Exploring the Early Turkish String Quartet Repertoire

There is a very large gap between the works composed for string quartet by Turkish composers, and general performer and audience familiarity with these numerous pieces. This is true for the majority of string players in Turkey and for players and audiences abroad. This project aims to fill this gap by organizing informal reading sessions, in-person and online workshops, concerts and recordings, (and also with the preparation and publishing of scores). 

In 2023, the participants will focus primarily on the first generation of composers. These are musicians who came of age during the new Turkish Republic founded in 1923. 

We will invite a group of advisors who will agree to study scores and coach players as they learn and explore the quartets together. These will include members or former members of the Emerson, Arditti, Manhattan, New Zealand, Audubon, Borusan and Tetraktys Quartets; Hezarfen and Hoppa Ensembles as well as composers familiar with this musical language. 

First Generation (14 works; approximately 5 and ½ hours with music that can be found)

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NECİL KÂZIM AKSES (1908-1999) 
HASAN FERİD ALNAR (1906-1978) 
FAİK CANSELEN (1911- 2009) 
ULVİ CEMAL ERKİN (1906-1972) 
KEMAL İLERİCİ (1910-1986) 
NURI SAMI KORAL (1908-1996) 
CEMAL REŞİT REY (1904-1985) 
AHMED ADNAN SAYGUN (1907-1991) 
EKREM ZEKİ ÜN (1910-1987)