Ceren Türkmenoglu is a Turkish musician who plays both the violin and the rebab. During her PhD studies, Ceren rescued the rebab from obscurity and restored it to its rightful place on the stage. In addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, she is also a composer.
Cellist Joachim Eijlander enjoys connecting his music with other disciplines—such as dancers, visual artists, and scientists—to inspire a broader audience. To pass on his knowledge and experience, he has been a faculty member at Codarts Rotterdam since 2019.
Program Notes:
The concert opens with some of Bach’s most beautiful works for violin and cello. Set against the backdrop of Eastern sounds, his music takes on a surprising quality: his experiments blend seamlessly with the free and improvisational character of Eastern music.
The combination of Bach’s work with that of composer Dimitrie Cantemir complements each other very well in terms of atmosphere. Cantemir composed at the court in Istanbul while Bach secured his first major permanent position as an organist in Ansbach. The program continues with music that emerged during the interwar period from the connection Atatürk fostered between European and Turkish composers: Béla Bartók, Ahmed Adnan Saygun, and Ekrem Zeki Ün.
The two musicians will also perform two of their own compositions, and the program will feature two beautiful Ottoman songs sung by Ceren, accompanied by herself and Joachim.
Instrumentation:
Joachim Eijlander – cello suite
Ceren Türkmenoglu – violin, rehab, vocals
Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
-selection from the two-part inventions
-allemande from Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
-Prelude and Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008
Dimitrie Cantemir (1673–1723) Buselik Pesrev
Béla Bartók (1880–1945) Duos for Violin and Cello
Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1906–1991) Intermezzo from Partita for Cello
Ekrem Zeki Ün (1910–1987) Yudumluk, solo for violin
Ceren Türkmenoglu (1989– ) Mai, for violin and cello
Sandor Veress (1907–1992) Sonatina for Violin and Cello
Joachim Eijlander (1975–) Duo for Rebab and Cello
Two Ottoman Songs for Voice, Rebab, and Cello