in the Academy of Arts on the occasion of 750th birthday in Berlin ... Composition the music for the film "awakenings" (1987) [Not the movie with Robin Williams, which came out in 1990]...

More database information can be found at discogs.  I was expecting soundtrack style orchestral composed music but was surprised to hear it was more interesting in general, having moments that are both jazzy and at times progressive.  There is  clear rock/fusion influence, though of course there are folk or ethnic tracks as well.  The LP was actually only part of the entire work, as you can see here:

The album presents "Highlights" from the three-hour "musical story" "Ararat Legend" a novel by Yaschar Kemal before. The work, a poetic love story, is a'neuartige' text-music synthesis for narrator and chamber orchestra. The album contains the overture and six longer pieces ... Musicians: Besides Tayfun (Composition, Libretto, Piano, Vocal &) and others Lennart Aberg from Sweden (soprano sax), Süleyman Erguner (Ney-Flute), Okay Temiz (drums, percussion ), Hans Hartmann (double bass)...

It's unfortunate that no complete version was released, though I might be wrong, as usual.  Track b4 gives you a good idea of what to expect here:





4 comments:

  1. https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/05smcq

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  2. Thanks Julian, excellent discovery with Okay and Lennart. I am always on the lookout for albums with Lennart so this is a treat for me.

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  3. quite on point there, I omitted to mention the involvement of the other musicians here!!

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