By Elif Tunca - Today's Zaman, Istanbul, TurkeyMonday, June 18, 2007
A performance recounting the life story of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi was not among the initial plans for activities marking the Year of Mevlana, the 800th anniversary of the birth of the 13th-century Sufi saint and poet, but composer and maestro Orhan Şallıel's latest project hits the right note and promises to fill this gap with a magnificent performance where neyzens (reed flute players) and DJs will convey Mevlana's universal message to audiences.
"Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi," a multi-disciplinary performance on which Şallıel has been working for the last three years, will be given its premiere on the night of June 20 at İstanbul's Harbiye Open-air Theater as part of the Beşiktaş Culture Center's (BKM) open-air performances.
"We have always heard Mevlana's sayings," Şallıel says, lamenting that "who he really was has been left behind." Those who have developed an interest in Mevlana's teachings have probably researched the Sufi, but Şallıel's complaint is not without merit. The life story of the great Sufi sage, who most known for his motto "Come, whoever you are, come," is not known by many; at least not with the depth of the life story of any modern celebrity.
Taking inspiration from this fact, three years ago Şallıel set out to stage the life story of Mevlana. The result is an "ethno-symphonic" piece called "Mevlana Celaled-din-i Rumi," featuring actor Yılmaz Erdoğan as its narrator and a 120-strong team of performers from neyzens to semazens (whirling dervishes) and from kanun virtuosi to DJs.
Şallıel chooses this word "ethno-symphonic" to define his project, a project that, in a way, is a confusing work that breaks with tradition for a symphony orchestra conductor who received a classical music education. Although Şallıel had a certain degree of acquaintance with joint projects where different genres are blended, this new project is not like any other -- particularly with its spiritual aspect, which Şallıel believes is the most important.
The preparation period for the project was also very interesting for Şallıel; he came across the most proficient names of their respective fields. "All I had to do was to bring them together," says Şallıel. "There were so many talented people around me, what I did was merely organize them."
The piece, which depicts Mevlana's life from the day he and his family took the journey that brought them from Balkh in Iran to Anatolia, features many acclaimed artists such as duduk player Ertan Tekin, clarinetist Hüsnü Şenlen-dirici, kanun player Aytaç Doğan, bağlama player İsmail Tunçbilek and DJ Murat Uncuoğlu.
Choreographed by Ziya Azazi, "Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi" also features a symphony orchestra, Turkish percussion band Akatay Project, and the Mevlana Education and Culture Foundation's Sufi Music Choir and Sema Ensemble.
Şallıel links this idea of many instruments, genres and voices coming together on the same stage with Mevlana's philosophy. "The person we are trying to embody here is so great that you cannot choose whether you have to depict this [story] through a ney, kudüm or an orchestra [performance], but his broadness tolerates all of these. All these [genres] carry a color from him.
The presence of DJ Murat Uncuoğlu denotes Mevlana's message of unity. 'We are all one.'"
"[This performance] also shows that Mevlana's message can be put across in all epochs and in every manner. You can communicate via a letter, a cell phone, a computer or a pigeon. In whatever manner it is said, the message is the same. Mevlana once told a priest: 'We were both in love with the same sea, but taken with two different rivers'."
‘Yılmaz's presence adds sincerity'
Şallıel believes the presence of actor and director Yılmaz Erdoğan [picture, left] as narrator has added sincerity to the performance.
"I was seeking a narrator to read out some of Rumi's poems and sayings at the performance. Later I talked to Erdoğan. My libretto is very clear, and Yılmaz has added warmth to the text. The libretto includes facts and information about Mevlana, but it became a very warm one with the somewhat Sufistic style of Yılmaz. He also made some slight changes to the verses."
A performance recounting the life story of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi was not among the initial plans for activities marking the Year of Mevlana, the 800th anniversary of the birth of the 13th-century Sufi saint and poet, but composer and maestro Orhan Şallıel's latest project hits the right note and promises to fill this gap with a magnificent performance where neyzens (reed flute players) and DJs will convey Mevlana's universal message to audiences.
"Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi," a multi-disciplinary performance on which Şallıel has been working for the last three years, will be given its premiere on the night of June 20 at İstanbul's Harbiye Open-air Theater as part of the Beşiktaş Culture Center's (BKM) open-air performances.
"We have always heard Mevlana's sayings," Şallıel says, lamenting that "who he really was has been left behind." Those who have developed an interest in Mevlana's teachings have probably researched the Sufi, but Şallıel's complaint is not without merit. The life story of the great Sufi sage, who most known for his motto "Come, whoever you are, come," is not known by many; at least not with the depth of the life story of any modern celebrity.
Taking inspiration from this fact, three years ago Şallıel set out to stage the life story of Mevlana. The result is an "ethno-symphonic" piece called "Mevlana Celaled-din-i Rumi," featuring actor Yılmaz Erdoğan as its narrator and a 120-strong team of performers from neyzens to semazens (whirling dervishes) and from kanun virtuosi to DJs.
Şallıel chooses this word "ethno-symphonic" to define his project, a project that, in a way, is a confusing work that breaks with tradition for a symphony orchestra conductor who received a classical music education. Although Şallıel had a certain degree of acquaintance with joint projects where different genres are blended, this new project is not like any other -- particularly with its spiritual aspect, which Şallıel believes is the most important.
The preparation period for the project was also very interesting for Şallıel; he came across the most proficient names of their respective fields. "All I had to do was to bring them together," says Şallıel. "There were so many talented people around me, what I did was merely organize them."
The piece, which depicts Mevlana's life from the day he and his family took the journey that brought them from Balkh in Iran to Anatolia, features many acclaimed artists such as duduk player Ertan Tekin, clarinetist Hüsnü Şenlen-dirici, kanun player Aytaç Doğan, bağlama player İsmail Tunçbilek and DJ Murat Uncuoğlu.
Choreographed by Ziya Azazi, "Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi" also features a symphony orchestra, Turkish percussion band Akatay Project, and the Mevlana Education and Culture Foundation's Sufi Music Choir and Sema Ensemble.
Şallıel links this idea of many instruments, genres and voices coming together on the same stage with Mevlana's philosophy. "The person we are trying to embody here is so great that you cannot choose whether you have to depict this [story] through a ney, kudüm or an orchestra [performance], but his broadness tolerates all of these. All these [genres] carry a color from him.
The presence of DJ Murat Uncuoğlu denotes Mevlana's message of unity. 'We are all one.'"
"[This performance] also shows that Mevlana's message can be put across in all epochs and in every manner. You can communicate via a letter, a cell phone, a computer or a pigeon. In whatever manner it is said, the message is the same. Mevlana once told a priest: 'We were both in love with the same sea, but taken with two different rivers'."
‘Yılmaz's presence adds sincerity'
Şallıel believes the presence of actor and director Yılmaz Erdoğan [picture, left] as narrator has added sincerity to the performance.
"I was seeking a narrator to read out some of Rumi's poems and sayings at the performance. Later I talked to Erdoğan. My libretto is very clear, and Yılmaz has added warmth to the text. The libretto includes facts and information about Mevlana, but it became a very warm one with the somewhat Sufistic style of Yılmaz. He also made some slight changes to the verses."
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