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Extract

Larky but lyrical

John Shakespeare Dyson finds out what drives Cem Esen, the pianist whose compositions mix the passionate and the playful

The young pianist and composer Cem Esen first crossed my radar when I heard a piece by him entitled Sarcasm (weird choice for a piece of music!) played by Cem Mansur’s Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at their Istanbul concert last August. The piece impressed me by reason of its tongue-in-cheek orchestral effects, which included lots of sneering glissandi from trombones and muted trumpets, and by the fact that its style was so modern that when someone’s ringtone went off during a xylophone and percussion duet, it didn’t seem at all inappropriate. I rarely give ringtones during concerts a positive review, but then there are many exceptional features to the work of this talented young musician…

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Issue 70, Summer 2026 Outpost of Peace
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Other Highlights from Cornucopia 70
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Buy the issue
Issue 70, Summer 2026 Outpost of Peace
£15.00 / $20.11 / 944.84 TL
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