Orhan Gencebay to settle in Cyprus

12punto.com.tr / Exclusive

Artist Orhan Gencebay had been the subject of much discussion after composing a song for the election campaign of Murat Kurum, the People's Alliance candidate for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor.

A surprising claim has now emerged regarding Gencebay.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A HOUSE IN CYPRUS

It has been alleged that the famous artist is looking for a house in Cyprus and has decided to leave Istanbul with his life partner Sevim Emre.

WHO IS ORHAN GENCEBAY?

Orhan Gencebay (Orhan Kencebay) was born on August 4, 1944, in Samsun. He began his musical journey at the age of 6, taking violin and mandolin lessons from Emin Tarakçı, a classical Western musician who, like his family, was a Crimean immigrant and a graduate of the Ukraine Conservatory.

At age 7, he began taking lessons in bağlama and Turkish folk music. At age 10, he composed his first work, titled "Kara Kaşlı Esmerdi Kim Bilir Kimi Sevdi" (The Dark-Eyed Brunette, Who Knows Who She Loved). At 13, he began training in Turkish Classical Music and the tanbur.

During his middle and high school years, he played the yaylı tanbur in music societies in Samsun, Edirne, and Istanbul, and the bağlama in Turkish Folk Music societies. He was a founder of public education centers (halk evleri) in Samsun and Istanbul.

He taught at music schools he opened himself. The person who influenced him most during his childhood was the bağlama master of the time, Bayram Aracı. For this reason, Gencebay was called "Little Bayram" in those years.

Orhan Gencebay, who composed his first professional piece, "Ruhumda Titreyen Sonsuz Bir Alevsin" (You Are an Eternal Flame Trembling in My Soul), at the age of 14, began to take an interest in jazz and rock music from the age of 16, playing tenor saxophone in orchestras consisting of Western wind instruments. He came to Istanbul and entered the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory, Turkey's first conservatory, formerly known as Dârülelhan, and served in the performance ensemble for a time.

In 1964, he took the TRT Ankara Radio exam and passed with high marks. However, when the exam was canceled due to allegations of irregularities, he took a break from his musical studies and went to Istanbul for his military service. During his years of national service as a sailor in Heybeliada, he continued to play the saxophone in the ceremonial division band.

In 1966, he took the TRT Istanbul Radio exams and passed with distinction. That same year, he placed in a nationwide bağlama competition alongside Arif Sağ and Cinuçen Tanrıkorur.

He worked as a bağlama artist at TRT Istanbul Radio for 10 months. He resigned of his own volition in 1967, arguing that the institution's musical approach was not conducive to progress and was not free. During these years, he returned to Samsun due to his father's business difficulties.

After leaving TRT, he played the bağlama for many artists between 1966 and 1968, including Muzaffer Akgün, Yıldız Tezcan, Gülden Karaböcek, Ahmet Sezgin, Şükran Ay, Sabahat Akkiraz, and Nuri Sesigüzel, alongside Arif Sağ. During this period, he served as music director for Turkish films such as "Kızılırmak Karakoyun," "Ana," and "Kuyu."

By frequently meeting and making music with artists such as Abdullah Nail Bayşu, İsmet Sıral, Burhan Tonguç, Erkin Koray, Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, Vedat Yıldırımbora, Özer Şenay, and Neşet Ertaş in the public education centers in Istanbul, he produced the first fruits of the musical synthesis he would later develop.

He released folk song records such as "Ağlıyorum Yana Yana," "Gönül Bağları," "Yıldız Akşamdan Doğarsın," and "Neredesin Leylâ'm." His compositions, such as "Sevemedim Karagözlüm," "Sabır Taşı," and "Goca Dünya," began to be performed by various artists, and his name began to be heard in the art world as a composer and bağlama virtuoso.

After his folk song records, he released his first independent work record, "Sensiz Bahar Geçmiyor-Başa Gelen Çekilirmiş," in 1968. Following this, he continued to release records in series from Topkapı Plak and İstanbul Plak. He achieved nationwide fame in Turkey with the 45-rpm record "Bir Teselli Ver-Yorgun Gözler," released in 1969. In addition to his identity as a composer and instrumentalist, he began to come to the fore as a performer. He signed off on records such as "Ben Eski Halimle Daha Mesuttum," "Hor Görme Garibi," "Severek Ayrılalım," "Ümit Şarkısı," and "Sevenler Mesut Olmaz."

In 1971, he became a partner in İstanbul Plak. In 1972, he founded the Kervan Plak company with Yaşar Kekeva and became the company's manager. Kervan Plak was Turkey's first domestic-capital record company. Kervan Plak, which included stars such as Erkin Koray, Ajda Pekkan, Muazzez Abacı, Mustafa Sağyaşar, Ahmet Özhan, Kamuran Akkor, Semiha Yankı, Samime Sanay, Neşe Karaböcek, Bedia Akartürk, Nil Burak, Ziya Taşkent, Semiramis Pekkan, Ferdi Özbeğen, Gönül Yazar, and Sezen Aksu, became one of the most powerful companies in the record market of the period.

Orhan Gencebay has starred in 35 films (31 cinema, 4 television) to date and has served as music director for nearly 90 films. Orhan Gencebay, who has more than 1,000 compositions, has performed nearly 300 of them himself.

Although the work done by Orhan Gencebay was called "arabesque" by the TRT audit board, Orhan Gencebay did not accept this assessment, stating that it was "incorrect and incomplete."

Orhan Gencebay has a legal record and cassette circulation of around 67 million.

In an interview with Olcay Ünal Sert from Milliyet Newspaper on November 29, 2009, Orhan Gencebay said, "'Batsın Bu Dünya' is Turkey's lament. It is a fact that the 70s were very bad years. 100-150 people were being killed every day. I made 'Batsın Bu Dünya' in 1975 in such a Turkey. It is Turkey's lament, its song to be wept over."

On September 17, 2012, Turkey's leading artists participated in the album "Orhan Gencebay ile Bir Ömür," released by Poll Production in honor of Orhan Gencebay, and performed Gencebay's compositions.

In 2018, Orhan Gencebay was appointed by President Erdoğan as a member of the Presidential Culture and Arts Policy Board, which was formed after the June 24 elections. The board includes names such as Hülya Koçyiğit, Alev Alatlı, Murat Bardakçı, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Çelik, Prof. Dr. İskender Pala, and Prof. Dr. Ümit Meriç.

ORHAN GENCEBAY'S PRIVATE LIFE

Orhan Gencebay married voice artist Azize Atalay, who was the soloist of the group Beyaz Kelebekler at the time, in 1966. A son named Altan was born to the couple from this marriage in 1970. The couple ended their marriage in 1977.

Gencebay made his second marriage to Sevim Emre in 1978. A son named Gökhan was born to the couple from this marriage in 1981.

News Source: 12punto

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