CIGDEM ASLAN PERFORMS 'SONGS OF SMYRNA' GREEK AND TURKISH REBETIKO
Date: 1 October 2010
Time: 7pm
Venue: ST ETHELBURGA' S BISHOPSGATE, 78 Bishopsgate EC2N 4AG
Istanbul-born singer Çiğdem Aslan (pronounced Cheedem) brings an authentic voice and exquisite styling to the poignant songs associated with the Greek and Turkish diasporas which were created after the forced population exchanges between the two countries in the early 1920s. Born out of hardship yet full of resilience and with a devil-may-care attitude, these are the ‘Blues of the Mediterranean’, Çiğdem Aslan brings this to life in song, Accompanied by Pavlos Melas (guitar & vocals), Pavlos Carvalho (bouzouki) and Cahit Baylav (violin).
The programme consists of rebetiko (also called rembetiko) songs by musicians from Smyrna /Izmir and Istanbul /Constantinople such as Papazoglu, Hatzichrostos and Skarvelis, as well as anonymous folk songs with origins in western Anatolia. Other centres of rebetiko were the port of Piraeus and Athens where the Greeks from Asia Minor settled in often squalid conditions. The songs reflected themes such as poverty, exile, violence, drugs and prostitution, as well as love, matchmaking, work and everyday chores and small delights.
“On stage Aslan is a fresh, natural and relaxed performer with a beautiful voice. Her facility to slip from Greek to Turkish and several other languages is a real asset”. Simon Broughton, Songlines
Full details:
http://stethelburgas.org/c
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