"I've always wanted to give a concert in Russia"
The star of the Turkish TV series "Kingfisher" and the performer of the hit Bu Kadar Mi, Emre Altug, is preparing to give his first concert in Russia. He will perform in Moscow on November 15, and after that he will visit fans of his work in St. Petersburg and Kazan. Emre Altug told in an exclusive interview with Izvestia on the eve of the show about the fascination of Red Square for the first time, where Alexander Vertinsky's "Dear Long" came from in his repertoire, why he wants to sing with a Russian performer and why Chekhov needs to be filmed.
"Red Square is charming at night!"
— This is your first time in Moscow, and you are so warmly welcomed. What does it feel like to wake up in a room with a view of Red Square and have breakfast with Russian pancakes?
— Russia has a rich history, and architecture can be called a work of art! The Red Square is fascinating at night! It's really beautiful! That's why I spend my evenings here and every morning is magical. As for Russian cuisine, I am familiar with it — it is popular in Turkey. I really like borscht and beef stroganoff. Speaking specifically about pancakes, this is one of my son's favorite breakfast dishes. That's why they're often on the table in our house.
Turkish singer Emre Altug at Vnukovo airport
— Why did you decide to expand the geography of performances and come here with concerts?
— I've always wanted to give a concert in Russia, but it just so happened that now I've been invited here — the demand has grown so much that it was impossible to ignore it. I am grateful for such an excellent organization, we are very satisfied with everything so far. As far as I know, there are already soldiers in Moscow. Tickets run out in other cities — in St. Petersburg, and also in Kazan, where we even had to enlarge the venue so that everyone could come.
— You should already be familiar with the Russian audience, though. Do you notice her at your concerts in Turkey?
- yes! In fact, Russians often come to my concerts. I see them and always try to pay attention to them because they come such a long way! It's very valuable to me. They make gifts. I'm interested in painting, so they often bring me paintings. And also some sweets and nesting dolls. The matryoshka doll is my favorite souvenir, no matter how trite it may sound. It's a beautiful toy with meaning.
"I would like to make a joint song with a Russian artist"
— I am familiar with your work and I know that fans will be looking forward to the Bu Kadar Mi hit at the concerts. I'm sure it will sound more than once. But I was surprised that in your repertoire there is a Turkish version of Alexander Vertinsky's romance "The Long Road". I heard this song performed by you during a concert in Turkey. How did it happen?
— I have my own show. Its meaning is that we choose foreign compositions, translate them into Turkish and tell about the history of this song and this music. This romance has a big one, so we made it part of the program. Before the concerts in Russia, I conducted a survey on my social media page for the local public — I asked them to write five of my favorite songs that the audience wants to hear. I was very surprised by the responses, because my Russian fans selected some old works from my second and third albums. For example, Oynama and Zalim kus. Some of them I don't even perform at concerts anymore. Although many have noted new ones. It feels good!
— Do you have any plans to work with a Russian artist?
— Yes, I would like to make a joint song with a Russian performer, because I know that Russia has a very developed music school and good conservatories.
"I think it's worth making adaptations of global world stories — for example, Chekhov"
— You are widely known in Russia thanks to the series "Kingfisher". It became a phenomenon and gave rise to a new kind of tourism — fans specially traveled to Istanbul to the filming locations to see you and your colleagues. How did you perceive the fact that fans were on duty in droves near the Korkhanov mansion (the house where the main characters live in the story) during your work?
— Actually, we were very pleased that the fans came to the shooting. There were indeed a lot of Russian tourists among them. They also brought gifts there. We enjoyed it every time, and whenever possible, we took pictures. At one point, fans even discovered another way to get to the mansion - from the water (laughs). They started sailing up on boats, waving at us. We waved back. But not only in Russia, but in Turkey, this series has also become very popular. It's really a very successful job.
Emre Altug in the series "Kingfisher"
— We have released an adaptation of the Turkish hit "Knock on my Door", now they are shooting "Black Love". How do you feel about the exchange of scenarios between our countries and what other stories might be of mutual interest?
— I think it's worth making adaptations of global big world stories. For example, the works of Chekhov and Shakespeare. It is very interesting to see how these stories about human relationships are adapted and perceived differently in each country. In this sense, I think it's a very good idea in music to make adaptations, like in my show, where we translate famous songs from other countries into Turkish.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
