The Malta Independent on Sunday
And it’s Music, Music, Music!
After giving us the opportunity to listen to a brilliant pianist, Rüya Taner, the energetic ambassador of Turkey to Malta, Ayşe Sezgin engaged the Tanini Trio to play at San Anton Palace, in the presence of the President of Malta, who, I am told, has something like six engagements a day. This was an evening of sheer entertainment by a gifted trio: Tahir Aydoğdu on the Kanun, Bilgin Canaz on the Ney and Hakan Ali Toker on the piano. The latter also acted as compère and the three played with the intensity and glee of children doing jigsaw puzzles and their enthusiasm carried the audience with them. Their programme, to me at least, was a little like going to New York. Just because you’ve been there before doesn’t mean you have any idea what’s going to happen next time. I gave a cursory look at it and recognized Astor Piazzolla and Lucio Dalla and that was about it. I had never experienced Turkish music before so I was very eager to see with what kind of music this trio was going to entertain us.
For a start each musician had one of his own compositions on the programme. Well, the term making music was very appropriate in their case for that is exactly what they did: make music most of which I had never heard before. Hakan Ali Toker, the pianist, has an excellent command of English and cracked jokes and witticisms in between playing the piano. This was truly entertainment and we managed to relax even in the elegant formality of the room draped in gold.
I am not one to produce a fatal yawn of recognition if I am listening to a familiar piece which is played very often. Not for me to mutter inside my head, ‘Oh, God, not this again.’ Piazzolla’s Libertango falls under this category but who cares. It makes you want to stand up and tango. Lucio Dalla’s much loved Caruso seemed the same, yet different. It is the exotic Ney which made it sound Eastern. The Trio’s playing truly falls between high art and entertainment. Their own compositions were more than just digestible. We listened with pleasure. And they had a Maltese Surprise in store, too, a piece composed by Maestro Joseph Vella, who was present with his wife Nathalie; a composition based on Maltese folksongs which we know and love. To end the concert there was an interactive
improvisation and a potpourri.
That this was an exhilarating evening of music-making is putting it mildly. It was another ‘Turkish’ treat, in a short space of time, from the Ambassador of Turkey who has been in the diplomatic service for 32 years, having served as Ambassador in Slovenia and Vienna before presenting her credentials here. Her husband is ambassador in Rome and they have a daughter who is a lawyer and lives in Istanbul.
Her Excellency has shown a great deal of interest in the Turkish cemetery designed by Galizia and which has been so sadly neglected. Who knows perhaps Turkey will restore it to its former beauty? All I do, it seems to me, is sign petitions. I am more than ready to sign one for this, too.
Another treat, this time from the Australian High Commissioner, Ms Jane Lambert who engaged Australian pianist Stefan Cassomenos. The ambience at her residence, Villa Risq, was that of a
salon, pleasant and intimate. Out of six pieces on the programme I recognized three: Liszt’s Fu
nerailles, Chopin’s Berceuse and
Beethoven’s Sonata No 31 in A
flat major, Opus 110. The young pianist provided another evening of pleasure and took us for a journey through the programme. Talent was coming out of every pore even as he played the first piece on the programme Haydn’s
Sonata in B minor. We knew we were feet away from formidable talent and sat there spellbound and stirred by the music. Cassomenos is truly creative. He is a composer and also conducts. I always listen to anything composed by Liszt with fresh delight. I love his five Consolations, three Liebestraum, Hungarian Rhapsodies especially No 2 which reminds me of my mother. Cassomenos played
Funerailles with a sense of poetry. Anyone not moved by this piece of music must have custard running through his veins and not blood. It was evident through the evening that Cassomenos loves what he is doing and he established a rapport with the audience. His is virtuosity thrown off with ease. Chopin only composed one
Berceuse and the pianist gave us a little background about it. It was indeed played as it should be, a cradle song, but not all pianists manage this.
Apart from the classics he played a piece composed by an Australian of Maltese descent, Jesmond Grixti:
Anzak Koyu. Grixti is an acclaimed composer and academic and his music has been played in many parts of the globe. The pianist told us that this was a world premiere. The translation of the title in English is Anzak Cove which Grixti wrote in honour of the Anzac heroes who landed and fought on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey and of which centenary we are commemorating this year. The name was chosen by the composer to pay tribute to the more than 80,000 Turkish soldiers who lost their life during this campaign. It is a poignant piece and befitting to this disaster of a campaign where so many mistakes were made. The pianist surprised us as Grixti’s teacher in Malta, who stood up to say a few words, was present in the audience. Another piece by Carl Vine: Toc
catissimo, a demanding piece to play and only a brilliant musicianship could pull it off. Toccatissimo was played with style and panache and if nothing else, one had to admire the pianist’s incredible diversity.
Cassomenos playing has an unaffected simplicity that is impressive and throughout there is a welcome understatement and naturalness. He plays with warmth and spontaneity along with his remarkable technical prowess. He has an ability to grip the listener which is certainly not always the case even with gifted pianists.
During drinks and canapés after the concert he spoke to everyone and here was a great pianist who at a young age had already achieved so much and yet was completely unpretentious. But completely. Thank you Your Excellency for the opportunity.