Concert

Nicesün Venedik Frengi?
Ottoman-Venice, Cretan War (1645-1669) and Its Musical Reflections
Ensemble Rûm (Early Ottoman Music Ensemble)

05 May 2024 / 15:30

The early period of Ottoman-Turkish music (16th and 17th century) exhibits a very different style and musical understanding compared to today’s modern “Classical Turkish Music.” First of all, the differences between the mehter, “folk music” and classical music, or as Rauf Yekta refers, “scholarly music” are more ambiguous. Among the sources that reveal this most clearly is Ali Ufkî Bey’s (1610-1675) Mecmua-i Sâz ü Söz (Collection of Instrumental and Vocal Works).

Ensemble Rûm is an ensemble that aims to develop its own historical performance approach within the scope of early Ottoman music by focusing on sources such as Mecmua-i Sâz ü Söz. The ensemble’s first concert, which will be held as part of the Istanbul Research Institute’s “Istanbul and Music” Studies Program (IMAP), focuses on the Ottoman-Venetian War of Crete (1645-1669) and tackles issues such as the social and historical role of music and its contribution to the circulation of information, as well as the search for a longer-term style.Although it is not possible to chronologically order Ufkî’s musical corpus stylistically, the works he recorded shed light on the events of his period and provided information about many social, cultural and political events. More than ten works directly or indirectly related to the Cretan War, which were brought together for the concert and recorded by Ufkî, are the musical reflections of the war on the capital. From the power struggles in the Mediterranean to Sultan Ibrahim’s entertainment parties, from the decision to campaign in Crete to the conquest of the first castles and cities, from the difficult situation of the soldiers at the front to Sultan Mehmed IV’senthronement, from conflicting viziers to the conquest of Heraklion, the last fortress in Crete, folk songs, varsağı and peshrev related to various stages of the twenty-four-year war, will meet with the audience for the first time, accompanied by narratives and visuals.                                      

Beyond the confines of the palace, Ensemble Rûm, under the artistic direction of Hasan Baran Fırat, aims to explore different musical styles echoing in the early lands of Rûm, primarily mehter, folk music, and entertainment music. The ensemble consists of Enes Durceylan, Hasan Kiriş, Eray Cinpir, M. Enes Üstün, Avni Özaydın, M. Salih Yıldırım, Murat Yerden, Ünal Yürük and Mevlüt Gökhan Başin.

Tickets for the concert at Pera Museum Auditorium are priced at 200 TL and can be purchased from Biletix or at Pera Museum reception on the event day. Friends of Pera Museum may enjoy a 50% discount. Seats are limited and numbered.