From Two Continents to One
How an Istanbul native followed his heart to a classical music Mecca
First fact: Istanbul is the only city in the entire world that sits on two continents, making it a crossroads between east and west—THE east and west—the official point that delineates the east and west geographically here on planet earth.
For thousands of years Istanbul aka Constantinople, aka Byzantium, aka Lygos (and a few more in between), was known as the true megalopolis, the great city.
So if you were born there at any time between the distant past and the present day, you have to somehow carry all of that history, not unlike Atlas, with the world on his shoulders, except in this case it’s the very earth beneath your feet, upon which you stand, with the awareness that your very being exists at a true crossing point, the middle of some universal passage. It is there at the center, the point of contrasting cultures, the eye of the hurricane, where all of the colliding forces of history intermingle, the place where everything passes through eventually, that is where our story begins.
If you can somehow be still within that swirl of history running into itself, all the itinerant activity a constant, and you focus on that energy surrounding you, you may find yourself taken up into a current, maybe onto the Bosphorus itself, and then as you make your way across two seas, two continents, to a land in the west, you arrive at your Mecca, a place of belonging, somewhere longed for and found.
That journey and story belongs to our hero, Atilla, whose name in the old world meant: ‘someone of the sea.’ And while images of a conquerer also come to mind, the true meaning of Atilla is more about a connection to the natural world—think: something pastoral and pleasing instead of other such associations.
Anyway, back to Atilla, whose story is the matter at hand. Now we are curious to see who this is….
Kathy Geisler: What is your current job in the field of classical music and what are you currently working on?
Atilla Aldemir: I am the principal viola at the MDR (Mitteldeutsche Radio Symphony Orchestra) in Leipzig, Germany, and it is my pleasure to share with you that we will be celebrating our 100th anniversary in 2023. It fills me with such pride that I am able to work with so many great musicians from all over the world in this orchestra.
I also continue my solo concert career on both instruments, viola & violin, as well as playing chamber music, which is something I truly love.
And in the meantime, I have begun work on my next recording—which I prefer to keep it as a surprise for now :)
Recently I formed a string trio, the Leipziger Streichtrio together with two marvelous musicians: the violinist Adrian Iliescu who is the concertmaster of the Symphoniker Hamburg and the cellist Rodin Moldovan, the principal cello of the MDR Radio Symphony Orchestra Leipzig. We plan to resume our concerts after this period of lockdown during Covid, so please stay tuned..
I also continue to teach every summer at the international Harleshausen Festival in Kassel, which I have been participating in for the past four years.
Kathy: What were some of your early lessons or experiences in classical music?
Atilla: I started in music when I was five years old on the mandolin. My uncle was a music teacher. He started orchestras at elementary schools and organized concerts for the students. He used to take me with him to all of the concerts and I would play mandolin in some of the small ensembles. I remember how I loved playing together with all the other kids. I guess this gave me the ability to feel comfortable on stage from an early age.
My uncle was also the person who convinced my family that I should attend conservatory. I had no idea how the violin would sound until the teachers of the conservatory jury told me that a violin would suit me best after playing the mandolin! It was relatively easy for me to learn violin as it has the same finger board as mandolin—I fell in love with my violin from the very first moment.
I can remember going to classical music concerts every week to hear the many famous violinists who came to Istanbul from all over the world. I would go backstage after the concerts and ask their permission if they would be interested to hear me play, then I’d visit them at their hotel rooms the next day. Sometimes we would have such a nice connection that those short visits would turn into hour long pro-bono lessons. I guess they saw the passion in my eyes and my playing.
Kathy: What is one of your favorite places and why?
Atilla: My favorite place is my hometown, Istanbul. I love the vitality and mixture of cultures. I get inspiration from the sea, the crowded streets and historical monuments. The view of the Bosphorus elevates my spirit anytime I look at it.
Kathy: What is one of your favorite pieces and do you have a favorite performer or experience of it?
Atilla: I loved the Bach Sonatas and Partitas because I had this amazing experience when I heard Ayla Erduran play them when I was in high school.
The Chaconne from the D Minor Partita gave me the impression that this music is the highest form of art. It left such an impression on me that it became like the Himalayas of my entire violin and viola repertoire for me.
Ayla Erduran, the legendary violinist from Turkey is very special and dear to me. She was a pupil of Ivan Galamian and David Oistrakh.
She has this magical sound that takes you to a completely different world, like the voice of Maria Callas.
I worked with Ayla Erduran from when I was 17 years old. I listened to her playing live so many times and I was always moved deeply by her interpretation. I also especially loved her playing of the Brahms Violin Concerto.
Kathy: Is there an artist no longer living who somehow made an impression on you?
Atilla: I can name many great musicians such as Zino Francescatti, Christian Ferras, Glenn Gould, Maria Callas. They each made a big impression on me.
I explored these fantastic musicians when I was a teenager through recordings. I heard about Zino Francescatti from Ayla Erduran who was a student of his. She would transmit what she learned from him to me, which made for a unique experience. It was a true gift to receive this knowledge that passed through her to me.
Kathy: What is one thing you think will be different about classical music 100 years from now?
Atilla: I believe that classical music will and should continue to exist, but how it reaches audiences may evolve. We are experiencing fewer people subscribing to orchestra concerts in some countries while at the same time online music streaming platforms and social media are helping classical music reach a much wider audience. I just wish that every child could be fortunate enough to play an instrument and meet the magical notes from great composers — and enrich their souls.
Kathy: What is something about your work that you think most people have no idea about?
Atilla: I grew up in a society where classical music was not part of everyday life. Coming from a middle class family, I had to work hard on my own and be creative to find scholarships to fund my studies in Germany. I guess those hardships taught me important lessons and made me a fighter full of passion. All of these qualities are found in the way I interpret music.
Lukas David was my first professor at the Detmold Music Academy in Germany. He was a student of the legendary Hungarian violinist, Tibor Varga, who lived in Sion, Switzerland. (Varga was famously a pupil of Carl Flesch). I met Tibor Varga during one of his concerts in Detmold. He was there as guest conductor for the Chamber Orchestra of Detmold, the orchestra of which he had founded in the 1950s. I was able to play for him during that visit and he invited me to study with him in Sion, but I was unable to fund it, as I did not have a scholarship. So I would take a train from Detmold to Sion, a 12 hour journey, just to take a lesson from him for one or two hours. I felt that I was being a part of history by working with him.
Kathy: Did you have any life-changing experiences that put you on the path that led you to be doing what you’re doing today?
Atilla: Meeting Barbara Gorzynska, a very special violinist and Matthias Maurer, a viola master & mentor changed the way I saw myself — they helped me raise my self awareness and how I approached my playing. I am grateful to both of them for taking such good care of me and for sharing their knowledge and life experiences with me. I wish all musicians were able to find such great inspirational mentors to help them discover their unique voices.
I met Barbara Gorzynska during one of her concerts in Istanbul when I was 11 years old. She then visited our conservatory to give a masterclass. I remember her saying to me “our roads will cross again and I know that you will become an international violinist.” I met her again 15 years later during a competition in Croatia. She was a jury member there. She then invited me to study with her in Vienna and it completely changed my life! I moved to Vienna and took lessons from her. She was not just a very good teacher but also a mentor who would encourage me to follow my dreams. All of these intensive studies paid off and I won awards at international violin competitions such as the Brahms Violin Competition (2nd prize plus two special prizes, one later 3rd prize and one special prize for the viola category), Lipizer Violin Competition (prize for best stage presence), Vaclav Hulm Violin Competition (Laureat) in Zagrep etc. All of these successes were echoed in my home country and a group of business people put a fund together and financed an 1840 J.B. Vuillaume violin for me.
I started studying viola with Matthias Maurer, concurrent to studying violin. He has also been a great mentor and teacher for me.
Kathy: Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself, your work, or classical music?
Recording the Bach Sonatas and Partitas on viola is a true milestone in my life. Here I would like to take the opportunity to thank the SARIAS Foundation for their support and care for art.
The SARIAS Foundation was recently established in Berlin. I cannot thank them enough, not just for funding my recent Bach recordings but also for the valuable relationship that we built together. I sincerely feel their appreciation of my playing and their support of my vision.
