It’s safe to say that I have a wide palate when it comes to my taste in music. When it was time to give up the nursery rhymes and singalongs -as every youth under their parents’ media supervision- I had become interested in pop music. Then, in my early teens I was stuck on the pursuit of the “cool” and was attracted to the rock genre. I knew even then that there’s a certain limit of culture you can embody without coming off a bit vein. In the midst of my teens I grew increasingly infatuated with R&B culture and all that comes with it: the music, the baggy clothes, the unnecessary use of constant profanity (although this could be interpreted as the reception of the art-form, rather than the art-form itself).
It wasn’t like I was terribly invested in to these forms of music, it’s just that the entry is incredibly easy. This is not a criticism. Pop music is easily the most played on the radio and therefore the easiest to get acquainted to. The rest is mostly environment; internet usage & social circles etc.
I am happy to say that I enjoy a wide variety of music in my daily life. I have about 2000+ tracks on a single playlist that I like to shuffle around. It’s actually exciting when you blend hip-hop, rap, rock’n’roll, R&B, classical, jazz and 30’s swing music together as you never know how you’re going to feel in 5 minutes time. You could say that I’m easily influenced by music and that I get a rush from not knowing how the mood will take me.
When I had turned 18, it was arguable that I knew much about life at all. High-school was just out and I had little-to-no idea of what I wanted to be in the future. In my entry to university preference form I had elected for a total of 13 universities all over Türkiye and Northern Cyprus. To my luck, I had landed what was supposed to be the best of all (ironically in 7th place).
The Middle Eastern Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus. Mechanical Engineering. Keep in mind that I still didn’t know what I wanted to be in life and that my academic expectations were high. It’s not that it was a bad experience, I learnt many life lessons over there regarding social & academic life.
Among the few rare moments of clarity and certainty, were the times when the Turkish Cumhuriyet Senfoni Orkestrası came to our parts. It was at these times that i didn’t have much understanding of classical art & culture. I remember that I had seen a post on social media about a week prior. By pure chance I was wondering around campus with a hooded top and a pair of jeans when I had seen a queue forming in front of the Culture & Convention Centre in campus. With nothing to do and time on my hands I had taken my seat. Remember that my expectations weren’t high, I was planning to listen in for about 20 minutes and then heading to the pub with a couple of friends.
I ended up cancelling plans and attending to the full 2 hour show. I didn’t know what it was that drew me so close to this alien art-form that I have never experienced before; maybe it was the flash, classic dresses & suits that all the artists had branded, maybe it was the fact that everybody was at the maturity of just listening in with pure focus (no cellphones, no whispered conversations between friends); but most of all, it was the sensation that I was in a time-capsule. There I was, dressed like a hoodlum, absolutely encapsulated, unable to think of anything except for what I was witnessing. It was a journey to say the least. The world went quiet along with the voices in my head, and all I could hear was the ensemble of instruments; I could even focus on a single instrumentalist and zone out all the others. A very stark difference from the distorted guitars of rock ‘n roll or the funky (but also sometimes saturating) beats of R&B.
That’s when my obsession with classical music started. I can’t say that I’m very educated in this art-form even to this day, except for the basic grasp of music theory and the history. But out of all the concerts that come up in areas that I conveniently happen to be in, I never allow myself to skip the opportunity to go see the symphony orchestra. I will always make time to witness this that has survived from the renaissance times ’til today.
I ended up going to the Turkish Republican Symphony Orchestra twice, and I check their annual plan for tickets. Sadly it’s been 5 years since I’ve last seen them live; but I am happy to say that the calming classical music that they have introduced me to is a big part of who I am today.
Recently I’ve had the opportunity to see the Muğla Symphony Orchestra live, twice. They are an orchestra of approximately 40 people (excluding the audio technicians, producers & other contributors working behind the scenes); a stark difference to the 100+ members in the Cumhuriyet Senfoni Orkestrası. Although the performers were fewer, it still hit all the right notes. A literal time machine from the Classical period to today.
A tangent, then.
I have been told that I do hold some extreme values in some aspects of life. This is no different when it comes to symphony orchestras. It isn’t unlike me to defend something I strongly believe in.
If you want to see a show, and you don’t have the facilities to hire a babysitter, just don’t go. This is a criticism of the modern parent who brings their young to every event, regardless of appropriate occasion.
Speaking of appropriate occasion, an orchestra/music hall isn’t the best place to have an hour long conversation with your mate. I try to seat myself as best as I can at any of these occasions to maximise the amount of immersion. Listening to some random lady’s erotic encounter of yesternight ejects me from this immersion. I don’t try to involve myself with other people’s private lives; but if I go to see a concerto with the intention of full attention, you’re dragging me through last night’s bad decisions too…
Immersion is a big factor for me when it comes to enjoying this magical form of art. Why, oh why do people think that recording 16 half-hour-long videos on their camera-phones that they’ll send to a friend group to boost their social status, by showing how high-class and sophisticated they are, wouldn’t break their immersion is beyond me.
Which brings me on to the subject of photography. It’s a professionally curated event that’s being livestreamed, or at the very least recorded. I didn’t know they hired all the attendees to be photographers. Unless you’re involved with the production team, just sit down and try to immerse yourself in the moment. You don’t need to take walk through peoples line of vision, circulating the auditorium thrice, taking millions of pictures nobody will ever inspect with full focus.
(more on this in unsocial media)
Regardless of the amount of distractions people cause, immersing myself in a symphony is truly a journey for me. That first performance that I stumbled on in Northern Cyprus was a lifechanging experience for me. If you share my feeling of oversaturation regarding the modern music industry, I would urge you to experience the symphony orchestra.
Even if not in the first-person, there are plenty of cover artists & albums that have been recorded in studio environments for your enjoyment.
Content-creators, if you want to stray from the RGB lighted, attention grabbing, consumer degrading reels & streams, and you want to add a degree of class to your library, I would urge you to consider using this artform in your works. Keep in mind that copyright laws usually depend on the artist’s & their family’s intent; but most of these works are in the public domain.
Tarkan Alpay 