There are certain themes that just can’t go wrong: Among them are “Bach ve Bahar,” ie, “Bach and Spring.” Since all the way back in the 1990s, Hakan Erdoğan Productions has been organizing a performance series under the theme of Bach, and centered around the Baroque era of classical music. A highlight from last year’s festival, “Bach in Istanbul” had been the performance of pupils of the The Menuhin School. This year’s program featured the intriguingly named Baroque Ensemble Transylvania, with a program of Telmann, Handell, Bach, and more; Taavo Remmel’s Estonian trio composed of a double bass, cembalo (ie, a harpischord) , and electric guitar; and a finale featuring the Belgium-based couple François and Yunkim Fernandez. All performances took place at the conveniently-located Naval Museum in Beşiktaş.
The François and Yunkim Fernandez program that took place as the closing performance on May 12th featured five Preludes by Bach, as well as a Fugue, Sonata BWV 1034, and two movements from The Art of Fugue; “Fugue” being jargon for a particular form of structure in composition in classical music, and a structure for which Bach is particularly renowned.
It is a challenging mastery, and always fascinating to observe from a master. And getting a chance to listen to Fugues being performed by François Fernandez, an established name in the field of Baroque music was a delight for the classical music lover. In the background, the Naval Museum provided a unique venue, with high-ceilings, quite an open space, and a colossal, sublime “Ottoman royal boat” in the background. The glass-walls of the very high-ceiling building provided an open-view of the Bosphorus on the background, and while the performers did their thing on stage, the audience also caught glimpses of ferries arriving from Üsküdar and Kadıköy, and pedestrians in their rush to make it to the boat in time. It was a worthwhile evening overall.
However, I also felt that there could be room for improvement. The concert program was just a leaflet and very little info was available on the pieces other than their BWV codes.
Also, it seemed to me that François and Yun Kim Fernandez had different levels of virtuosity. Of course, Yun Kim is professional player, but François Fernandez just seemed a bit more in command of the instrument. Nevertheless, when I had the chance to meet both after the performance, I immediately let go of any misgivings, for both Fernandezes had the most welcoming and pleasant personalities… And it was clear that they approached music this with passion and love. They are based in the Belgian city of Ghent, where I had had the chance to spend six months of my life back in the days of grad school… If/when I re-visit someday, I will be sure to check out if they have any performances in town.
As for the venue, The Naval Museum, while a spacious, charming venue, does not make the best choice for concert venues. One must not confuse echo with acoustics…. The stone floors and barren walls do help with the projection of sound. But good acoustics is hard to achieve in a quite narrow, rectangular prism with no architectural design to aid in such. Still, if you are not as picky as I am, it provides positive vibes with its plenty-of-space, the glass wall in the background from where you can observe the Bosphorus Strait and the ferries passing by, and the intriguing, and the colossal “Sultan’s boat” situated right in the center of the room, in front of which the performances take place.
