MUSEYON GUIDES » Turkey

Spotlight On…Aya Irini, Istanbul

Kellas — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:19:25 +0000

Located in the Topkapi Palace grounds, in the first courtyard behind the Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine church of Aya Irini features classical music concerts and art exhibitions year round during important festivals such as the Istanbul International Music Festival in June and July. It is said that Aya Irini has the be acoustics in the world so a concert here is not to be passed up.

The structure is the only untouched Byzantine church since the Ottoman conquest and is in fact, the first church built in Constantinople. When not functioning as a concert venue, this former church serves as a museum and requires special permission to visit due to the sensitive nature of its rare 8th century mosaics and frescos (added by Emperor Constantine V).

Istanbul Aya Irini (St. Irini) – Open every day except Monday.
Cankurtaran Mh., 34122 İstanbul, Turkey – 0212 512 04 08
Google Map

News: Istanbulive in Central Park

Kellas — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:51:59 +0000

On Saturday, July 3 – 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, for the second year in a row, the Istanbul music scene will be setting-up camp in Central Park in New York for a free day long concert. The concert is in celebration of Turkish music and features:

Kenan Dogulu has become one of the most successful entertainers to emerge from Turkey following the release of his debut album, Yaparim Bilirsin, in 1993. His playful lyrics and an urban sound comprised of R&B, hip hop and dance have earned him comparisons to Jamiroquai and Justin Timberlake, and won him a legion of fans for his eight studio and four remix albums. Dogulu represented Turkey in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest with “Shake It Up Sekerim,” which placed fourth in the competition.

Duman is a major alternative rock band from Istanbul, formed in the late 90s. The band’s music is heavily influenced by lead singer/guitarist Kaan Tangöze’s time in Seattle in mid 1990’s and makes use of traditional Anatolian musical elements and melodies creating a unique amalgam of Grunge Rock and Eastern folk music. Duman (Turkish for “Smoke) is notorious for their impeccable live performances. The band was recently featured in the Fatih Akin documentary Crossing The Bridge, a survey of the luminaries of the Istanbul underground and creative music scene. Recently, the band released a new self-titled double album, produced at the famous Grouse Lodge, Ireland studios.

Istanbul Sessions is a quartet led by Ilhan Ersahin, an adventurous saxophonist, keyboardist, composer and founder of the Lower East Side hotspot Nublu. The band captures Ersahin’s NYC/Nublu sound and the vibrant spirit of Istanbul with Turkish scales, club-friendly beats, jazz improvisations and a plethora of moods. The band features Alp Ersonmez (bass player for Turkish pop star Tarkan), Turgut Bekoglu (drummer for Turkish diva Sezen Aksu) and percussionist Izzet Kizil, who has played with Bebel Gilberto and Natacha Atlas, among others. Ersahin has composed for Norah Jones, Bebel Gilberto, U-Roy and his bands include Wax Poetic, Love Trio, I led 3 lives and Nublu Orchestra.

Şükriye Tutkun is a conservatory-trained soprano singer who eschewed opera and instead found her calling in traditional Turkish folk music, adding various ethnic sounds and elements to operatic pop, including the quanun, clarinet and even table. Tutkun covers authentic music from various regions including the Balkans, Central Asia, the Black Sea and the southeast of Turkey. Along with his younger brother Kenan Dogulu, which he writes/produces for and performs with, DJ Ozan Dogulu has become a cornerstone of Turkish pop. He has produced and performed with a wide range of artists from Zulfi Livaneli to Tarkan locally and from Gloria Gaynor to Sarah Brightman globally. Already known as one of the premier producers in Turkey, he has swiftly made a name for himself DJing fun, high energy parties where he plays a range of music from the Balkans, Turkey, the Latin world and classics from the ‘80s.

Want to know more about Istanbul music? Pick-up a copy of Music + Travel.

Extended Travel: Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands

Kellas — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:56:54 +0000

Nowhere else does art, culture, music, food and history meld in the same way it does in Istanbul. In Music + Travel we discuss Istanbul’s impact on classical music and in Film + Travel: Europe, we talk about all the great films made in the city such as Midnight Express, Topkapi and two Bond features. But what do you do in when you want to get away for a little extended travel? In Istanbul, fortunately you don’t have to go very far…

The Andalar, or Princes’ Islands, are a series of nine islands off the coast of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. The islands are so named because both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires have a history of exiling the princes of Istanbul there. Each island has its own special characteristics that make it a fascinating side-trip to the bustling city such as Kamariotissa Church on Heybeliada, the last Byzantine church to be built before the fall of Constantinople or Kınalıada, the traditionally Armenian island. One of the most attractive links the islands share is that in an attempt to prevent pollution, cars are not allowed, only horse and buggies.

During the Victorian era, the islands became popular destinations for wealthy Istanbulus who built summer retreats there. You can see many of these homes still in their original state on the largest of the islands, Büyükada. Here, horse and carriages show tourists around the immense and beautiful homes at a pleasant pace and in the summer, the gardens overflow with flowers. Once you are finished with your buggy, take a walk up one of the island’s two peaks to Ayia Yorgi, the 6thc. church and monastery where you can relax, sip tea, eat lunch and enjoy the view at their café. And while you wait for the ferry back to your hotel, grab some locally made ice cream at the dockside parlor.

The Islands are easily accessible from downtown Istanbul and provide beautiful views of the city. Ferrys leave about every hour in the summer from the Kabatas Ferry Pier and the trip takes 90 minutes to get to the first island. Our suggestion, take the ferry home just as the sun is setting over the city for photos you’ll never forget.

Kabatas Ferry Pier
Meclis-i Mebusan Cd
Google Map

All photos ©Jennifer Kellas

Congrats Istanbul: Culture Capital

Heather C — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:50:47 +0000

When Istanbul was announced as the 2010 European Capital of Culture, we were excited, but we weren’t exactly surprised. After all, we included the city in two of our guides–Film+Travel Europe and Music+Travel Worldwide.

There’s a reason the city is so full of culture–spanning the Bosphorus, it has one foot in Europe and the other firmly rooted in Asia. As one of three official cultural ambassadors (along with Essen, Germany, and Pecs, Hungary), Istanbul will have the entire year to showcase its arts scene to the world. Throughout the year the city will hosts all sorts of events to showcase its best and brightest in all sorts of cultural areas, from the visual arts to opera to literature and more.

All the fun kicks off on Jan. 16 with an opening ceremony that takes place at six locations throughout the city, featuring hundreds of dancers, musicians and singers in a choreographed performance that pays homage to the city’s history over the course of three empires, along with President Abdullah Gul who will kick off the show. For a full listing of events, check out the official site of Istanbul 2010. Congrats, Turkey. Or should we say: Tebrikler!

image: Robin Robokow/Flirck

OUT NOW! Music + Travel Worldwide: 12 Cities / 12 Scenes

Heather C — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:31:26 +0000

In Music+Travel Worldwide our expert guides take a musical tour around the globe. Check out our sound sampler before you buy the book…

Jazz Land: Chicago by Peter Margasak
Jazz
Hometown Hero: Ken Vandermark and the Ken Vandermark 5

Click to hear 11 more…

Bring the Noise, Bring the Punk: Dublin by James Hendicott
Celtic Punk
Hometown Hero: Blood or Whiskey, “They Say No”

New Rap City: Paris by Miles Marshall Lewis
Muslim Hip-Hop
Hometown Hero: Booba, “Mon Son”

Techno Color: Berlin by Siobhan O’Leary
Techno
Hometown Hero: Ellen Allien Apparat, “Way Out”

Jailhouse Rock: Moscow +St. Petersburg by Alina Simone
Chanson
Hometown Hero: Yanka Dyagileva, “Na Cherniy Den’”

Classical Studies: Istanbul by Alexandra Ivanoff
Classical
Hometown Hero: Fazil Say, “Black Earth”

Swing Shifts: Addis Ababa by Mikael Awake
Ethiopop
Hometown Hero: Mulatu Astatke, “Yekermo Sew” (with the Heliocentrics)

Passage to Indipop: Mumbai by Shamik Bag
Indipop

Hometown Hero: A.R. Rahman, “O Saya” (with MIA)

Experimental Methods: Beijing by Nick Frisch
Experimental
Hometown Hero: Carsick Cars, “Mogu, Mogu”

CARSICK CARS – 蘑菇蘑菇 MOGU MOGU (Music Video) from Maybe Mars / 兵马司 on Vimeo.

Art Rock Confidential: Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane by Mel Campbell
Art Rock
Hometown Hero: Deloris, “Playing the Spaces”

The Digital Domain: Buenos Aires by Eve Hyman
Cumbia
Hometown Hero: Chancha Via Circuito

Chancha Via Circuito – ZZK Records from ZZK Records on Vimeo.

Folk Lure: Los Angeles by Jessica Hundley
Calicountry
Hometown Hero: Devendra Banhart, “Brindo”

Devendra Banhart – Brindo from Rômulo Martinz on Vimeo.

Cooking with Cem

Heather C — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:27:56 +0000

In our guide to Music+Travel Worldwide, Alexandra Ivanoff introduces celebrated conductor Cem Mansur. He’s led the Istanbul State Opera and the Akbank Chamber Orchestra in Istanbul, and he’s performed all over the world, including at such venerable venues as the Royal Albert Hall. But, as it turns out, music is not his only talent. te’s also a whiz in the kitchen. Here he is making his signature dish … Ladies’ Thighs.

Meet Museyon: Alexandra Ivanoff

Heather C — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:48:05 +0000

It’s time to check in with Alexandra Ivanoff, our guide to Istanbul’s thriving classical music scene. Not only is Alexandra an accomplished performer in opera, musical theater, film and jazz with degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Yale University, she’s also a contributor to major mags like Time Out Istanbul and Andante. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also working on her first book, “Back to the Old World: An American Woman of a Certain Age Opts Out of the New World.” We caught up with this multitasking mezzo-soprano to find out more about the scene in Istanbul.

Home base: Istanbul, Turkey

Day job: Journalist for Time Out Istanbul, Andante music magazine and other publications; Professor of music, French Cultural Institute of Istanbul & Besiktas Müzik Merkezi.

Last concert you saw live? Classical: Daniel Barenboim conducting the La Scala Orchestra; Jazz: pianist Brad Mehldau

MG: You’re working on a book now, ‘Back to the Old World.’ What’s it all about?
AI: My DNA has pulled me back in time; I knew I was meant to live in an ancient village surrounded by grape vines and not in the middle of the cement canyons of a modern megalopolis. So I left America’s futuristic fold in favor of the crumbling byways of Byzantium. This book chronicles my amusing exploits as I cross cultures, reinvent myself, and of course, relish in a banquet of Turkish men of all ages.

MG: After studying in the U.S., how did you end up in Turkey?
AI: Turkey offers me interesting opportunities to write professionally about music and other subjects.

MG: How would you describe the Turkish sound?
AI: Lots of davul (hand-beaten drum), baglama (long-necked guitar), ney (wooden vertical flute), and tricky rhythms that are not divisible by two.

MG:What makes Istanbul such a cultural hotspot?
AI: Other than the warmth of the Mediterranean climate, Istanbul’s nightlife compares favorably to New York City: 24-7 music and dancing, food and fun, and awesome sights.

MG: What’s your idea of one perfect night out in Istanbul?
AI: A concert, a late dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking the Bosphorus, and walk along the water’s edge under the full moon.

Night Over the Bosphorus

MG: Any dos and don’t for people visiting Istanbul, or Turkey in general?
AI: Do research about cultural customs and don’t expect things to function like your own country.

MG: How do you discover new music?
AI: www.istanbul.net.tr

MG: For people just getting into classical where should they begin (songs, artists…)?
AI: A Beethoven Symphony (there are 9), Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”; anything by Handel; a piano solo by Rachmaninoff.

images: Portrait courtesy of Alexandra Ivanoff; Bosphorus by Joy of Seth/Flickr

Classical Studies: Istanbul

Heather C — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:33:47 +0000

Istanbul has always been an exotic blend of East and West, since as far back as when they called it Constantinople, and that distinctly Eurasian cultural flavor can be heard in the city’s music. Western music was brought to Turkey in the 1600s and by the early 20th century, “the Turkish Five” had established Turkey as a viable center of modern music composition. Today, Istanbul boasts an impressive classical music scene — including three major symphony orchestras, two opera houses and three conservatories. With so much you see, Alexandra Ivanoff, your Museyon Guide, helps navigate the best there is to see and hear in Istanbul.

image: iStock