Kişlar Lâl Oldu (Winter Has Fallen Silent)

The strange couple at the heart of this recording is that of Hacıoğlu's silky tenor singing voice, and the divan sazı, the biggest and deepest of the Turkish long-necked lute family. Hacıoğlu has a rare talent, and the CD is fascinating at every turn. In some ways, it is quite a traditional undertaking. We hear various Anatolian regions represented by local tavır – plectrum patterns, expertly rendered by Hacıoğlu. But it is not easy going. I wonder how many people will make it through the first three tracks, which are relentless. With the fourth, there's a pause for a breath. This is a lovely rendition of a traditional Sufi semah, which seems to float in the wintry light promised by the album title. Start here, if you possibly can.

If there's a consistent problem, it is that the intricacy of the plectrum patterns and the booming bass tones of the divan often make it hard to pick out the tunes. A bit of contrast might have helped, too. An earlier generation of saz masters, such as Ali Ekber Çiçek, used the divan sparingly for a good reason. But this is definitely well worth a listen.