Cihat ASKIN

Violinist of the East and the West...

SOON

26 September 2009
Germany / Nauen

Cihat Askin & Rüya Taner
Violin - Piano Recital

Programme: Franck, Kreisler, Schumann

Latest News


OCTOBER BULLETIN 2009

Cihat Askin starts the 2009-10 season with a series of recitals in Mersin and Hatay. The first concert will be the opening activity of Mersin University on the 5th of October. Pianist GuldenTeztel and Askin will be repeating the program in Hatay on the 7th of October. They will be performing the works of Vitali, Franck and Askin’s own Miniatures.

Hundred years old composer Faik Canselen passed away on the 17th of September. Askin was a prominent figure in reviving the works of the late composer and he recorded many of his works. Some of the radio programs in October mark the death of the composer and his recorded works will be broadcated for the first time.

Last year in October, Askin had been appointed as the director of the ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory. This year, on the 12th of October, he will be delivering a speech at the general assembly of the conservatory and offering historical collaboration to the other institutes. He aims to mention at the important musical and cultural issues.

CAKA (Cihat Askin and Little Friends) is opening its second branch in Fenerbahce on the Asian side of the city on 18 October. The program will be offered as a course in the ARSU Fine Arts Academy and will be open to the students of the Anatolian side. CAKA also offers monthly masterclasses. The October masterclass will be given by Bahar Buyukgonenc and will be held on the 31th of October at MIAM, Istanbul Technical University.

Information: Mercan Bursali / infaskin@gmail.com

 

 

Cihat Askin in Danmark

Cihat Askin will give a recital with pianist Can Okan on 28 Fabruary, Saturday.













































CIHAT ASKIN & KAMRAN INCE PERFORM ‘ THE AMBIANT MUSIC PROJECT’

Turkish violinist Cihat Askin is going to perform 'The Ambiant Music Project' by Kamran Ince in Memphis. The concert will take place in Memphis University on Thursday, 13 March 2008. The ensemble will be conducted by the composer himself. The Ambiant Music Project was composed in 2007 and was first performed by Cihat Askin in Istanbul. It consists of 17 tracks which reflects different moods with some ethnic Turkish flavours.

The collaboration between Askin and Ince started in 1999 with the establishment of Advanced Music Research Center of Istanbul Technical University. The institute was accepted as one of the best among the schools which were devoted to modern music. Askin championed Kamran Ince's violin works over a period of ten years and Ince recently dedicated his Partita for Violin and percussion instruments to Askin who will premiere the piece in coming season.

Apart from his concerts in the USA, Cihat Askin is also giving a composition seminer on Turkish violin music to the students of Memphis University on Wednesday, 12 March 2008.


ASKIN IS GIVING A MASTERCLASS IN PITTSBURG UNIVERSITY

Violinist Cihat Askin is giving a masterclass to the students of Pittsburg University, on 6 March, Thursday at College of Arts and Science. In his masterclasse Askin will teach the students from the College and give a speech about his own Cihat Askin and Little Friends Project. 4 March 2008





KREUTZER ETUDES ON CD

CIHAT ASKIN – violin

Kalan Music CD 377

French violinist and composer of world fame Rodolphe Kreutzer wrote his 42 Etudés for violin training in 1796. Since then, these Etudés became a major source for both violin students and also experts. Kreutzer Etudés had never been recorded on CD, until by Cihat Askin in 2003. The CD is now published in Turkey , by Kalan Music , this week.

Kreutzer Etudés' superiority was accepted world wide, they were played by the major violinists of the time and set the pace for future violinists. Wieniawski , Auer , Szigeti , Kogan emphasized the importance of Kreutzer Etudés. Heifetz praised them as “ The Holy Book of a Violinist ”.

These Etudés are relevant for both the right and the left hand techniques. They reflect the technical characteristics of the 18 th century French School . Rodolphe Kreutzer was a great artist who inspired many of his contemporaries. Thus Beethoven dedicated his famous sonata to him, Tolstoy titled one of his novels “ Kreutzer Sonata ”, Janacek composed a quartet in his name.

11 July 2006, Istanbul

 

 

Young composer Arda Ardases Agosyan dedicated his violin concerto to Cihat ASKIN

Young composer Arda Ardases Agosyan, dedicated his newly written violin concerto to Cihat Askin. Agosyan is one of the leading artists of the young generation, who continues his works both as a contrabass and a composer. In recent years, Agosyan has concentrated on composing; and in Violin Concerto, he used stringed instruments, harp, timpani and glockenspiel besides solo violin. The concerto lasts 20 minutes and will be performed by Cihat Askin as the solist with Istanbul Chamber Orchestra in Hakan Sensoy's conduct, forthcoming season for the first time. After Istanbul , it is planned to be performed also in Armenia . The concerto is planned to be recorded as a CD.

July, 8 th 2006 Istanbul

 

An article from Syria Times by Dr. Sadek Pharaon
Turkish Violin & Piano Recital at Dar Al Assad

 

Under the patronage of the Minister of Culture, Dar Al Assad for Culture and Arts, in cooperation with the Turkish Embassy in Damascus , invited music lovers to a violin and piano recital to be given by the Turkish artists: Mr. Jihat Ashkin, violin, and Miss Mehru Anssari, piano, at the Multi-purpose Hall. The administration of the Dar doesn`t disclose the programme of its activities, so a discriminating listener can`t know what genre of music is he/she going to experience until they arrive for the recital However, what prompted me to attend was that my first teacher of violin in Damascus was a Turk: the late Shawky Bey Zoorba, violinist of the last Ottoman Sultan, who both fled to Beirut, and the lonely and forsaken violinist left to Damascus to live his last years and to die here. My first study years were in traditional Turkish Semais, Beshrevs, and Longas.. Then I converted permanently to classical music. I was curious and longing to find out how Turkish music had changed in half-a-century.

It is relevant to say that both these young musicians studied music quite early and continued their studies in Europe and won many world-acknowledged prizes. This small, cozy, friendly and intimate hall was full with enthusiastic listeners. First Mr. Jihat or Jihad appeared alone, greeted the audience with a nice smile and then played Ferahfeza Peshrev, F. Semai, and Shataraban Saz Semai, all by the classical Turkish composer: Tanburi Djemil Bey. These works were performed in the well-tempered scale, i.e. without using the old makams` microtones. They were interpreted in a fresh and modern spirit and elicited high ovation from the audience. For me, they took me back six decades back when my Turkish teacher and I were playing them in a metronome-like monotony. This refreshing way of performance gave them a live and superb spirit. After that, he played with the piano many pieces: Turkish Miniatures composed by him. He proved to be a fine composer who is entrenched in the old classical realm of Turkish music. His style is, however, fresh and melodic. There was a short interval, then both artists played R. Schumann`s Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 105. It is rich in powerful emotions and poetical nature. It was superbly performed by both and was received with high applause. Then Mr. Jihat expressed his pleasure over being in Damascus for the first time and for visiting the High Institute of Music where he met the new generation of musicians. He played a piece written by one of them: Mr. Hassan Taha, for violin solo. It is a beautiful work of modern, nearly atonal, nature which betrays the beginnings of a fine composer who is making a breakthrough out of the enclosure of Oriental mono-tonality. Then Mr. Jihat played many of his compositions that proved he is a superb virtuoso with extraordinary dominance of his fine instrument. His vibrato, his double-stops, staccato, spiccato and his intonation are really superb. The end of the concert was fascinating. The audience gave a standing ovation. Roses were presented to the artists and they kindly played an encore: Longa by Mr. Jihat too, a Paganini-like Perpetuum Mobile, but with an Oriental flavour. This fine concert gave a noble message to Turkey , Syria and all the surrounding East: that we cannot and should completely throw back our past and heritage, and if we do, we become shapeless and insipid.

Dear Turkish artists. Thank you from a friendly heart and please do come again (Buyrum and Tashakkurat Effendem). Music can do miracles and will correct and remedy what politics had spoiled...

Dr. Sadek Pharaon / Syria Times, 25.06.2006

 
02 Feb 2008 . 10:37