As soon as I rounded the corner linking Islington High Street with Union Chapel, I was startled by the length of the queue in front of the building. Apart from the usual crowd of Turkish and Greek followers, there was a contingent of English folks whose presence would have seemed a little odd had the acclaimed author Louis de Bernieres not been present. Indeed, this event was more than just a concert and a recital, it was a bold collaboration, a game of question and answer between some very fine musicians and a skilled writer.
The show started with a couple of Turkish pieces performed by the superb Cigdem Aslan and her band of virtuoso musicians, which won the audience´s heart and set the scene for Louis de Bernieres to take over. Reading some chosen extracts from his book Birds Without Wings, he described life in early 20th century Anatolia, with his customary elegance of prose and wit. At first, Louis’s nasal, slightly high-pitched voice contrasted a little harshly with the smoky honey of Cigdem Aslan´s, especially since the opening tunes had whetted the crowd´s appetite for music. But as the writer´s voice gradually warmed, so did the audience, and from then on, not a peep was heard from the captive spectators.
As Louis de Bernieres navigated between chapters, so did the band, thus participating in the creation of a unique atmosphere, bathed in reminiscence of a bygone era, teary at times, joyful the next, and made especially beautiful by the magical décor of Union Chapel (the venue). The show was a voyage through time, space and emotions, and the audience hung on every breath of both singer and writer. Cigdem Aslan has surrounded herself with musicians of exquisite technique and feeling, and their pleasure at performing together was visible to all.
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| photo: Katerina Pavlakis |
