Sounds only

Di 01.10.09 - Mo 30.11.09

Portrait Alper Maral
curated by Johannes S. Sistermanns

1. Beynini Patlatirim! (I’ll dash your brains!) / 1999 / 1:17
2. SHO / 2001 / 2:04
3. bbk / 2001 / 3:55
4. - 7. Haller / Aggregates / 2005 / 01:45 + 01:37 + 01:26 + 01:45
8. Pasli Kürek (Rosty Shovel) / 2002 / 04:25
9. Canim Yaniyor (It hurts!) / 2006 / 02:13
10. Çocuklarimi Öldürüp Hemen Bu Sehirden Giitmek Istiyorum (I want to leave this city immediately after killing my children) / 2006 / 01:44
11. Çocuklarin (Biçakla) Biçilmesi (Cutting up the kids (with knife) / 1998 / 00:50
12. Uranüs’te Bir Satürnlü (A Saturner in Uranus) / 2003 / 02:31
13. Altyazi / Esas Takip (Subtitle / entire pursuit) / 2007 / 01:20
14. Mistakers (bush!agamemnon) / 2007 / 03:10
15. Blug çagi (puberty) / 2002 / 00:45
16. git! (go!) / 2004 / 01:10
17. MO / 1997 / 04:25
18. Psikopat çokkafa (Psycho-multi-head) / 2007 / 03:18
19. - 21. Sonar / 2006 / 03:09 + 02:40 + 02:26
22. Viktor Jara’nin Stadyumda Diri Diri Yakilmasina Kargi (against the mess in the stadium burning out Victor Jara) (excerpt) / 1997 / 01:32
23. Das Klingende Alphabet (excerpt) / 2005 / 09:03

1. Beynini Patlatirim! (I’ll dash your brains!) / 1999 / 1:17 / for bass-recorder and microphone-head
Alper Maral, bass recorder and microphone.
As used in the film Istanbul – New York by Kerem Altug 1999)
The only electronic element in the piece is a punch onto the microphone capsule transmitting the pure acoustic sounds of a bass-recorder, played mostly using several multiphonics, and reverberation.

2. SHO / 2001 / 2:04 / for YAMAHA SY99 Synthesizer
Alper Maral, YAMAHA SY99 synthesizer
As used in the social advertisement films about schizophrenia by Ethem Özgüven (2001)

The piece is to be played live on a YAMAHA SY99 synthesizer, using a patch based on a complex algorhtym, created by Alper Maral.

3. bbk / 2001 / 3:55for piano and electroacoustic environment
Alper Maral, YAMAHA CS 20M, YAMAHA VL7, YAMAHA SY99, KORG MS 20, Roland HP2500S
Music for the video-installation with the same title by Ethem Özgüven, (Teutonia, 2001, Istanbul)
(bbk (amn) stands for ‘all my nightmares’)

A piece first created for the video-art work bbk, using a multitude of electronic instruments / synthesis techniques, such as pure analog oscilation, voltage control, physical modelling, advenced FM and PCM, consequently set in a version for a video installation undre the same title. Ethem Özgüven is a prominent director of documentaries, video-art-works and other kinds of visual media, for whom Alper Maral composed more than 100 pieces throughout ten + years.

4. - 7. Haller / Aggregates / 2005 / 01:45 + 01:37 + 01:26 + 01:45
four episodes for alto-saxophone and magnetic tape Jörgen Pettersson, alto-saxophone
Recording: World premiere; 3rd. Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days, Istanbul, 12 Dec., 2005, Italian Culture Center, Istanbul.

An electroacoustic work created and dedicated for Jörgen Pettersson, a wonderful soloist and a member of the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, to be premiered at the 3rd. Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days, Istanbul. This piece consists of four episodes/temperaments/aggregates, each with distinct characters, to be played in a continuous chain. After the premiere, Jöregen Pettersson played the piece in many events, worldwide and considered it as an good introduction for “instrument with tape-piece” in his lectures.

8. Pasli Kürek (Rosty Shovel) / 2002 / 04:25
Alper Maral, YAMAHA VL7
As used in a “social advertisemet” by Ethem Özgüven, against violence.

9. Canim Yaniyor (It hurts!) / 2006 / 02:13 for recitator and electronic environment
Gözde Akpinar, recitator; Alper Maral, YAMAHA TX 816 + YAMAHA MEP 4 + YAMAHA KX 88, Text: Euripides; Cem Kenar, Gökçe Durat

Music for the play Medea by Euriphides (Tiyatro Z, Cem Kenar, dir.); first performance: Istanbul Theatre Olympics, 18 May, 2006, Istanbul. Harsh FM sounds of 8 x DX7 packed in a solid TX 816, played live using MIDI-event-processing (MEP 4), all solid YAMAHA flagships, reflecting a harsher narrative.

10. Çocuklarimi Öldürüp Hemen Bu Sehirden Giitmek Istiyorum (I want to leave this city immediately after killing my children) / 2006 / 01:44 for recitator and electronic environment
Bengi Heval Öz (Medea), anlat?c? / recitator; Alper Maral, YAMAHA TX 816 + YAMAHA MEP 4 + YAMAHA KX 88, YAMAHA VL 7
Text: Euripides; Cem Kenar, Gökçe Durat

11. Çocuklarin (Biçakla) Biçilmesi (Cutting up the kids (with knife)) / 1998 / 00:50
Alper Maral, YAMAHA TG 500

Music for the tragedy Medea by Euriphides (Kara Tiyatro; Teoman Kumbaracibagi,dir.; first performance: Marti Sanatevi / Barohan; 28.Febr., 1998, Istanbul)
Distortion ment literally. Alper Maral composed and recorded hundreds of pieces for theatre using a YAMAHA TG 500 – almost wholly reprogrammed.

12. Uranüs’te Bir Satürnlü (A Saturner in Uranus) / 2003 / 02:31 for Control Voltage Project
Mert Topel: KORG MS-20; Alper Maral, YAMAHA Motif 8

Control Voltage Project, a synthesizers-duo founded more than ten years ago, and still kept as a “secret garden” for the two old friends, Alper Maral and Mert Topel, both working in different and disctinct professional environments in music design, but coming together for a concert or a recording session once a year or three, prepared an album with the same title. Bold and pure synthesiser fetishism!

13. Altyazi / Esas Takip (Subtitle / entire pursuit) / 2007 / 01:20 for voice and electronic environment
Alper Maral, voice; YAMAHA Motif 8
Music for the film Altyaz? (subtitles) by Efe Öztezdogan (2007); Parkcity Film Music Festival – Silver Prize, Parkcity, U.S.A., 2008

Another good friend and collaborator of Alper Maral, the film director Efe Öztezdogan made the film Subtitle with extremely complex verbal connotations—all given as subtitles, physically and metaphorically, as well—didn’t use any dialogues, so the whole mental concept is reflected with music. The film won more than five prizes and screened in more than 30 festivals worldwide.

14. Mistakers (bush!agamemnon) / 2007 / 03:10 for electroacoustic environment
Stage music for the tragedy Electra by Sophocles (Izmir State Theatre, Igil Kasapoglu, dir., first performance: International Izmir Festival, Celcus Library, Ephesos, 18 Jun. 2007, Efes, Izmir

Alper Maral is very concerned with politics—political music as well as, politics in music. For theatre, he composed a bunch of “disturbing” music with political connotations. For reflecting the never-ending human tragedy, led by the “big bosses” – Agamemnon then, Bush, now, Maral decided to close the theatre piece Electra, staged at the very place – ancient site of Ephesos, with a composition using real sound material—Bush’s evil broadcast announcemets—manupulated. Some granual synthesis. No one liked the piece—even the theatre troupe hated—so a huge success, then.

15. Blug çagi (puberty) / 2002 / 00:45 for 2 x YAMAHA VL7
Alper Maral, YAMAHA VL7

Alper Maral considers physical modelling as the best synthesis method—enabling “real” playing facilities.

16. git! (go!) / 2004 / 01:10 for voice, piano and YAMAHA Motif 8
Alper Maral, voice, piano, YAMAHA Motif 8

From the Book IV of the 148 Preludes and Fugues for Synthesizer; first performance: Artalan Sanat Etkinligi, Liman Kahvesi, (15.04.2005), Istanbul

17. MO / 1997 / 04:25 for YAMAHA TG 500 and dynamic panning
Alper Maral, YAMAHA TG 500

music for the video work MO by Ethem Özgüven
First screening 10th Istanbul International Short Film Festival, 26. March, 1998

Nothing but a complex patch-programming: Dynamic panning to follow the movement on screen, triggered and controlled intensities using aftertouch.

18. Psikopat çokkafa (Psycho-multi-head) / 2007 / 03:18 for voice and electronic environment
Alper Maral, voice; YAMAHA Motif 8

Music for the film Altyazi (subtitles) by Efe Öztezdogan (2007 ), Parkcity Film Music Festival – Silver Prize, Parkcity, U.S.A., 2008

19. - 21. Sonar / 2006 / 03:09 + 02:40 + 02:26
Eine bizzarre Tiefseegrubenmusik mit drei Totenschwerelieder in schweigsamen Lautsprachen, für ein Bass- Instrument und Tonband

Three episodes for bass-saxophone and prerecorded material (Version 2), Jörgen Pettersson, bass-saxophone

Recording: 4th Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days, Istanbul, 5 Dec., 2007; Italian Culture Center, Istanbul

The world-premiere of this piece is given in an other version (bass-trombone and tape), on the Oceans’ Day, 2007, by Alper Maral (bass-trombone). Heavy stuff. Prerecorded sound material is basicly from sea-environmets and beings, especially endangered species’. Jörgen Pettersson plays the piece now and then wherever possible, in the world.

22. Viktor Jara’nin Stadyumda Diri Diri Yakilmasina Kargi (against the mess in the stadium burning out Victor Jara) (excerpt) / 1997 / 01:32 for prerecorded material
(‘Solidarity Meeting Night for the Chilean Folk’ organized by TIP, Turkish Workers’ Party, 1976) and electronic environment

Music setting for the play Ölümsüz Sark? by Zafer Diper; first performance: 25 May, 1997, Istanbul

“Worüber man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen.”

23. Das Klingende Alphabet (excerpt) / 2005 / 09:03
audio documentary / soundscape Istanbul
M. Fakih Kademoglu, ney; Noyan Cosarer, editing

first projection (of the piece in whole): ABÇ Design Exhibition, Derin Show – Room, 5 July, 2005, on.

The “Sounding Alphabet” of Istanbul: With a glimpse to the introductory album for beginners of piano music, guiding them safely through the repertoire, this composition of sound events and scapes aims to line up some elementary audio vocabulary for the observer / listener – sound events taken as letters of a certain alphabet, which then are subject to build up “words”, ie. images and affiliations – (con)texts for a more surrounding perception of the complex metropolis Istanbul and her living culture in certain aspects – without any common connotation.

Created as a part of an installation for a designers’ exhibition /event in Istanbul (2005), this piece is just a part of a huge work in progress – without slightest complain of completeness. Though, it got performances / projections in three versions. The shortest (9’11”) might be considered as a ‘musical’ composition; the longer one (19’) as a soundscape only to be screened in a matching acoustical environment; and the ultimate “brutto” version of 40’49” is a so-crowned “audio documentary”:

Alper Maral (*Istanbul, 1969)
Starting his professional career as a jazz and theatre pianist and composer, still at the German High School in Istanbul, Alper Maral was more or less an autodidact in music. He got involved in musicology and social sciences while studying politics and international relations in Istanbul University. After a rather long period teaching in several universities (Yildiz Technical University (Former Head of the Department for Audio Design), Bilgi University and University of Galatasaray, Communications’ Faculties are the main centres he teaches film sound and music, composition, and musicology and ethnomusicology) he decided to study some more and attended to the masters and doctoral programs in Ege University – composition and musicology studies leading to a dissertation on the decentralization issues in music-politics after ‘The New Order’, guided by his mentor Ahmet Yürür, prominent ethnomusicologist and composer.
Mostly for stage and screen, he composed and performed almost in every style from symphonic forms to electroacoustic systems. His music tended to be part of a rich multitude of cultural contexts. Meanwhile, with the idea of a conscious composition attitude interconnected with the dynamics of performance, he switched to the bass trombone and bass recorder, besides his former ‘tools’ piano and synthesizers. Main ensembles he joined or founded were Istanbul Baroque Ensemble, led by Leyla Pinar; Üskudar Municipal Orchestra, A – 415, Bornova Trio, Karinca Kabilesi, Kaçan Keçi and Control Voltage Project. With these projects or solo, he performed or took part in several national or international festivals (icl. Japan, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Rumenia and Egypt), got prizes and scolarships (icl. Jugend Musiziert, 1988; Paris New Music Review, 1997; Visby International Center for Composers, 2006).
“Music in culture – culture in music”, his departure point, leads to the compositions seeking for intensive communication: Mostly with a dramatic or literal context, mainly for electroacoustic environments and diverse ensembles, his works were performed in whole Europe, Siberia, South Africa, Japan, Brazil , etc. (especially: Verschiebung, bbk, Patio-415, The Devil’s Dictionary, SHO, Aggregates).
A board member of ISCM-Turkey, a co-founder of MSG for composers’ loyalies and one of the main figures behind the Mediterranen Contemporary Music Days, Istanbul, Maral deals with organizations in New Music, publications (of more than 70 articles) and seminars for broad audiences.

Hier werden Produktionen aus Archiven der Elektroakustischen Musik, wie z.B. dem Archiv der DEGEM oder dem IDEAMA- und dem DEGEM-Archiv des ZKM, dem Archiv des elektronischen Studios der TU Berlin sowie anderen internationalen Archiven und Dokumentationen elektroakustischer Kunst unter verschiedenen Aspekten präsentiert.