THE RESONANCE ATLAS
Hasan Uçarsu
Biography
Hasan Uçarsu (born 1965 in Istanbul) is a Turkish composer whose chamber, orchestral and choral music draws on the country's musical traditions while engaging with contemporary concert composition. He studied at Mimar Sinan University with Cengiz Tanç and completed doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania with George Crumb and Richard Wernick. He has taught composition at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and has also held a guest appointment at the University of Memphis.
Uçarsu's work has been performed internationally and featured in projects including Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road initiative. His catalogue encompasses instrumental chamber music, orchestral writing and vocal works, with influences ranging from Turkish folk traditions to the country's classical musical heritage. His music reflects an interest in approaching those materials through an individual contemporary language rather than simply reproducing historical styles.
Why this music interests us
Uçarsu is a particularly compelling figure for Resonance's exploration of contemporary music connected with Anatolia. His wind quintet Bosna Ormanlarından Rüzgârlar (1996) responds to the violence in Bosnia and demonstrates how chamber music can engage with historical memory. El Emeği (2012), for flute, oboe, violin, cello, piano and percussion, offers another striking meeting of wind and string colour; Issız Çocuklar (2010) explores the more intimate pairing of flute and harp. His catalogue suggests several possible routes into Turkish contemporary music beyond the familiar wind-quintet formation.
Selected works & listening
Bosna Ormanlarından Rüzgârlar (1996; wind quintet); El Emeği (2012; flute, oboe, violin, cello, piano, percussion); Issız Çocuklar (2010; flute and harp); Yok-zamanlar (2009; piano trio); Monolog (1994; flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion); String Quartet No. 2: Söylenemeyenler (2012)
Further information