A Concert of Love, Friendship, and Healing: From the Altai Mountains to Anatolia

As Nowruz celebrations took place in many regions with the arrival of spring, TÜMATA (the Group for the Research and Promotion of Turkish Music) also brought a “Concert of Love, Friendship, and Healing: From the Altai Mountains to Anatolia” to the people of Ankara on March 17, 2018.

The concert took place at the Turkish-Russian Friendship House in the Hamamönü Mansions, located in Ankara’s most historic district, which operates as the sole representative of the St. Petersburg Artists’ Union with the full moral support of the Russian Embassy.

The Historic Mansion hosted a large number of art lovers from Ankara at a concert organized by Erşan Çırak, a member of Tümata.

Believing that music is both a unifying element of national culture and one of the most important tools for passing it on to future generations, Assistant Professor Dr. Rahmi Oruç Güvenç, who has dedicated his life to this cause, the TÜMATA ensemble—which he founded and directs—presented a concert featuring diverse melodies from the Turkic peoples and communities of Central Asia, while also incorporating the traditional Turkish musical repertoire, rhythms, and instruments. Like a caravan traveling along the Silk Road, the concert touched the hearts of the audience with different melodies at various stops.

 

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Guests were welcomed with the piece “Samavır,” by the İdil-Ural Turks, which describes the tea served to guests. The theme of friendship was explored through “Dostum,” another song by the İdil-Ural Turks. With her voice, as soothing as water, Gülten Urallı performed “Tugan Avıl,” an İdil-Ural folk song, taking the audience back to their birthplace. This was followed by “Bu Bahçe,”known to belong to the Uyghur-Kazakh Turks, whichfeatured the pleasant, call-and-response singing between young women and men. Later, “Tansamalım” —another song belonging to the Kazakh Turks and meaning “Gentle Breeze”—was performed. “Gülçemen,” a piece belonging to the Uyghur Turks that tells of love in a flower garden, was performed by Azize Güvenç with her captivating voice and delivery, while Emre Başaran and Şöhret Nurmuhammed accompanied the song with their traditional dances and performances. The song “Ceneşe,” in which a young musician expresses his joy in a message to his aunt, also thrilled the audience with its lively and cheerful melody. The song “Dostluk Cırı,” with lyrics and music by the late Rahmi Oruç Güvenç, also contained a prayer and a wish: The song conveyed the hope that it would spread from friend to friend, that friendship would bring joy to hearts, that distances would be bridged, that hearts would be filled with light, and that everyone would find peace and harmony—and the joy and pride that come from this. The Tuva and Mongolian song “Şu” reminded us of the caravan continuing on its journey and the voices that had joined it.

The goal of treatment is to enter a trance through “Baksı” —the oldest known form of music and movement therapy—and establish a connection with “ataruhu.” Azize Güvenç performed an example of a Baksı dance accompanied by improvised music. The dance, which the audience found quite intriguing and captivating, was accompanied by the dombra, the şankobız, and the sound of water.

Following the Baksı dance, “Hicaz Dua”—with choreography by H. Fahreddin Dede and music by Ahmet Hatipoğlu—was performed by Derya Çınar Oral in a way that touched the most tender parts of our hearts and brought tears to our eyes.

Fatma Dikilitaş performed and sang “Dostum,” a song by Aşık Veysel, one of Anatolia’s most remarkable poets and musicians.

At the end of the concert, five beautiful pieces of Turkish Sufi music were performed.

The artists who performed on the saz and with their voices at the concert, which was met with prolonged applause, were as follows:

• Azize Andrea Güvenç – Solo, choir, percussion
• Gülten Urallı – Solo, choir, rhythm section
• Fatih Oral – Ney, solo, choir
• Derya Çınar Oral – Solo, choir
• Azize Oral – Dance
• Şöhret Nurmuhammed – Rubab, dombra, choir
• Emre Başaran – Oud, dombra, choir
• Erşan Çırak – Rebab, choir
• Suzan Koçak – Rebab, choir
• Armağan Top – Rebab, choir
• Mehmet Taştan—Rebab, percussion, choir
• Fatma Dikilitaş – Bağlama, solo
• Ayşe Öztekin – Rhythm, choir
• Berna Yörütgen – choir
• Elif Taştekin – Rhythm, choir
• Merve Arat – Choir

Photos from the concert

Photos from the “Love, Friendship, and Healing from the Altai Mountains to Anatolia” concert held in Ankara on March 17, 2018.

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