ERDAL ERZINCAN, SONGS OF THE ASIK

Music and dance of the Alevi

Part one

Erdal et Mercan Erzincan, songs of the aşık
Erdal Erzincan : songs, bağlama
Mercan Erzincan : songs, bağlama
Ufuk Şimşek : kaval

This evening presents one of the most important contemporary singers, Erdal Erzincan, accompanied by his wife Mercan, who is also a singer, and a player of the kaval flute. In the wake of the Alevi troubadours (aşık), these poets and itinerant musicians have left a considerable mark on the culture of Anatolia, including Erdal's marvellous technique and sensibility. A master in the art of improvisation, but also composition, he excels at playing the long-necked lute bağlama.

Trained in the school of the grand master Arif Sağ and often working with him, Erdal is one of the most respected musicians of his generation. He perpetuates the ancestral tradition of Turkish troubadours with the greatest respect, all the while opening up to modernity. He has often played overseas, sometimes participating in intercultural projects. Anxious to transmit his art to the younger generation, he teaches several hundred students at the school he founded in Istanbul.