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Turkish Daily News
Feb 19 2008
A painful cry of an eternal love
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
A group of artists from Turkey and Armenia will be coming together in
a huge project by Turkey's acclaimed piano virtuoso Fazýl Say. Yaþar
Kemal, one of the greatest literary masters of the world, will write
the lyrics of the ballet version of the legend 'Akh Tamar,' which
will be on stage in 2009
VERCÝHAN ZÝFLÝOÐLU
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
A group of 250 major artists from Turkey and Armenia will give
life to the legendary "Ah Tamar" symphonic piece through Turkey's
world-renowned piano virtuoso Fazýl Say who is readying to realize
the project next year.
The project is a crucial step that will bring Armenia and Turkey
closer to each other, Say told the Turkish Daily News in an exclusive
interview.
Say, sensitive to the current situation and the heated debates
recently surrounding him, wanted to preview the article or would
refuse to consent to its publication. Underlining that he faced
great difficulties after a translation-related mistake in the past,
Say said: "My struggle is for Turkey's bright future. I am tired of
being misunderstood, misinterpreted and falsely introduced to people."
The celebrated Turkish pianist's remarks that he wants to leave
Turkey, uttered in an exclusive interview with German daily Suddeutsche
Zeitung, received much attention by the Turkish media and were followed
by an intense polemic in December 2007.
Say, an envoy for the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue,
will compose the ballet version of the vocal and symphonic work. The
lyrics will be composed by Turkey's world famous writer Yaþar Kemal.
Tense atmosphere
Say said he started working on his Akh Tamar project in 2004 but
had to abandon it for a while due to the tense atmosphere that was
created after Nobel Price winner novelist Orhan Pamuk said in a 2004
interview that about 30,000 Kurds and 1 million Armenians had been
killed in Ottoman Turkey.
Say, noting that the political atmosphere in the country became even
more tense in 2007 following the assassination of journalist Hrant
Dink, founder and editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos,
said his project was further delayed due to all these "unfortunate"
events.
Say, who said that he had once spoken to Dink about the project over
the phone, said that it is highly important in terms of taking steps
toward friendly relations between Turkish and Armenian people.
Drawing the attention to the recent collaborative work by Greek artist
Mikis Theodarikis and Turkish artist Zulfu Livaneli, Say said efforts
by these two prominent artists have paved the way for a warming of
Turkish-Greek relations within the last few years.
Say said he has contacted the Armenian State Opera Ballet for his
project and received a positive reply from the institution.
When reminded that an opera on the legend of Akh Tamar was firstly
composed by world-renowned Istanbul-born Armenian composer Sirvart
Karamanukyan, Say said he did not have much knowledge on the issue,
however, he would be pleased to make contributions to any kind of
projects about it. Karamanukyan, 95, has received several international
awards and medals.
At the moment Say said he is focused on the Akh Tamar project that
he plans to stage next year. Say will first compose the music of the
ballet version of Akh Tamar. The legend has a beautiful concept, Say
said, adding, that he will then construct and edit his work based on
that concept. The Akh Tamar ballet will embark on a world tour after
it is staged in Istanbul, Yerevan and on the island of Akh Tamar in
Van Lake in eastern Turkey.
Discussions obstacle to dialogue Armenians and Turks tell different
versions of the Akh Tamar legend. According to the Turkish version,
Tamar falls in love with a Turkish boy whereas according to Armenians,
both the hero and the heroine of the legend are Armenian.
"Everybody's Akh Tamar is different from each other's. You may listen
to the legend from 100 persons but each one can tell it in a different
way," Say said. Arguing over such a topic is just meaningless,
he added.
"For Armenia, even Beethoven and [Leonardo] da Vinci are of Armenian
origins. Armenia perceives everything with a great ego...
but what is important today is taking steps of friendliness. We should
leave aside unnecessary discussions," he said.
Say, drawing attention to his position as an envoy for the 2008
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, said that unless necessary
steps of friendliness and reconciliation are not taken, healthy
relations cannot be established between Armenia and Turkey. "We all
would like to know what the facts are," said Say. With the said steps,
relations between the two peoples will heal and dialogue will start,
he added.
Two different versions of the legend
Armenian legend has it that Tamar, a young and beautiful princess,
falls in love with a poor Armenian boy who each night would swim from
mainland to the Island of Ah Tamar (Akhtamar) to unite with his love.
He found his way with the help of a torch lit by Tamar to prevent
him from drowning in a current. However, Tamar's father, the king,
quickly became angered by the situation and imprisoned his daughter
in a fortress. He then, lit the torch as his daughter used to do but
directed it toward the current instead. The dark waters of the lake
drowned the boy and his dying cries, they say, were just "Akh Tamar"
(Oh Tamar).According to the Turkish version of the legend, once upon
a time, there used to live a beautiful girl named Tamara, the daughter
of a chief monk living on the island. Tamara fell in love with a young
Muslim shepherd boy from one of the surrounding villages. The boy swam
to island every night to unite with Tamara, who waited for him with
a candle. Tamara's father who later learns about the situation goes
down to a shore on a stormy night. He carried a light in his hand and,
by shaking it, causes boy to lose his strength. Tired of swimming in
different directions due to the light, the boy is submerged under the
dark waters of the lake. His final cry was "Ah Tamara" and Tamara,
who hears the cries of her love, surrenders to the waters of the lake
and drowns herself.
--Boundary_(ID_pVs0TE/TiFSjxk6ypv8XlA)--
Feb 19 2008
A painful cry of an eternal love
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
A group of artists from Turkey and Armenia will be coming together in
a huge project by Turkey's acclaimed piano virtuoso Fazýl Say. Yaþar
Kemal, one of the greatest literary masters of the world, will write
the lyrics of the ballet version of the legend 'Akh Tamar,' which
will be on stage in 2009
VERCÝHAN ZÝFLÝOÐLU
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
A group of 250 major artists from Turkey and Armenia will give
life to the legendary "Ah Tamar" symphonic piece through Turkey's
world-renowned piano virtuoso Fazýl Say who is readying to realize
the project next year.
The project is a crucial step that will bring Armenia and Turkey
closer to each other, Say told the Turkish Daily News in an exclusive
interview.
Say, sensitive to the current situation and the heated debates
recently surrounding him, wanted to preview the article or would
refuse to consent to its publication. Underlining that he faced
great difficulties after a translation-related mistake in the past,
Say said: "My struggle is for Turkey's bright future. I am tired of
being misunderstood, misinterpreted and falsely introduced to people."
The celebrated Turkish pianist's remarks that he wants to leave
Turkey, uttered in an exclusive interview with German daily Suddeutsche
Zeitung, received much attention by the Turkish media and were followed
by an intense polemic in December 2007.
Say, an envoy for the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue,
will compose the ballet version of the vocal and symphonic work. The
lyrics will be composed by Turkey's world famous writer Yaþar Kemal.
Tense atmosphere
Say said he started working on his Akh Tamar project in 2004 but
had to abandon it for a while due to the tense atmosphere that was
created after Nobel Price winner novelist Orhan Pamuk said in a 2004
interview that about 30,000 Kurds and 1 million Armenians had been
killed in Ottoman Turkey.
Say, noting that the political atmosphere in the country became even
more tense in 2007 following the assassination of journalist Hrant
Dink, founder and editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos,
said his project was further delayed due to all these "unfortunate"
events.
Say, who said that he had once spoken to Dink about the project over
the phone, said that it is highly important in terms of taking steps
toward friendly relations between Turkish and Armenian people.
Drawing the attention to the recent collaborative work by Greek artist
Mikis Theodarikis and Turkish artist Zulfu Livaneli, Say said efforts
by these two prominent artists have paved the way for a warming of
Turkish-Greek relations within the last few years.
Say said he has contacted the Armenian State Opera Ballet for his
project and received a positive reply from the institution.
When reminded that an opera on the legend of Akh Tamar was firstly
composed by world-renowned Istanbul-born Armenian composer Sirvart
Karamanukyan, Say said he did not have much knowledge on the issue,
however, he would be pleased to make contributions to any kind of
projects about it. Karamanukyan, 95, has received several international
awards and medals.
At the moment Say said he is focused on the Akh Tamar project that
he plans to stage next year. Say will first compose the music of the
ballet version of Akh Tamar. The legend has a beautiful concept, Say
said, adding, that he will then construct and edit his work based on
that concept. The Akh Tamar ballet will embark on a world tour after
it is staged in Istanbul, Yerevan and on the island of Akh Tamar in
Van Lake in eastern Turkey.
Discussions obstacle to dialogue Armenians and Turks tell different
versions of the Akh Tamar legend. According to the Turkish version,
Tamar falls in love with a Turkish boy whereas according to Armenians,
both the hero and the heroine of the legend are Armenian.
"Everybody's Akh Tamar is different from each other's. You may listen
to the legend from 100 persons but each one can tell it in a different
way," Say said. Arguing over such a topic is just meaningless,
he added.
"For Armenia, even Beethoven and [Leonardo] da Vinci are of Armenian
origins. Armenia perceives everything with a great ego...
but what is important today is taking steps of friendliness. We should
leave aside unnecessary discussions," he said.
Say, drawing attention to his position as an envoy for the 2008
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, said that unless necessary
steps of friendliness and reconciliation are not taken, healthy
relations cannot be established between Armenia and Turkey. "We all
would like to know what the facts are," said Say. With the said steps,
relations between the two peoples will heal and dialogue will start,
he added.
Two different versions of the legend
Armenian legend has it that Tamar, a young and beautiful princess,
falls in love with a poor Armenian boy who each night would swim from
mainland to the Island of Ah Tamar (Akhtamar) to unite with his love.
He found his way with the help of a torch lit by Tamar to prevent
him from drowning in a current. However, Tamar's father, the king,
quickly became angered by the situation and imprisoned his daughter
in a fortress. He then, lit the torch as his daughter used to do but
directed it toward the current instead. The dark waters of the lake
drowned the boy and his dying cries, they say, were just "Akh Tamar"
(Oh Tamar).According to the Turkish version of the legend, once upon
a time, there used to live a beautiful girl named Tamara, the daughter
of a chief monk living on the island. Tamara fell in love with a young
Muslim shepherd boy from one of the surrounding villages. The boy swam
to island every night to unite with Tamara, who waited for him with
a candle. Tamara's father who later learns about the situation goes
down to a shore on a stormy night. He carried a light in his hand and,
by shaking it, causes boy to lose his strength. Tired of swimming in
different directions due to the light, the boy is submerged under the
dark waters of the lake. His final cry was "Ah Tamara" and Tamara,
who hears the cries of her love, surrenders to the waters of the lake
and drowns herself.
--Boundary_(ID_pVs0TE/TiFSjxk6ypv8XlA)--