§ "Saygun’s suite is different, heavily folk-influenced both rhythmically and harmonically, and both Selim Giray and Chun-Young dig into it with relish. The CD wraps up with Sami Uçar’s Ha Usaklar…and Giray makes the most of it. As for the performers…Selim Giray is an interesting figure. In addition to his position as associate professor of violin, viola, and chamber music at Pittsburg State University (in Kansas), he is an active researcher. Among other activities, he has published a biography of Saygun, given master classes in Paraguay, and serves as both concertmaster and assistant conductor of the Ohio Light Opera. Recommended."
Fanfare: Lynn René Bayley
§ The duo’s work on this album is extraordinarily successful. A native of Istanbul, Assoc. Prof. Selim Giray demonstrate a distinct ability to express Turkish rhythms and motives. [The artists’] individual interpretation and particular care in performing the folkloric themes, result in exceedingly consummate sonorities.
Neo Filarmoni: Erman Türkili
§ It was a real cultural phenomenon and a musical feast for the audience that packed the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall… Performed by violinist Selim Giray and pianist Gulimina Mahamuti, Emre Aracı’s Bosphorus by Moonlight created the finale that embraced all common emotions and sonorities presented in previous compositions, and brought the audience to their feet as they applauded the composer and the performers.
Musîki Dergisi: Hüsamettin Ünsal
§ “We, too, felt the same excitement and pride as we listened to Giray and Mahamuti on the evening of January 8th at the Weill Recital Hall in New York… Giray and Mahamuti’s interpretation that acknowledged [a lyrical and genuine romanticism, in addition to the folkloric elements] allowed the audience to engage the composition intimately.”
Andante: Emre Aracı
§ "The orchestra, under the direction of Selim Giray, is spectacular... they nail every number, particularly the patriotic medleys and the familiar favorite "Together, Wherever We Go."
Daily Record: John Finn
§ "Giray captivated the audience…dazzled with spectacular cadenzas…and communicated both intense passion and serene bliss."
The Hays Daily News: Ruth Firestone
§ "The CD “Turkish Music for Violin & Piano” contains the music of four excellent 20th century Turkish composers. This is not music one is likely to stumble across in the course of normal musical events, but it is very fine music and for those whose special interest runs to music for violin and piano, quite possibly indispensable… The performances by Selim Giray, violin, and June Chun-Young, piano, are first rate."
Leonard Bogat
§ "Therefore the new critical edition of Saygun’s violin concerto, Op. 44, published by Peermusic, including a hitherto non-existing piano reduction of the orchestral accompaniment, by the eminent academic and violin professor Dr. Selim Giray and composer Dr. John Ross is a significant contribution to Saygun studies and fills an important gap. The preparation of the new edition of the Op. 44 violin concerto is not the only contribution to Saygun studies of Dr. Selim Giray, who serves as Associate Professor of Violin, Viola and Chamber Music at Pittsburg State University. He has already published an excellent study in this field entitled A Biography of the Turkish Composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun and a Discussion of his Violin Works (Edwin Mellen Press, 2003), which was also published in Turkish by the Turkish Ministry of Culture in 2002, Ahmed Adnan Saygun’un Keman Yapıtları: Bir Kemancıya Rehber. Available in most libraries, the English edition is the most readily accessible reference source on Saygun to date. As an active performer on the violin, leading a solo as well as an orchestral career, Giray has also made important contributions to the contemporary Turkish violin repertoire through his pioneering CD recordings."
Dr. Emre Aracı. Originally published in Turkish: “Giray ve Ross'un yeni Saygun keman konçertosu edisyonu,” in Andante, 37 (December 2008–January 2009): 96–97. [Turkish music historian and composer Dr. Emre Aracı has published extensively on Adnan Saygun including a definitive biography of the composer.]
§ "Giray's study not only provides important information about Saygun's biography but also corrects some misconceptions that have been blindly accepted in the Bartók literature; thus, this is a volume that fills a conspicuous gap in previous scholarship. Giray's writing is professional, scholarly, and effective in communicating its point. Comments anent Saygun's musical compositions are insightful, and the suggestions that Giray offers for interpretation and performance seem reasonable and effective. I should think that anyone performing Saygun's works (whether for the violin or otherwise) would want to consult Giray's study for ideas and information."
Mark Radice, Ithaca College, School of Music
§ "In this illuminating treatise, Selim Giray pays tribute to the late Adnan Saygun, a distinguished composer and scholar who embraced and in some ways symbolized the Kemalist ideology of the new republic of Turkey. With a focus on Saygun's works for the violin, the author prepares non-Turkish and Turkish performers for a more informed, and ultimately stylistically correct reading of that repertoire by exposing them in detail to regional folk instruments and performance practice and related regional modes, rhythms, and stereotyped phrases as utilized in several compositions. Giray's rehearsal notes are invaluable as guidelines for both violinists and pianists who have the desire to infuse their interpretation of Saygun's music with regional nuances and spirit. The annotated list of Saygun's works and discography will also be useful tools as they are listed chronologically according to the dates of translation. The book is an exciting new addition to literature that involves solid approaches to the interpretation of Western-influenced musical repertoire created by borrowings from traditional music culture."
Dr. Irene Markoff, York University, Toronto
§ "I learned much about Turkish music and about Ahmed Saygun, a significant Turkish composer and musicologist. Giray does an admirable job of explaining Turkish modes, the horon, and the kemence&. This is a must read for music historians and composers the world over."
Dr. John Boyle, Jr., Interlochen Arts Academy
§ "Ahmed Adnan Saygun is a hallmark in Turkish music as a pioneer in polyphonic composition, an ethnomusicologist and an instructor. For forty years he produced music of all kinds in a steady flow. His works consist of five symphonies; four operas; the famous Yunus Emre Oratorio; concertos (two for piano, violin, viola and cello); various orchestral, chamber music and vocal music.Saygun's studies on pre-modal and modal music have illuminated polyphonic compositions in Turkey. Selim Giray made a meticulous survey of the violin works of Saygun. This work is a valuable musicological contribution to the history of modern Turkish music as well as to the modern voice of the 20th century."
Evin İlyasoğlu, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul
§ "The book we are presenting to you, Ahmed Adnan Saygun’un Keman Yapıtları: Bir Kemancıya Rehber, is an original treatise in its field… I congratulate mister Giray for this successful work, and thank everyone who contributed in the publication of this book."
An excerpt from the preface by M. İstemihan Talay, former Minister of Culture of Turkey
Ankara, Turkey
§ "Your invaluable research allowed Saygun’s violin works into the world of musicologists, and in my opinion, made a wonderful contribution… Congratulations on your work."
Cihat Aşkın
Professor of Violin and Head of String Department
Turkish State Music Conservatory
Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul, Turkey
§ "This time, even concertmaster Selim Giray was able to get up on the stage – performing beautifully as the strolling Gypsy violinist."
Cool Cleveland: Kelly Ferjutz
Fanfare: Lynn René Bayley
§ The duo’s work on this album is extraordinarily successful. A native of Istanbul, Assoc. Prof. Selim Giray demonstrate a distinct ability to express Turkish rhythms and motives. [The artists’] individual interpretation and particular care in performing the folkloric themes, result in exceedingly consummate sonorities.
Neo Filarmoni: Erman Türkili
§ It was a real cultural phenomenon and a musical feast for the audience that packed the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall… Performed by violinist Selim Giray and pianist Gulimina Mahamuti, Emre Aracı’s Bosphorus by Moonlight created the finale that embraced all common emotions and sonorities presented in previous compositions, and brought the audience to their feet as they applauded the composer and the performers.
Musîki Dergisi: Hüsamettin Ünsal
§ “We, too, felt the same excitement and pride as we listened to Giray and Mahamuti on the evening of January 8th at the Weill Recital Hall in New York… Giray and Mahamuti’s interpretation that acknowledged [a lyrical and genuine romanticism, in addition to the folkloric elements] allowed the audience to engage the composition intimately.”
Andante: Emre Aracı
§ "The orchestra, under the direction of Selim Giray, is spectacular... they nail every number, particularly the patriotic medleys and the familiar favorite "Together, Wherever We Go."
Daily Record: John Finn
§ "Giray captivated the audience…dazzled with spectacular cadenzas…and communicated both intense passion and serene bliss."
The Hays Daily News: Ruth Firestone
§ "The CD “Turkish Music for Violin & Piano” contains the music of four excellent 20th century Turkish composers. This is not music one is likely to stumble across in the course of normal musical events, but it is very fine music and for those whose special interest runs to music for violin and piano, quite possibly indispensable… The performances by Selim Giray, violin, and June Chun-Young, piano, are first rate."
Leonard Bogat
§ "Therefore the new critical edition of Saygun’s violin concerto, Op. 44, published by Peermusic, including a hitherto non-existing piano reduction of the orchestral accompaniment, by the eminent academic and violin professor Dr. Selim Giray and composer Dr. John Ross is a significant contribution to Saygun studies and fills an important gap. The preparation of the new edition of the Op. 44 violin concerto is not the only contribution to Saygun studies of Dr. Selim Giray, who serves as Associate Professor of Violin, Viola and Chamber Music at Pittsburg State University. He has already published an excellent study in this field entitled A Biography of the Turkish Composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun and a Discussion of his Violin Works (Edwin Mellen Press, 2003), which was also published in Turkish by the Turkish Ministry of Culture in 2002, Ahmed Adnan Saygun’un Keman Yapıtları: Bir Kemancıya Rehber. Available in most libraries, the English edition is the most readily accessible reference source on Saygun to date. As an active performer on the violin, leading a solo as well as an orchestral career, Giray has also made important contributions to the contemporary Turkish violin repertoire through his pioneering CD recordings."
Dr. Emre Aracı. Originally published in Turkish: “Giray ve Ross'un yeni Saygun keman konçertosu edisyonu,” in Andante, 37 (December 2008–January 2009): 96–97. [Turkish music historian and composer Dr. Emre Aracı has published extensively on Adnan Saygun including a definitive biography of the composer.]
§ "Giray's study not only provides important information about Saygun's biography but also corrects some misconceptions that have been blindly accepted in the Bartók literature; thus, this is a volume that fills a conspicuous gap in previous scholarship. Giray's writing is professional, scholarly, and effective in communicating its point. Comments anent Saygun's musical compositions are insightful, and the suggestions that Giray offers for interpretation and performance seem reasonable and effective. I should think that anyone performing Saygun's works (whether for the violin or otherwise) would want to consult Giray's study for ideas and information."
Mark Radice, Ithaca College, School of Music
§ "In this illuminating treatise, Selim Giray pays tribute to the late Adnan Saygun, a distinguished composer and scholar who embraced and in some ways symbolized the Kemalist ideology of the new republic of Turkey. With a focus on Saygun's works for the violin, the author prepares non-Turkish and Turkish performers for a more informed, and ultimately stylistically correct reading of that repertoire by exposing them in detail to regional folk instruments and performance practice and related regional modes, rhythms, and stereotyped phrases as utilized in several compositions. Giray's rehearsal notes are invaluable as guidelines for both violinists and pianists who have the desire to infuse their interpretation of Saygun's music with regional nuances and spirit. The annotated list of Saygun's works and discography will also be useful tools as they are listed chronologically according to the dates of translation. The book is an exciting new addition to literature that involves solid approaches to the interpretation of Western-influenced musical repertoire created by borrowings from traditional music culture."
Dr. Irene Markoff, York University, Toronto
§ "I learned much about Turkish music and about Ahmed Saygun, a significant Turkish composer and musicologist. Giray does an admirable job of explaining Turkish modes, the horon, and the kemence&. This is a must read for music historians and composers the world over."
Dr. John Boyle, Jr., Interlochen Arts Academy
§ "Ahmed Adnan Saygun is a hallmark in Turkish music as a pioneer in polyphonic composition, an ethnomusicologist and an instructor. For forty years he produced music of all kinds in a steady flow. His works consist of five symphonies; four operas; the famous Yunus Emre Oratorio; concertos (two for piano, violin, viola and cello); various orchestral, chamber music and vocal music.Saygun's studies on pre-modal and modal music have illuminated polyphonic compositions in Turkey. Selim Giray made a meticulous survey of the violin works of Saygun. This work is a valuable musicological contribution to the history of modern Turkish music as well as to the modern voice of the 20th century."
Evin İlyasoğlu, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul
§ "The book we are presenting to you, Ahmed Adnan Saygun’un Keman Yapıtları: Bir Kemancıya Rehber, is an original treatise in its field… I congratulate mister Giray for this successful work, and thank everyone who contributed in the publication of this book."
An excerpt from the preface by M. İstemihan Talay, former Minister of Culture of Turkey
Ankara, Turkey
§ "Your invaluable research allowed Saygun’s violin works into the world of musicologists, and in my opinion, made a wonderful contribution… Congratulations on your work."
Cihat Aşkın
Professor of Violin and Head of String Department
Turkish State Music Conservatory
Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul, Turkey
§ "This time, even concertmaster Selim Giray was able to get up on the stage – performing beautifully as the strolling Gypsy violinist."
Cool Cleveland: Kelly Ferjutz
