Present Music will open its 33rd season Aug. 30 with Ince by Ince, a program of five recent works by Turkish American composer Kamran Ince, including three American premieres. These pieces cover great ground stylistically, says Ince, who will conduct the concert, but they are united by a fascination with Ottoman court music, a style of Turkish classical music he describes as “very serious” and spiritual.
“So there’s this kind of contrasting between this court music and a more extroverted style influenced by the wildness of the folk music of Turkey and the Balkans,” Ince says. “The folk music is more in your face, excited and, as I like to call it sometimes, even barbaric. Turks during the history of the middle ages were known as barbaric, so I like to say, fine, we are. Let’s explore that side.”
Ince reworked many of the pieces for the program. For instance “Two-Step Passion,” which he created for the German company Spark, was originally written for a trio, but he’s expanded it into a grand dance to incorporate Present Music’s large ensemble.
“Reworking a piece for me is like having the same role in a theater played by different people,” Ince says. “A character could be played by Jack one year, but two years later the same character could be played by Mark. That’s a very exciting thing for me, because it keeps your work breathing.”
Ince by Ince program will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30 at the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center, 19805 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield. It will be preceded by a free Turkish Bazaar Fundraiser at 6 p.m. For more information, visit presentmusic.org.
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