Ensemble Resonanz / Derya Yıldırım / Avi Avital

»Folk music is not nostalgia. It is movement, change, expression – a mirror of society.« This attitude characterises Derya Yıldırım’s music: songs that are passed on, re-perceived and constantly redefined. Her voice and the bağlama tell of longing and resistance, migration and identity – sometimes tender and melancholic, sometimes powerful and rousing.

Avi Avital, on the other hand, has re-established the mandolin as a classical concert instrument. Famous for his virtuoso interpretations of baroque and Italian music, his heart also beats for folk music – especially that of the Mediterranean region.

Now the two exceptional artists are meeting on stage for the first time – brought together by Ensemble Resonanz, which shares a close musical friendship with Derya Yıldırım and regularly explores boundaries with its flair for sonic experimentation. Together they present a multifaceted programme: Anatolian folk songs, traditionally and newly arranged for bağlama, mandolin and strings; baroque masterpieces from Locatelli to Vivaldi; as well as musical dialogues between past and present. Composer Taner Akyol has written a new work especially for this evening that draws on the sound colours of these special instruments and combines them to create something new. A concert that transcends musical categories – direct, expressive and deeply moving.