13.00 Uhr
Rundgang
Aşina
Unexpectedly familiar – Our new concert series“Aşina”, a word of Persian origin, refers to something that is familiar to us, even if we do not know it fully: a sense of closeness that needs no explanation. The Aşina concert series embodies a new way of listening that recognises the familiar within the seemingly unfamiliar and brings it closer to us. Aşina connects people not through culture, but through shared emotions. Internationally renowned musicians come to Berlin for the series, some of them making a special trip for these concerts after a long absence. Time-honoured traditions, artists from the urban scene and musical forms of expression rarely heard in concert halls come together on stage, giving voice to the music of our time. At the same time, the audience brings together worlds that often merely coexist in everyday life.
AŞİNA – A HOMMAGE TO ZÜLFÜ LİVANELİ
Opening Concert
Zülfü Livaneli is regarded as an icon and a ‘Renaissance artist’: for 60 years, the multi-award-winning writer, composer, singer and film director has shaped Turkey’s collective memory. Through his works and his commitment to peace and human rights, he brings generations together and gives them a voice of hope, longing and resistance. With the Rumi Suite, Livaneli pays tribute to the timeless words of the Persian Sufi mystic Rumi. In an adapted version of the suite, the German premiere, together with Livaneli’s songs – which enjoy cult status and are sung worldwide in numerous languages – marks the start of the new concert series.
THE SOUNDS OF MESOPOTAMIA
Mesopotamia, situated between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, is one of the world’s oldest musical landscapes. The region’s numerous civilisations share a common musical heritage. In this concert, ancient keys, folk melodies and improvisations come together, uniting different languages and rhythms into a shared pulse. Turkish, Syrian, Kurdish and Persian sounds invite not a journey into the past, but an encounter with a living tradition.
ERKAN OĞUR & İSMAİL HAKKI DEMİRCİOĞLU
Erkan Oğur is one of the most influential figures in Anatolian music. Through his playing of the kopuz, he blends traditional soundscapes with an improvisational openness. In a duet with the singer İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu – a leading voice in Alevi music, amongst other genres – he interprets songs and poems from the Anatolian folk and Sufi traditions. Voice and instrument enter into a calm, focused dialogue that brings the musical heritage of Anatolia into the present day.
O – THE THIRD VOICE
In a performance characterised by transformation and resistance, Anthony Hüseyin blends his own contemporary songs and lyrics with Baroque arias and the music of Zeki Müren, the ‘sun’ of Turkish art music. David Bergmüller’s genre-bending lute arrangements form the sonic foundation for Hüseyin’s expanded vocal work: using live technology, the duo deconstructs traditional roles and creates a “third voice” that celebrates queer joy and the fluidity of identity.
ISTANBUL REFLECTIONS
Istanbul, once the capital of three empires, is a place where languages, religions and cultures have intermingled over the centuries. This rich tapestry has given rise to a vibrant musical tradition. The programme traces the musical heritage of the city’s Greek, Jewish, Armenian and Muslim communities, bringing Istanbul’s diverse soundscapes to life.