ERKİN, AYKAL, SAYGUN

Acclaimed as one of the best chamber ensembles of Turkey for both its recent international accomplishments and its ravishing concerts throughout the country, the Borusan Quartet, comprising Esen Kıvrak, Olgu Kızılay, Efdal Altun, and Çağ Erçağ, has released its debut CD under the Lila Music title.

In this long-anticipated album, the Borusan Quartet performs string quartets by two of the Turkish Five, Ulvi Cemal Erkin and Ahmed Adnan Saygun, and by the distinguished conductor Gürer Aykal. Aykal writes in the CD booklet that he had consulted Saygun and Erkin while working on his music, which was written in 1967 and recorded for the first time here.

Since it was founded in 2005, the Borusan Quartet has toured successfully in Turkey and abroad, besides performing regularly at its home, Borusan Sanat. In 2010, the ensemble won the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition (ICMEC) and received the gold medal. The same year it was granted the Chamber Ensemble of the Year Award at the Andante magazine Classical Music Awards.

In 2012, the Borusan Quartet gave the closing concert of the chamber music series “Quartet Plus” at the Germany’s prestigious Schloss Elmau and performed at such distinguished centres as the Tonhalle Zurich, Carnegie Hall/New York, Le Corum/Montpellier, and the G. Verdi Hall/Milan. The ensemble has performed with world-renowned soloists, including İdil Biret, Fazıl Say, Gülsin Onay, Hüseyin Sermet, Itamar Golan, Valentin Erben, and Reto Bieri.

With Gürer Aykal as the artistic director of the CD, it was recorded by Can Aykal, photographed by Mehmet Erzincan, and the programme booklet was written by Hasan Uçarsu and Mehmet Nemutlu. The visual design is by Gözde Oral.