In Ottoman Turkish, Asumani means “according to the skies”--as in reaching to the skies, to become enveloped completely with the love of the almighty. The Turkish instruments used, which can be Ney or Kemence, are both synonymous with spiritual Ottoman or sufi music. Asumani is commissioned by Hakan Erdogan. It was premiered at the Bach Before & After concert series at the St Antuan Cathedral in Istanbul by neyzen Kudsi Erguner and cellist Eric Maria Coutier in march 2012.
Press Quote
The focus of the evening was “Asumani,” a 2012 work for flute and cello by the gifted Turkish American composer Kamran Ince. It builds spare, questioning music gestures — flavored with microtones and other “extended” instrumental techniques — into a radiant climax before dissolving again into silence.
