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PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY of ORANGE COUNTY
2082 Business Center Drive, Suite 100
Irvine, CA. 92612-1113
TEL: (949) 553-2422

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TURKISH MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST BURHAN ÖÇAL WITH HIS ISTANBUL ORIENTAL ENSEMBLE PERFORM MARCH 9 AT IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

Turkish ensemble plays authentic Gypsy music of the Ottoman Empire on its first United States tour

The Philharmonic Society and the Barclay present Turkish multi-instrumentalist Burhan Öçal with his Istanbul Oriental Ensemble on Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Öçal is one of the greatest darbouka (finger drum) musicians alive today, joined by five additional performers on ud (lute), qanun (zither), clarinet and violin. On its first United States tour, the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble performs selections from its latest CD, Caravanserai (released on Harmonia Mundi in January 2001), which showcases authentic Gypsy music of the Ottoman Empire. Öçal will also lend his expressive voice to ancient Sufi devotionals and Turkish classical chants. Local audiences were introduced to Öçal in October 1999 as a result of his collaboration with the Kronos Quartet for the Philharmonic Society's inaugural Eclectic Orange Festival.

Tickets for Burhan Öçal with Istanbul Oriental Ensemble are $29 and $25. Tickets are available at the Irvine Barclay Theatre box office, (949) 854-4646, and at all TicketMaster outlets. Order online at www.thebarclay.org or www.philharmonicsociety.org.

Turkish music specialist Burhan Öçal has made the bridging of musical cultures his central mission. A native of Kirklareli, near Istanbul, he grew up in a musical family. From his father, he learned a variety of percussion instruments, while his mother introduced him to religious vocal music. From an early age, he was influenced by and began performing Turkish court and folk music, as well as neo-classical Turkish music. He formed the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble with a number of Turkey's leading Gypsy musicians who are dedicated to preserving the all-but-forgotten heritage of 18th and 19th century Gypsy music from Istanbul and Thrace, an area that includes parts of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

Gypsies have played an important role in shaping the music of the region around Istanbul since the 10th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Islamic law frowned upon music performed by Muslims, and Gypsies became the official musicians to the sultans and nobility of the Ottoman Empire. In the course of their constant travels, the Turkish Gypsies acquired a wide repertoire, adopting those elements of Turkish classical music that provided the best vehicle for their vitality and temperament, such as the solo improvisations known as taksim. The daily life of these musicians, in fact, centered on musical improvisation. When they were not performing at a concert, wedding or some other gathering, they would get together to improvise late into the night. One musician would begin to develop a theme to introduce the makam (one of the modes, or scales, that are the basis for Turkish classical music), which would then be picked up and lavishly ornamented by the next musician. The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble place this tradition of collaborative improvisation at the heart of its performances.

The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble's first recording, Gypsy Rum, won the 1995 German Record Critic's Award and was a best-seller on the world music charts. The follow up to that disc, Sultan's Secret Door, was accorded the rare honor of a second German Record Critics Award. Öçal's solo disc of Turkish classical music of the 17th century titled Ottoman Garden received the 1996 Prix Choc award. Öçal's latest project is a series of recordings devoted to Turkish folk music on the Soundways label.

The World Stages series is co-presented by the Philharmonic Society and the Barclay. The series concludes on Mar. 17 with a St. Patrick's Day celebration with Irish supergroup Solas. For more information on World Stages, call the Philharmonic Society at (949) 553-2422 or the Barclay at (949) 854-4646.
Source: Philharmonic Society of Orange County

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