Torino / Sunday 12 September 2010

Piazza Statuto - Piazza Castello / at 11:00 AM

Turkey’s Musical Traditions

Mehter: Janissary Marches Traditional Military Marches from Turkey on Parade

Genelkurmay Askeri Tarih ve Stratejik Etüd Başkanlığı Askeri Müze ve Kültür

Mustafa Uğur Akten, conductor

The arrival in Europe of the fanfares that accompanied the Janissaries (from yeni çeri, “young troops”) in battle proved unforgettable. The volume was unheard of. And the menacing exotic percussion (timpani, drums, cymbals, sticks and rattles), with players often astride elephants or camels, blended with the piercing sound of the zurna oboes for powerful music that intimidated adversaries

Download the libretto

by Giovanni De Zorzi

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