By Cenk Erdem, " Loreena McKennitt bringing ‘An Ancient Muse' to Turkey, northern Cyprus " - Today's Zaman - Istanbul, TurkeyFriday, June 12, 2009
Turkish music lovers have as of late been feeling that Loreena McKennitt is getting closer to them through references to Turkish culture in her songs.
In her 2006 CD, “An Ancient Muse,” the Canadian singer-songwriter, known for her unique style, which combines Celtic music and Eastern melodies, looks through “the gates of İstanbul” and makes references to important figures from this land, such as Sultan Mehmed II and Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi. The Turkish musical instruments ud and kanun were also used in the album.
Now, around three years after the release of “An Ancient Muse,” McKennitt is preparing to salute her Turkish fans in three concerts this weekend as part of her ongoing Mediterranean tour.
Her first appearance, coming some 13 years after she last performed here at the İstanbul Jazz Festival, is set for Saturday evening at İstanbul's Cemil Topuzlu Open-air Theater. McKennitt's İstanbul appearance, a joint effort by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (İKSV) and artist management company Pasion Turca, will be followed by a Bursa gig on Sunday evening. McKennitt will perform as part of the 48th International Bursa Festival at the Kültürpark Open-air Theater. And early next week, on Tuesday, McKennitt will appear at northern Cyprus' 13th Gazimağusa (Famagusta) Culture and Art Festival at the ancient Salamis theater.
McKennitt spoke in a warm and sincere interview with Today's Zaman ahead of her Turkey concerts.
In 1985, you formed your own recording company and recorded a nine-song cassette of your own, which you then sold through your own efforts. Were you able to dream of such success in those days?
Definitely not. Actually, there is a dangerous aspect to being known by everyone. People might think I'm really extraordinary, or just incredible, when actually there are all sorts of people who are truly extraordinary, but who are not known by everyone. I just use my songs as a way of expressing myself, and I am an ordinary person, like anyone else. And I am not trying here for humility, because actually I am very happy when people enjoy my songs.
Many of your songs make interesting references to past times in life. For example, in the song “Bonny Portmore,” there is a description of how it used to be that British people would mourn for lost groves of oak trees, which turns into a kind of call to save the forests of today. When picking your songs, do you choose songs that include messages that relate to today's world?
I am not an authority on these matters, but I love to learn and discover the various aspects of history. My own personal interest in history helps me to discover the relationship between the past and the present, so first I try to learn and then I rely on what I have learned. The wars, religions and politics of the past serve as a guide to our lives today.
Your musical projects have you traveling about like a professional travel writer, but you seem to be especially interested in the Celtic roots present in the places you visit. What is the magic in Celtic music that motivates you so strongly?
Actually, I never imagined being a singer, but when I started to discover traditional music, I fell under its trance. I was so influenced when I encountered an international exhibition of traditional Celtic crafts in 1991 in Venice. When I saw there that in fact Celtic roots stretched all the way to Central and Eastern Europe, this really had a strong influence on me. Celtic music is just so strong and has such a powerful psychological effect. I suppose I could say I was entranced by Celtic music.
In addition to the presence of Celtic music at the heart of your style, there are also various Eastern influences in your songs. How would you describe your own style?
Well, it's very difficult to describe. Sadly, the propensity to categorize music is one of the unfortunate necessities of the music industry. I think definitions are quite relative, but I guess I could say my music is filled with Irish and Celtic melodies, and in a way, I also fill my music with Eastern melodies and phenomena. The Eastern dimension to my music is tied to history and is really based on my own impressions.
What is it that feeds your creativity?
Situations I face sometimes inspire me. Sometimes a very powerful book will influence me, or it could also be a story I hear someone tell. One such powerful book for me was Thomas Cahill's “How the Irish Saved Civilization.” I was powerfully influenced by the story I heard of a street girl in Dublin in 1982, and in 1989, I made an album from this. I am quite moved by the stories I hear about street children.
There are Greek musicians who play in your most recent studio album, and in fact, in addition to the lyra, which is much like the Turkish kemençe, there is also the ud and the kanun. All these different instruments give listeners the feeling and sense of İstanbul. In your own words, how would you describe İstanbul?
Well, it's wonderful if my album does give the feeling of İstanbul; after all, I had specifically aimed for this in my song “The Gates of İstanbul.” I love the various differences and the combination of these differences that you feel in İstanbul. The unity of it all existing at one time, the past and all this tradition existing at the same time as nightlife and night clubs where music is played and there is every sort of technology. And of course, the Celtic dimensions that exist in İstanbul's own past draw me, too.
In your song “The Gates of İstanbul,” you put the focus on the era of Sultan Mehmed II. What exactly is it that you want to describe in this song?
I am not an academic, so the aspects of this period that I can talk about are limited, but I suppose I can work as a catalyst in encouraging others to learn more about this period. With this song, I just try to express through music what I know about that era. The era of Sultan Mehmet II was a kind of renaissance period for art and music, and I wanted to recognize that era.
Also, your song “Sacred Shabbat” contains a very recognizable melody from the Turkish song “Katibim” (also known as “Üsküdar'a Giderken”). What is the story behind this beautiful song?
The original version of this song may be quite different, but I heard it for the first time in Athens, and then I heard the same melody in Spain. This song may be linked with Spanish Jews, and many of them came to Ottoman lands. As a whole, this song reminded me of the Mediterranean, and while this song may be connected to different stories and different historical relationships on these lands, I still wanted to use this melody, known all over the Mediterranean, to illuminate a different era in history. What this all meant in the end was the emergence of a song which remembered the final eras of the Ottoman Empire.
Some of the songs on your album also make reference to Mevlana; as a songwriter, how are you affected by Sufism?
Just as I fell under the influence of Celtic music, it's as though instinctively I was ready to be influenced by Mevlana and Sufism: pure and full of love. What I felt was love. I can't describe it any other way.
How does the work you do help your own self-awareness? Are you reflected entirely in your albums, or are you still searching for yourself?
There are mysteries which are never revealed to us. What we have to do is accept all the treasures and mysteries of this world. All I do is use the tools provided by the mortal world to reflect back on people that which already exists. I discover my own personal methods to share these things with people, and I continue to discover. There are mysteries that exist beyond our comprehension.
Will there be any surprises during your concerts in Turkey and northern Cyprus?
The songs in these concerts will mostly be from “An Ancient Muse.” I want to invite some surprise Turkish musician guests on stage with me at my concerts. I am not making any promises, but we are talking currently, and I am hoping for that sort of surprise. You will hear some songs that are very close to your heart, and there will be some very different musicians all in one place. My guitarist, Brian Hughes, is actually a jazz musician. There will be a Greek musician playing the lyra, which, as you said, is very close to the Turkish kemençe. Hugh Marsh is a great violinist. I am expecting and dreaming of wonderful concerts in Turkey.
Turkish music lovers have as of late been feeling that Loreena McKennitt is getting closer to them through references to Turkish culture in her songs.
In her 2006 CD, “An Ancient Muse,” the Canadian singer-songwriter, known for her unique style, which combines Celtic music and Eastern melodies, looks through “the gates of İstanbul” and makes references to important figures from this land, such as Sultan Mehmed II and Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi. The Turkish musical instruments ud and kanun were also used in the album.
Now, around three years after the release of “An Ancient Muse,” McKennitt is preparing to salute her Turkish fans in three concerts this weekend as part of her ongoing Mediterranean tour.
Her first appearance, coming some 13 years after she last performed here at the İstanbul Jazz Festival, is set for Saturday evening at İstanbul's Cemil Topuzlu Open-air Theater. McKennitt's İstanbul appearance, a joint effort by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (İKSV) and artist management company Pasion Turca, will be followed by a Bursa gig on Sunday evening. McKennitt will perform as part of the 48th International Bursa Festival at the Kültürpark Open-air Theater. And early next week, on Tuesday, McKennitt will appear at northern Cyprus' 13th Gazimağusa (Famagusta) Culture and Art Festival at the ancient Salamis theater.
McKennitt spoke in a warm and sincere interview with Today's Zaman ahead of her Turkey concerts.
In 1985, you formed your own recording company and recorded a nine-song cassette of your own, which you then sold through your own efforts. Were you able to dream of such success in those days?
Definitely not. Actually, there is a dangerous aspect to being known by everyone. People might think I'm really extraordinary, or just incredible, when actually there are all sorts of people who are truly extraordinary, but who are not known by everyone. I just use my songs as a way of expressing myself, and I am an ordinary person, like anyone else. And I am not trying here for humility, because actually I am very happy when people enjoy my songs.
Many of your songs make interesting references to past times in life. For example, in the song “Bonny Portmore,” there is a description of how it used to be that British people would mourn for lost groves of oak trees, which turns into a kind of call to save the forests of today. When picking your songs, do you choose songs that include messages that relate to today's world?
I am not an authority on these matters, but I love to learn and discover the various aspects of history. My own personal interest in history helps me to discover the relationship between the past and the present, so first I try to learn and then I rely on what I have learned. The wars, religions and politics of the past serve as a guide to our lives today.
Your musical projects have you traveling about like a professional travel writer, but you seem to be especially interested in the Celtic roots present in the places you visit. What is the magic in Celtic music that motivates you so strongly?
Actually, I never imagined being a singer, but when I started to discover traditional music, I fell under its trance. I was so influenced when I encountered an international exhibition of traditional Celtic crafts in 1991 in Venice. When I saw there that in fact Celtic roots stretched all the way to Central and Eastern Europe, this really had a strong influence on me. Celtic music is just so strong and has such a powerful psychological effect. I suppose I could say I was entranced by Celtic music.
In addition to the presence of Celtic music at the heart of your style, there are also various Eastern influences in your songs. How would you describe your own style?
Well, it's very difficult to describe. Sadly, the propensity to categorize music is one of the unfortunate necessities of the music industry. I think definitions are quite relative, but I guess I could say my music is filled with Irish and Celtic melodies, and in a way, I also fill my music with Eastern melodies and phenomena. The Eastern dimension to my music is tied to history and is really based on my own impressions.
What is it that feeds your creativity?
Situations I face sometimes inspire me. Sometimes a very powerful book will influence me, or it could also be a story I hear someone tell. One such powerful book for me was Thomas Cahill's “How the Irish Saved Civilization.” I was powerfully influenced by the story I heard of a street girl in Dublin in 1982, and in 1989, I made an album from this. I am quite moved by the stories I hear about street children.
There are Greek musicians who play in your most recent studio album, and in fact, in addition to the lyra, which is much like the Turkish kemençe, there is also the ud and the kanun. All these different instruments give listeners the feeling and sense of İstanbul. In your own words, how would you describe İstanbul?
Well, it's wonderful if my album does give the feeling of İstanbul; after all, I had specifically aimed for this in my song “The Gates of İstanbul.” I love the various differences and the combination of these differences that you feel in İstanbul. The unity of it all existing at one time, the past and all this tradition existing at the same time as nightlife and night clubs where music is played and there is every sort of technology. And of course, the Celtic dimensions that exist in İstanbul's own past draw me, too.
In your song “The Gates of İstanbul,” you put the focus on the era of Sultan Mehmed II. What exactly is it that you want to describe in this song?
I am not an academic, so the aspects of this period that I can talk about are limited, but I suppose I can work as a catalyst in encouraging others to learn more about this period. With this song, I just try to express through music what I know about that era. The era of Sultan Mehmet II was a kind of renaissance period for art and music, and I wanted to recognize that era.
Also, your song “Sacred Shabbat” contains a very recognizable melody from the Turkish song “Katibim” (also known as “Üsküdar'a Giderken”). What is the story behind this beautiful song?
The original version of this song may be quite different, but I heard it for the first time in Athens, and then I heard the same melody in Spain. This song may be linked with Spanish Jews, and many of them came to Ottoman lands. As a whole, this song reminded me of the Mediterranean, and while this song may be connected to different stories and different historical relationships on these lands, I still wanted to use this melody, known all over the Mediterranean, to illuminate a different era in history. What this all meant in the end was the emergence of a song which remembered the final eras of the Ottoman Empire.
Some of the songs on your album also make reference to Mevlana; as a songwriter, how are you affected by Sufism?
Just as I fell under the influence of Celtic music, it's as though instinctively I was ready to be influenced by Mevlana and Sufism: pure and full of love. What I felt was love. I can't describe it any other way.
How does the work you do help your own self-awareness? Are you reflected entirely in your albums, or are you still searching for yourself?
There are mysteries which are never revealed to us. What we have to do is accept all the treasures and mysteries of this world. All I do is use the tools provided by the mortal world to reflect back on people that which already exists. I discover my own personal methods to share these things with people, and I continue to discover. There are mysteries that exist beyond our comprehension.
Will there be any surprises during your concerts in Turkey and northern Cyprus?
The songs in these concerts will mostly be from “An Ancient Muse.” I want to invite some surprise Turkish musician guests on stage with me at my concerts. I am not making any promises, but we are talking currently, and I am hoping for that sort of surprise. You will hear some songs that are very close to your heart, and there will be some very different musicians all in one place. My guitarist, Brian Hughes, is actually a jazz musician. There will be a Greek musician playing the lyra, which, as you said, is very close to the Turkish kemençe. Hugh Marsh is a great violinist. I am expecting and dreaming of wonderful concerts in Turkey.
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