Büşra Kayıkçı on tour in Europe

Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh - 24/01/24

Turkish pianist-composer Büşra Kayıkçı made her Scottish debut at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh at the end of January, performing an intriguing, calming and heartfelt collection of pieces from her new album Places, which was released in November last year.  

Kayıkçı’s music is predominantly meditative, drawing on a variety of influences which include Middle Eastern sound palettes, a dash of post-minimalism (Michael Nyman is often cited in this respect), film scores and the lighter end of electronica. Classically trained, she is therefore operating in that twilight world sometimes described as a ‘crossover’ between art and vernacular musical forms, both in its textures, melodies and easy-going harmonic approach (think Einaudi) and in its combination of acoustic and amplified sound.

The opening piece established the tone for the evening. Bathed in undulating coloured lighting in a darkened hall, Kayıkçı worked from an open-front upright acoustic piano, laptop samples and electronics. Her approach is romantic but quietly haunting and atmospheric, with occasional bursts of tumbling rhythm and ‘found sounds’. It evokes the natural world and a personal sense of home readily, as well as her own architectural background and sensibility. This is intimate and introspective music: soothing and undemanding at one level, but curious and inviting at another.  

‘Quba’, an Arabic word which means ‘dome’, began on solo piano, the left and right hands alternating and blending rhythm and melody.  Kayıkçı introduced and commented on this and many of the pieces she played in a set lasting an hour and 15 minutes. The dome form is one of the basic elements of Islamic architecture, emblematic of her cultural and spiritual heritage. The piece grew in intensity, moving towards drones and yearning cries – almost like a call from the minaret.

Of ‘Quba’, one of the standouts in this concert, Kayıkçı writes: “Metaphorically, it represents the peaceful gathering, unity and solidarity of humanity under one roof. This piece expresses my sadness of the human race's lack of unity in this chaotic world we currently live in; but it also speaks about the hope that music can shift our hearts towards each other.”

Another song without words (as Kayıkçı describes it), ‘Olive Tree’, was based on the narrative lure which shapes all of her compositions. “I grew up spending my summers in an area full of olive trees on the Aegean coast of Turkey, a tradition I still keep with my family today. It is a very quiet and deserted area. Every summer, I experience the peace and abundance that olive trees give my heart.”  While there is what might be described as a New Age feel here, it is infused with loss and longing as well as nostalgia. By contrast, there was some serious sub-woofer action in the encore, as Kayıkçı’s left hand danced propulsively over her right in the middle of the piano.

It has to be said that Büşra Kayıkçı’s style is something quite far removed from the more angular, demanding and interrogating music I naturally gravitate towards. But it is good to be gently taken back to a quieter interiority and to be reminded of the natural and less complicating sound world evoked by a sensitivity towards place, space, environment, and feelings surfaced through the rhythms of life. In such elements she excels.

Sadly, this gentle and nuanced music was not best served by the sound system at the Queen’s Hall on this occasion, despite the endeavours of the crew. Too frequently, it was muddy in the lower frequencies, distorted in the higher, and muffled in the middle. However, the audience was definitely appreciative. Kayıkçı’s music is very much reflective of her Muslim and Turkish identity, and also her desire to find ‘another place’, one of tranquillity and unity, in a troubled world. After a concert in London, she is taking this tour to Germany in February, with dates in Germany (Berlin and Hamburg) and Austria (St Pölten and Dornbirn). 

Cover photo: Eyma Tuna