EIF: Istanbul 1710: The Book of the Science of Music
Queen’s Hall – 18/08/22
A Festival Highlight
There are always moments in each Edinburgh Festival when I think “Ah! This is what a Festival should be!” Today’s morning concert in the Queen’s Hall was one of these moments. Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI delighted a full house with a concert of music which could have been heard at the Ottoman Court in Istanbul in 1710. An atmosphere of tolerance and diversity prevailed at this ancient crossroads of East and West, and Savall and his players brought us a mixture of court and popular music from various traditions – Greek, Turkish, Armenian and Sephardic. We saw this music through the eyes of the Moldavian prince, Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723), who lived in Istanbul, first as a hostage and then as diplomatic envoy for his father. A polymath with an open mind, he collected and transcribed local music and composed some of his own and wrote an extensive treatise on music (in Turkish!), the Book of the Science of Music.
Today’s concert played on original middle Eastern instruments was a fascinating, and indeed riveting, performance, by one of the world’s great musical giants, Jordi Savall. Now 81, he shows little sign of slowing down, and we are fortunate in Edinburgh to have this marvellous Catalan to entertain us. Looking like a model for a Velasquez painting, he sat to the left of the group on stage, charming lovely sounds out of his vielle, a sort of viola da gamba. Next to him was Hakan Gungor, playing a kanun, a type of zither, and next to him, Yurdal Tokcan, an oud player (a lute-like instrument). David Mayoral provided the percussion on a combination of drums, castanets and tambourine, and Dimitri Psonis thrilled us with his santur, a hammered dulcimer. On the end of the semi-circle, Nedyalko Nedyalkov played the kaval, a Turkish flute.
As the recital progressed, we became more aware of each instrument, and how the music fitted together, usually a quasi-improvised prelude or introduction followed by a full band piece, a Makam. Each makam specifies a unique intervalic structure and melodic development. Interspersed with these Turkish pieces, Hesperion XXI played several pieces from both the Sephardic and Armenian tradition, and, although most of us were mystified by what exactly was going on, it all added up to a most satisfying concert, the highlight for me coming in the second half, when they played a piece almost like a jazz sextet, where each instrument got their own showy bit. There was even ‘The Drum Solo’.
I have been a fan of Jordi Savall for years (he formed the group in 1974 in Basel), but this was my first in the flesh. His CDs are marvellous and I recommend in particular: Carlos V – Mille Regrez. I would also recommend you tune into BBC Sounds to listen to this magnificent concert.
Cover photo: J Shurte
