Erguvan

This album consists mostly of folk repertoire from the Aegean region of Turkey, collected in the field by musicologist Ali Fuat Aydin and rearranged for an ensemble whose sound is based on the dialogue between the liquid folksy voices of the different sizes of bağlama (lute) and the stately resonances of tanbur, the prince of stringed instruments in the Ottoman court. Dr Murat Salim Tokaç, arguably the finest contemporary master, handles tanbur, while bağlamas are played by Erdem ŞimŞek, an upcoming talent sprouted from the endless well of Alevi culture. The vocal tones of classic kemenche, played by Emre Erdal, and the breathy ney (played by Tokaç again) enrich the gamut of colours and phrasings.

The CD presents a strong selection of evocative melodies and dance tunes – sirtos, hasapikos and of course zeybeks – interspersed with improvised preludes. Some tunes are given very short and stiff renditions, wherein precision wins at the expense of vivacity, in an unwanted imitation of dried-up European chamber music, but mostly the album works thanks to the tasty improvisations when the music is played with some abandon, and when subtle countermelodies suggest a possible polyphonic approach.