Yunus Emre InstituteMusic took centre stage at Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London, as audiences were invited to journey through the intertwined histories of East and West. From Beethoven’s 9th to Kâtibim: Mutual Musical Influences unfolded as an immersive exploration of the shared spaces between Turkish and European musical traditions, revealing how melodies and motifs travel across cultures and time.
At the heart of the evening was Professor Dr Mine Doğantan Dack, a renowned musicologist and concert pianist, whose rare ability to blend analytical depth with interpretive sensitivity shaped the event’s reflective tone. Currently based at the University of Cambridge, Professor Doğantan Dack brought decades of experience at the intersection of performance, theory, and cultural history.
She opened with a philosophical reflection, posing a timeless question: Is music truly a universal language, or is it a poetic myth we embrace in search of connection? What followed was not a conventional lecture, but a guided listening experience—one that encouraged attendees to listen deeply and contemplate how sound carries memory, meaning, and cultural complexity.
Through carefully selected musical examples, Professor Doğantan Dack traced the mutual influences between Turkish and European art music, with special focus on the late Ottoman and early Republican periods—times marked by aesthetic negotiation and evolving cultural identity. Attendees heard how melodic motifs, tonal colours, and structural elements crossed borders, shaping musical expression in ways both subtle and profound.
Rather than offering simple answers, the event embraced complexity, exploring the contradictions and harmonies that define musical heritage. Instrumental music, often regarded as abstract, was revealed as a layered form of communication steeped in history, ideology, and identity.
The evening closed with a lively Q&A session, inviting the audience to engage further with themes of music, identity, and cultural exchange. Discussions touched on the politics of cultural borrowing, the emotional resonance of familiar melodies, and music’s power to bridge time and place.
More than a concert or lecture, the evening became an invitation to listen closely, think expansively, and experience music as a shared language of human connection.