Melodies without Borders: two Turkish musicians mixing lyric melancholy with 19th century bravura

Ferec Necef at St Nicholas Church, Chiswick

Melodies without Borders: Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Faure, Weber, Dvorak, Sarasate, Rachmaninoff, Popper; Ferec Necef, Rasim Yagiz Ilhan; St Nicholas Church, Chiswick
15 November 2024

Two Turkish musicians come together for a wide-ranging recital of music for cello and piano with a bit of 19th-century flair

Cellist Ferec Necef was born in Turkey to a musical family who had immigrated from Baku in Azerbaijan. His training has included study in his native Turkey along with Goldsmiths College, and his experience includes performing with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, and more recently in London with Brent Opera and London City Orchestra, with this latter group he took part in the concert in London to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye. 

With London-based Turkish pianist Rasim Yagiz Ilhan, Ferec Necef gave a lunchtime recital at St Nicholas Church in Chiswick on 15 November 2024. Beyond the well-known concert halls, there is a wide network of admirable smaller venues, often run by volunteers, which provide a wide net of performances that enable up and coming artists to make themselves known.

For this recital, Necef put together a programme of familiar and less familiar items by Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Faure, Weber, Sarasate, Rachmininoff and Popper, mixing transcriptions with original items. There was quite a tradition, 19th-century feel to the programme yet also a willingness to show the cello as an instrument going beyond the usual.

We began with the Nocturne from Tchaikovsky’s Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 19 written in 1873 but the composer reworked the Nocturne for cello and orchestra in 1888.  This showed off the virtue of Necef’s ability to bring out a rich singing line, making the piece appositely soulful. Throughout the recital this rich expressivity of playing was what struck you, he seemed most at home in the lyric melancholy world. This was followed by Saint-Saens’ Allegro Appassionato, Op. 43, a short movement originally for cello and orchestra from 1873, full of rich vigour and vivid colour. Ferec had quite a robust approach to the more intricate passages, this Allegro was more energetic than passionate, but then what does one expect in a rather cold church on a chilly November London day.

Faure’s Elegie followed, almost as lyrically memorable as the similar piece by Massenet. And Necef worked it for all the emotion it could deliver, with a full singing line. More vigour came after with Weber’s Adagio and Rondo. The approach here was strictly in the 19th century tradition, with little in the way of period style. This was Weber seen through the lens of the 19th century cello virtuoso. I felt that Necef was less comfortable in the more bravura passages, there is always a risk in recitals, including music that is showy when your strengths lie elsewhere. And Necef seemed far more expressive in the high singing melody of Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance, No. 2.

Sarasate’s Gypsy Airs Op. 20 took us firmly into the world of the 19th century virtuoso. Originally written in 1878 for violin and orchestra, but here taken over in a version for cello and piano. Necef and Ilhan did not quite convince that the work was an ideal fit for cello and piano, Necef’s playing lacked the necessary bravura swagger, sheer cheek and love of virtuoso dazzle for its own sake that are needed to bring these pieces off. That said, however, his richly expressive, dark singing tone was a good fit for the more soulful sections.

Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise has been arranged for all manner of combinations of instruments. Here, we heard it a version for cello and piano which really demonstrated the real emotive power that Necef was able to bring out of his cello. We ended with the Concert Polonaise by the Bohemian cellist David Popper, a piece of delightful fluff to end the concert, given a suitably vigorous performance by the two artists.

Rasim Yagiz Ilhan and Ferec Necef at St Nicholas Church, Chiswick

Though blessed with a less than ideal piano, Rasim Yagiz Ilhan accompanied with style and discretion throughout, often playing accompaniments that were simply designed to support the cello.