Lokum Ensemble - Ottoman and Anatolian songs (live @De Thomas Amsterdam 2022)

The Lokum Ensemble perform maqam based Anatolian and Ottoman songs. The main focus of this ensemble is to preserve the traditional essence of the music.

Çiğdem Okuyucu (voice), Barış Ofluoğlu (double base), Jacobus Thiele (percussion), Nikos Avgoustidis (ud).
The Lokum ensemble was founded about two years ago in Rotterdam and consists of Greek, German and Turkish musicians.
We recorded this musicsession in The Thomaskerk in Amsterdam, designed by architect Karel L. Sijmons, was inaugurated in 1966 and is a municipal monument. The style of the Thomas Church is functionalistic. The current name is 'De Thomas 020'
00:00 Süzüp süzüp de ey melek
04:06 Kadıköylü
07:45 Hüsnün senin ey dilber
12:22 Sobalarında guru da meşe yanıyor
17:32 Penceresi yola karşı

More information about The songs:  
00:00 Süzüp süzüp de ey melek
Love song towards a beautiful woman to encourage her to flirt.
Nihavend Şarkı from Ottoman Repertory composed by Rahmi Bey (1864-1924)

04:06 Kadıköylü
Love song about a woman from Kadiköy (a district of Istanbul) focusing on beauty and playfulness.
Nihavend Fantezi from Ottoman Repertory composed by  Refik Fersan(1893-1965)

07:45 Hüsnün senin ey dilber
Gazel is a structured improvisation based on poetry in Anatolian Folk style.
Anonymous Araban Gazel from Anatolian Folk Repertory based on the interpretation of Mukim Tahir (Şanlıurfa region)
Translation of lyrics:
Is your face a part of the moon light, my charming lover?
Oh my raving beauty, are you a houri* or a mankind?
My life freshens as long as my eyes see you
Does the universe have any worth without your being?

*beautiful girls living in paradise according to Muslim belief

12:22 'Sobalarında guru da meşe yanıyor'
Description: Anonymous Nikriz Türkü from Anatolian Folk Repertory based on the interpretation of Özay Gönlüm (Denizli region)
The story: Mehmet Aga was a veteran from the independence war of Turkey who had lost his leg. He was very sad and depressed about what had happened. He still wanted to go back and be involved in war. After all, he was feeling freezing cold despite being next to burning oak wood on the stove. 

17:32 'Penceresi yola karşı'
Description: 
Anonymous Nikriz Türkü from Anatolian Folk Repertory based on the interpretation of Rüştü Eriç (İskeçe region)
Love song about a woman.

Crew:
Editors: Sakti Khedoe, Melchior Huurdeman, Aad van Nieuwkerk, Kaya Belfor
Camera & lighting: Marijn Zurburg, Wim Adam, Ramon de Boer
Sound: Marc Broer, Phillip ten Brink
Producer: Vivian Vrolijk/Joppe Fakkeldij/ Mimoun Bouchammir
Director/Editing Reinier Bruijne

This video was recorded in ‘De Thomas 020’ in 2022
for VPRO Vrije Geluiden: music program made by the Dutch public broadcast organization VPRO
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