• Can Çakmur at Breinton on 29 February

    Can Çakmur at Breinton on 29 February

  • Can Çakmur at Breinton

    Can Çakmur at Breinton

  • Can Çakmur at Breinton

    Can Çakmur at Breinton

  • Can Çakmur at Breinton

    Can Çakmur at Breinton

  • Can Çakmur at Breinton

    Can Çakmur at Breinton

  • Can Çakmur at Breinton

    Can Çakmur at Breinton

  • Can Çakmur at Breinton

    Can Çakmur at Breinton

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Photographs courtesy of David Hogg of Horizon Imaging, © 2020

There was a thick dampness in the air, caused by the recent excessive rain. There was, of course, increasing concern for the Coronavirus. The outside world continued to look a bit grim, but here came Can Çakmur, a young Turkish pianist, looking fresh and eager.

Can’s programme did not have a technically flashing showcase piece; nor did it have pieces with melodious punchlines which everybody would recognise. Rather, it was a programme with which we grew comfortable as it progressed, and, in the hands of Can, the music seeped through gradually into the audience.

There was plenty of beautiful singing elements in the first half; very rich in voicing and flowing, Can conveyed the glorious theme of An die ferne Geliebte in a heart-squeezing sentiment. The same went for the utterly gorgeous Andante in the third movement of Beethoven’s Sonata. Supporting the melodies was Can’s very warm, embracing bottom register, which was treasurable. Throwing in a short contemporary piece by Sven Daigger, in between the two Beethoven, was an intentional plot by the pianist. It stimulated the audience’s curiosity and provided an interesting connection to the next piece.

Throughout Schumann’s Sonata we felt swiftness and well-controlled dexterity with clarity, tension and desperation expressed in fantastical textures. And this was followed by bitter-sweetness in the slow movement with a lovely sensitivity. As well as playing the piano, he was clearly comfortable to communicate his views verbally. His verbal, and informative, descriptions reflected in his playing; his articulation and intelligence in structuring phrases and sound sonority unlocked one’s imagination, which lead to another level of enjoyment and appreciation. This was most apparent in the final piece, Schumann’s Gesänge derr Frühe.

Again, Can threw in a contemporary air in the second half, in between the two Schumann pieces. The Phase Four of Track by Sven Daigger reminded me of Nikolai Kapustin’s etudes, which was a pleasant surprise.

Turkish pianist Can Çakmur (pronounced: Djahn Tchakmur) is the first prizewinner of the 10th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2018 and the Scottish International Piano Competition in 2017. Çakmur has performed in concert halls around the world such as Glasgow Concert Hall, Eindhoven Muziekgebouw, Lithuanian Philharmonic Hall, ACT City Hamamatsu and Fazioli Hall in Sacile, as well as the most prominent concert halls in his homeland, Turkey. He has appeared in the most important classical music festivals in Turkey; such as 43. Istanbul Music Festival, where he headlined the opening concert in 2015 with the Borusan Istanbul Philarmonic Orchestra (BIPO) under Sascha Goetzel. In the last season he has appeared in Bodrum D-Marin International Classical Music Festival, Ankara International Music Festival and Antalya Piano Festival.

  • Beethoven/Liszt:  An die ferne Geliebte S.469
  • Sven Daigger: "track" in vier Phasen für Klavier: Phase one
  • Beethoven:  Sonata in E Major, Op. 109
  • Schumann:  Piano Sonata No. 2 in G Minor Op.22
  • Sven Daigger: "track" in vier Phasen für Klavier: Phase three and four
  • Schumann: Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133