London Yunus Emre Institute celebrated the 100th anniversary of their diplomatic relations and friendship between Türkiye and Japan with an unforgettable musical night held at St. John's Church in Waterloo on Friday, February 16, 2024.

At the event where the melodies of two civilizations met, famous pianist, composer and lecturer Çiğdem Borucu and koto virtuoso Atsuko Suetomi presented the audience with a magnificent musical journey from Yamato to Anatolia, blending traditional Japanese melodies with the rich musical heritage of Anatolia.

The concert started with a short introductory speech by Çiğdem Borucu about the works played in the concert. After the speech, two traditional Japanese koto pieces were performed in perfect harmony between koto and piano, with Çiğdem Borucu accompanying Atsuko Suetomi.

From “Sakura Sakura” to “Let Spring Come” (Bahar Gelsin)

In the concert, Suetomi and Borucu featured beautiful examples of Japanese and Turkish music. First, they played “Rokudan”, one of the oldest works written for koto, and then Sakura Sakura, one of Japan's most famous folk songs. This song, which describes the beauty and ephemerality of cherry blossoms, received applause from the audience with both melodic and rhythmic harmony. During the rest of the concert, Çiğdem Borucu's own compositions were featured, as well as classics of Anatolian music such as "Let Spring Come” (Bahar Gelsin) by Aşık Reyhani and "I am on A Way Long and Narrow Road” (Uzun İnce Bir Yoldadım) by Aşık Veysel.

"Visit" in Memory of Ertuğrul Frigate

Çiğdem Borucu's emotional and meaningful piece titled "Visit", written for piano and koto, was among the first performances of the night. The work, dedicated to the memory of the unfortunate voyage of the Ertuğrul Frigate, which went from Istanbul to Japan in 1899, fascinated the audience with the harmonious and dramatic sounds of the piano and koto, as a symbol of solidarity and friendship between Türkiye and Japan.

Commenting on the event, Borucu expressed her feelings by using following expressions: "This concert was a very meaningful event to celebrate the centenary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Japan. Atsuko, it was a great pleasure for me to give a concert again to bring together the music of two cultures." Likewise, Suetomie used the following expressions: "This concert was a very special experience for me. It was very enjoyable to play with Çiğdem. Although koto and piano are two very different instruments, we had a very nice harmony. Thank you very much to everyone for joining this musical journey."

The ancient atmosphere of the historic St John's Church in London was filled with the echoing and enchanting sounds of koto and pian,. In this musical journey, organized by London Yunus Emre Institute with the support of Turkish Airlines and extending from Yamato to Anatolia, exploring the rich and diverse cultures of Japan and Türkiye, the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2024 was celebrated with enthusiasm and friendship.