Commissioned by opus 21, in last night, in Istanbul, I continue the story of my purely “Turkish world”, started and continued with such works Turquoise and Strange Stone. I feel this is not a simple mere ethnic experience, but one that is a result of today’s modern and global existence. It is a world soaked and breathing in today’s multiplicity and all encompassing nature. I am not trying to use concrete Turkish tunes, rhythms, maqams (scales) etc. per say—I am not on any kind of mission. This is allowing myself to express in the most pure and inhibited way what the essence is to me of walking down the old and new Istanbul streets in 2006. For me this experience is one that has paid its dues to history and to the modern world. Instruments are used to there extremes. There is much use of heterophony and what I call selective heterophony. Quarter tone inflections are not notated, but achieved through varying strengths of ½ tone doublings.
