Whale in the City or Why Did You Do That?

A sea creature. A “minor prophet”. Hope and Obedience portrayed as two polar opposites, as characters. Giovanni Battista Bassani’s oratorio Giona (1689) is being presented for the first time in Greece, adapted by Turkish composer Tolga Tüzün.
We explore the thread that connects the West and the East, focusing on a story that appears in various religions and Greek mythology as well. The composer remarks: “The work Whale in the City or Why Did You Do That? is an attempt to reconcile the historical impact of Giovanni Battista Bassani’s 17th-century oratorio with a contemporary vision. The piece itself provides the base material for this reinterpretation. Its structure, thematic elements, key motifs, and libretto are integral components in the development of its contemporary adaptation.
Central to this approach is the use of artificial intelligence (AI), which plays a vital role both in text creation and vocal composition. Components created by artificial intelligence, designed to complement the oratorio’s thematic essence, are incorporated into the music. At the same time, AI-generated voices enhance the sound spectrum, creating an interplay between human and synthetic vocal expressions”. The portrayal of animals and ideas as human-like beings engages in a dialogue with the hero’s sacred passions, composing a comprehensive mosaic of religious drama, existential worries, contemporary art, and the cynic lightness of a transitional age, not dissimilar to our own.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Tolga Tüzün

He is a composer of electroacoustic music and a performer. He took his first classes of classical piano at the age of eleven. After graduating in Political Science, he studied composition with Pieter Snapper and Marc Wingate, and orchestration with Ilhan Usmanbas and Hasan Ucarsu at the Istanbul Technical University. During his PhD studies in composition at the CYNY Graduate Center, he studied composition with David Olan and Tristan Murail in New York, and with Philippe Leroux in Paris. He has taken part in masterclasses with esteemed composers and has given lectures on music theory and electroacoustic music at international conferences. Between 2003 and 2005 he taught harmony and composition at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. He has participated in the class of musical composition and computer music at IRCAM during the period 2005-2006. His works have been performed in many cities in the USA and Europe. Apart from composing, he also performs on experimental jazz and electronic music stages, solo or with other artists. He is a tenured professor at the Bilgi University in Istanbul, where he teaches composition and electronic music.