The Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is preparing to stage the world premiere of “Çanakkale Symphonic Poem,” a new work composed by award-winning young composer Cem Esen for the March 18 Çanakkale Victory.
The piece will be performed for the first time during the “March 18 Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs’ Memorial Special Concert” to be held today at the Ziraat Bank Main Hall of CSO Ada Ankara.
The concert will be conducted by Elnara Kerimova, with the TRT Ankara Radio Polyphonic Choir accompanying the orchestra. Viola artist Atilla Aldemir will perform as the soloist in the first part of the program.
Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency during the concert’s rehearsal, CSO conductor Cemi’i Can Deliorman said the orchestra was excited to premiere the work, which was commissioned by the orchestra.
“We will present the world premiere of ‘Çanakkale Symphonic Poem.’ Every year we commission works from Turkish and foreign composers. But this time we wanted to crown the Çanakkale Victory with a brand-new piece. Cem Esen is a wonderful composer and pianist and he is also an artist of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. He wrote a very successful symphony about the Çanakkale Victory and we will bring it together with listeners,” he said.
Deliorman said that looking at the general program of the March 18 Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs’ Memorial Special Concert, they did not create a program focused solely on victory but rather one that reflects the feeling of death and the destruction brought by wars.
He noted that the first piece to be performed at the concert will be “Styx,” written for viola, choir and orchestra by Georgian composer Giya Kancheli.
Deliorman said the work tells the story of souls departing the world through a mythological river, and added that another work to be performed in the concert will be “Isle of the Dead” by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, which is also inspired by mythology.
He stated that the final piece of the concert will be Esen’s symphonic poem written for the Çanakkale Victory.
“The Çanakkale Victory is a victory for which a price was paid. Every victory brings great costs with it. We want to commemorate our martyrs with such a deep program. We prepared a powerful and very profound program,” he said.
“This piece does not focus only on victory. The symphonic work will last about 20 minutes and consists of four sections. Listeners will be able to imagine battle scenes, the feelings of that period, the geography of that era, the silence before the war and many colorful details. I think it is a very cinematic work but also a very colorful one. It has masterful orchestration. It is a large-scale work that includes beautiful folk song themes and tells many things about us, about Anatolia, about victories that made us who we are and the prices we paid for them.”
Young composer’s 47th work focuses on Çanakkale
The 29-year-old Esen, who has received awards in international piano competitions held in the Netherlands, Spain, Kazakhstan and Estonia, said he composed the work with the idea that the Çanakkale Victory represents not only triumph but also the heavy price paid.
“In this great victory there were many losses. It is one of the bloodiest fronts in our history. It was very difficult to describe such a war through music. As much as I could, I wanted to reflect the real face of war and its psychological dimension to people through music,” Esen said.
“The work ends with victory but before that there is the spirit of struggle born from silence and loss on the road to victory. Victory is not only a won war but also the price that was paid. This was my main idea while composing the piece. This idea made the perspective of the work even more tragic.”
Esen said the symphonic poem consists of four uninterrupted and interwoven sections titled “Fog,” “Conkbayırı,” “Night” and “Silent Victory.”
Describing the piece as programmatic music, Esen said he named it a “symphonic poem” and added that it is the 47th work he has published.
The young composer said he has composed more than 100 works and that he remains highly motivated in the process of creating new music.
“My aim is to present strong and beautiful works to my country while preserving my artistic style. I consider it my duty to present them on a platform that can represent them in the world,” he said.
“There are works of mine that have already been performed and I am proud of them. Hearing from the outside the music that I hear in my head is priceless for me. I want each of my works to be better than the previous one. It is very important to produce truly qualified works without drifting too much into populism.”
“In art, the goal is not to descend to the public but to elevate the public. If we are to offer intellectual depth to society, we should not compromise on it no matter what. This is my greatest motto.”
Esen also said the Presidential Symphony Orchestra is the most prestigious and well-established orchestra in the country.
“It is very valuable that composers are commissioned and that new music is brought to our country. For them to consider me appropriate for such a meaningful week this year, to believe in me and to trust my music is very valuable for me. I felt a great responsibility on my shoulders,” he said.
