nF Presents – Fidan Aghayeva-Edler

Processional is inspired by, and takes its name from Norman Lewis’ artwork (1965), which is an abstract representation of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March. Lewis slowly conveys the energy of the march through a series of white strokes, depicting those processing, within a central widening band; like a beam of light, as the procession grows in length and number. I was drawn to the simplistic, yet intricate beauty of Lewis’ piece, and its capability to powerfully embody such a significant moment in history. I also thought it apt that the title indicates continued processing, marching and protesting; that Lewis work is still very much relevant in the present day.

My musical representation starts slowly and quietly high in the piano’s register, steadily leading to gentle undulating and repetitive rhythms, which gradually builds in intensity to a forceful and driving section. The piece ebbs and flows in urgency in this way between contrasting bolder, and more delicate material; almost always constructed of free-flowing lines to reflect Lewis blurred white strokes. The work unrelentingly culminates to its final peak, punctuated by strong chords in the bass line. It returns to a remote fluidity, ending on a soft flourish as the procession continues into the distance.

In 10 Miniatures, I wanted to explore the idea of transforming material in unusual ways. Each miniature is related to its predecessor. I have taken an idea or series of ideas, whether it is a chord, melodic fragment or rhythmic cell, and used it to form the starting point for the next movement. Each movement has its own title, ranging from Delicate and Fleeting to Bold and Ceremonial and Urgent and Rhythmical.

Jasmine Petals is a piano cycle of the seven colorful emotional miniatures. Impressed by my own thoughts about fugitiveness and fragileness of our lives, full of unexpected changes and disappointments, sad or joyful shakes I composed these seven reflections. The contemplation of beauty and gentleness of jasmine flowers, coming and vanishing recalling fulfill the sounding of these pieces. They are individualized regarding their textures and forms. But actually they are short improvisations that relatively express my feelings, disappearing through space measurements and time, like drying and dropping down jasmine petals. Two miniatures of the cycle, miniatures V and VII, represent an idea of clocks that accompany us from our childhood to the end. As getting dry jasmine flowers loose its petals as time shrinking out day-by-day… minute-by-minute…

On June 9th, 1941 author and amateur lepidopterist Vladimir Nabokov discovered a new species of butterfly on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. He named this small brown butterfly Neonympha dorothea after his friend Dorothy Leuthold, the driver on this cross country trip from New York to California where Nabokov was to lecture at Stanford University. The species was later renamed and classified as Cyllopsis pertepida dorothea or Dorothea’s Canyonland Gemmed-satyr. Nabokov, known to most as the author of such classics as Lolita and Pale Fire was also a naturalist specializing in butterflies, and he was particularly excited to collect North American species wherever he traveled. Although an amateur, his studies were highly influential on modern taxonomic groupings especially of the Blues and Satyrs (which included Neonmypha at the time).

Dorothea’s Canyonland Gemmed-satyr is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the brush-footed butterflies. Members of this family have tiny, brush-like forelegs, leaving only four functional legs. They are small, rusty-brown butterflies, with a curved or irregular hindwing post median line leading to several small grey/black spots. Canyonland Gemmed-satyrs live in much of thesouthwest US and Mexico in grassy canyons and savannas. Adults flop among canyon-side grasses, trees and shrubbery. They rarely visit flowers, but are known to feed at mud and tree sap. Neonympha dorothea imagines these small butterflies in their grassy canyon habitat; the shady spots they may perch, the breeze flowing through the grasses and sedges, the motions of their feet, and their undulating flight.

(after Cy Twombly)

This etude is an exploration of the piano’s resonance. Evoking Johannesburg in the early days of the day, as seen looking down from a window in a high rise building, the piano’ varying resonances are used to evoke the space and surprising quietness of the pre-dawn city and its emergence into busy life.

What dance is this? Is it the dance coming from afar, its remnants too entangled to decipher, one which was brought by a gust of wind, as you stand alone and listen to a far away party in the night? Or is the one so close that the heavy beating keeps the ears grounded onto a distorted repeated detail? Neither is danceable to the legs – but both dances would like to dance with the imagination, leading notions of distance and closeness astray.

The repetitions from measure 39 onwards, which are separated by longer and longer breaths or breaks, should be played consistently ff and with a lot of physicality and force. As if every repetition is one movement of you as you swim. You dive into the water, you come up again for air, then dive again. As time goes on and tiredness sets in, you need more time for breathing – till you are not sure if you have the power to come up again…

Fidan Aghayeva-Edler is a pianist based in Berlin, Germany, currently focused on performance of women composers. She is active in Berlin’s contemporary music scene and works closely with composers. Her innovative work is supported by various grants and scholarships from Musikfonds Berlin, Deutsche Orchester-Stiftung, Berliner Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa, Fonds Darstellende Künste, GVL-Stipendium, the Norwegian Quota Scholarship, the Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Foundation, Cesko-Nemecky fond budoucnosti, inm.

During the corona pandemic, she carried out various projects and developed new concert formats, such as livestream concerts with numerous world premieres, shop window concerts and virtual duo improvisations. Her actual project for 2024 is #365daysofperformance which includes a daily livestreamed performance of solo piano pieces, exclusively by female and forgotten composers. In August 2024 she conducted a one-woman 24-hour piano performance with music exclusively by women-composers.

Her recordings were broadcasted by the Bayerischen Rundfunk, RBB Kultur, WDR3, SWR, Klassikcast of the Goethe Institut, MDR Figaro, KAN Israel, Radio France, Deutschlandfunk Kultur,Český rozhlas etc. Here solo albums include “Verbotene Klänge: Sechs Suiten” (2019), released by Kreuzberg Records, with the music of persecuted composers, and “Fenster” (2022), released by GENUIN, with the works of seven contemporary female composers, which got nominated for the Preis der Deutschen Schalplattenkritik and ECHO Klassik. Her further collaborative projects include CDs and albums “Klavierwerke” (2016), “Twenty for piano” (2020), “The Black Garden” (2020), “Seven Sisters” (2024).

As a soloist and with an ensemble, she has performed in various venues across Europe, such as Philharmonie Berlin, Grieghallen Bergen, and became part of the “musica reanimata” concert series at Konzerthaus Berlin, Impuls Festival, Borealis Festival, NUNC! 5, I Baku Contemporary Days Festival, Bergen Festspillene, akademie kontemporär at HfMT Hamburg, Junge Akademie Exhibition AdK Berlin, Klangteppich among others.

Her focus lies on the rediscovery of music by persecuted composers. She strives for gender equality in all her concert programs. She is constantly discovering new musical spheres, such as improvised performances (solo or in an ensemble) with extended piano techniques, realizinginterdisciplinary projects (including poetry and dance), exploring instruments and genres. She gives contemporary piano techniques workshops at music high schools and festivals across Germany and Europe. As a pianist and performer she appears in theatre and film; her recent works include roles in “Nocturne” by Oliver Alaluukas, ”Fabian” by Dominik Graf, “Berlin.Babylon“

IV season; chamber opera “Wir” in Deutsches Theater Berlin, “vis-á-vis” at Ackerstadtpalast, “Amazon Rising” by Heinrich Horwitz and “Ich heb’ dir die Welt aus den Angeln” in Neuköllner Oper.

nienteForte would like to give heartfelt thanks to our Season 15 donors and sponsors. We would also like to give acknowledge the following people and organizations who have offered their time and resources to make this season possible:

• Kappa Kappa Psi Rho Chapter
• Tulane University Music and Science Technology Program
• Versipel New Music