Solo Instrument and Orchestra:
“Roxana” Cello Concerto, Op.10. February, 2013. Duration, 38′ (in 3 movements).
Dedicated to Alexander the Great (356 B.C.-323 B.C) and to his only lawfully wedded wife, Roxana; to the special bond between a Western emperor and a Persian beauty.
Commissioned by renowned Turkish cellist Rahşan Apay, whose first name originates from the Persian name “Roxana”.
Premiere : March 21, 2013 – Cello, Rahşan Apay; Bursa Region State Symphony Orchestra, conductor, İbrahim Yazıcı; Ataturk Convention & Culture Center Concert Hall, Bursa, Turkey.
Other Performances: March 22, 2013 – Cello, Rahşan Apay; Bursa Region State Symphony Orchestra, conductor, İbrahim Yazıcı; University of Uludağ, Bursa, Turkey.
April 12, 2013 – Cello, Rahşan Apay; Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, conductor, Vladimir Altschuler; Ataturk Culture Center Concert Hall, Antalya, Turkey.
April 29, 2014 – Cello, Rahşan Apay; Cemal Reşit Rey Symphony Orchestra, conductor, Rengim Gökmen; Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Istanbul, Turkey.
Bridges of Light, Op.7. Concerto for two alto saxophones, percussion orchestra (Timpani, Marimba, Vibraphone, various smaller percussion instruments, Middle Eastern percussions such as Darbuka, Bendir, Finger Cymbals, Riq), Double Bass.
October, 2010 – April, 2011. Duration, 26′ (in 3 movements).
Dedicated to the Israeli and Palestinian people who have lost and keep losing their loved ones, all for the sake of a dream to have a country to call “home”. How blessed are those who choose to be a “bridge” to carry the “light” of peace and love into these people’s darkened hearts.
Commissioned by Allen Rippe & Walter F. Hoehn for the 2012 World Saxophone Congress in Scotland.
Premiere: May 13, 2011 by said commissioners and the University of Memphis percussion players. Conductor, Armağan Durdağ; Harris Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
Other Performances: March 22, 2014; by said commissioners and NASA Percussion Players; North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) national conference in Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Orchestra:
Göbekli Tepe, Op.21. For string orchestra. October&November, 2019. Duration: 35′ (in nine movements) [ WATCH WORLD PREMIERE HERE ]
Commissioned by conductor Oğuzhan Kavruk on behalf of KODA (Karşıyaka Chamber Orchestra) of Izmir, Turkey
Premiere: December 12, 2019 by the KODA, conductor, Oğuzhan Kavruk; Hikmet Şimşek Cultural Center, Izmir, Turkey.
Symphony No.1 “Sea of Understanding”, Op.20. March&April, 2018. Duration: 25′ (continuous one-movement symphony in 11 sections)
Written as a Doctoral Dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts with a major in Composition in the Graduate College at the University of Arizona.
Mother, Op.15. For string orchestra. March, 2015. Duration, 12′ [ LISTEN / SCORE ]
Dedicated to the memory of Durdağ’s mother-in law, Ender Apay, who died after a tough disease; to the spiritual bond between her and her daughter, to all mothers that have been lost, and to the motherhood.
Commissioned by Orchestra Ankara for the 32nd International Ankara Music Festival.
Premiere: April 13, 2015 by the Orchestra Ankara, conductor, Alessandro Cedrone; MEB Şura Hall, Ankara, Turkey.
Other Performances: March 4, 2019 by the KODA (Karşıyaka Chamber Orchestra); conductor, Rengim Gökmen; Hikmet Şimşek Cultura Center, Izmir, Turkey.
December 7, 2020 by the Pandemic Orchestra of Municipality of Kadıköy conducted by Rengim Gökmen at Süreyya Opera House, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Land of Colors, Op.9. October&November, 2012. Duration: 63′ (in 15 movements)
Performed by the Armağan Durdağ Ensemble founded by the composer, consisting of 22 musicians, including several traditional Turkish instruments, Western instruments, electronics, and mezzo-soprano using sacred texts from Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and quotations by various important people from around the world including but not limited to ancient Greek philosophers, 12th & 13th century Persian, Turkish and German poets and mystics, and several scientists. The Land of Colors is a 15-movement and 63-minute unstaged work composed and its script written by Armağan Durdağ as the first part of composer’s two-concert-long project entitled “New Music for a New World”.
Commissioned as a full concert project by the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Istanbul, Turkey.
Premiere: November 28, 2012 by Armağan Durdağ Ensemble, conductor, Burak Tüzün; Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall, Istanbul, Turkey.
Panthalassa, Op.8. April, 2012. Duration, 10′. [ SCORE ]
Symphonic overture for two zurna (very loud traditional Turkish outdoor reed instrument), two Ramadan drums (traditional Turkish village drum) and symphony orchestra.
Commissioned for the celebration of 37th anniversary of Turkish Music State Conservatory at the Istanbul Technical University by the board of directors of the conservatory.
Premiere: March 3, 2012 by the Philharmonia Istanbul, conductor, Hakan Şensoy; CRR Concert Hall, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Red Sail, Op.1. For string orchestra. December, 2007. Duration, 9′. [ WATCH WORLD PREMIERE HERE ]
Commissioned by Oğuzhan Balcı, founder of Orchestra Istanbul.
Premiere: December 12, 2007 by the Orchestra Istanbul; conductor, Oğuzhan Balcı; CRR Concert Hall, Istanbul, Turkey.
Other Performances: August, 2011 by the Youth Orchestra of TN Festival; conductor, Jorge Aguirre; Traveling Notes International Music Festival, Yerevan, Armenia.
Chamber Music:
Istanbul, Op.19. For kemençe, kanun, flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, and string quartet. July 2017. Duration, 9′ [ WATCH WORLD PREMIERE HERE ]
Commissioned by Hezarfen Ensemble for its five-year European Research Council (ERC) project, “Beyond East and West: Developing and Documenting an Evolving Transcultural Practice”
Premiere: August 17, 2017 by Hezarfen Ensemble, Guitar+Microtonal Festival in Fulda, Germany, organized with support of University of Music in Wurzburg.
The Refuge, Op.18. For alto & soprano saxophone, cello and piano. October 2015-November 2016. Duration, 24′.
Dedicated to the people of Syria, and also to whomever in the history of world was forced to leave their beloved country because of a devastating war. The piece does not actually focus on the refugees, but rather on the deeper meaning of the concept of “the refuge” itself. A refuge can be more than a place or a condition:
a hideout, strong and safe place arrived through our soul where we feel secure and tranquil,
a very close place inside us and yet
very far if we don’t know where to look. It is an interior place every human being has,
no matter where they are in this world,
or how lonely, helpless and desperate they are…
Commissioned by saxophone artist Allen K. Rippe.
Premiere: February 19, 2017 by Allen K.Rippe, alto & soprano saxophone, Rahşan Apay, cello, Christian Martin, piano, Armağan Durdağ, conductor; in Crowder Hall at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
White, Op.17. For piano and string quintet. November 2015. Duration, 9′.
Commissioned by the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Istanbul, Turkey.
Premiere: December 28, 2015 by Armağan Durdağ Ensemble at Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.
Taylan, Op.14. For clarinet, cello and piano. December, 2014. Duration, 5’30”. [ LISTEN / SCORE ]
Dedicated to the memory of composer Taylan Cihan, composer’s close friend, who died at the age of 36 in October, 2014.
Commissioned by the Trio Kuvars Viyolet.
Premiere: December 23, 2014 by the Trio Kuvars Viyolet in in Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Center, İzmir, Turkey.
Other Performances: December 15, 2015 by Trio Kuvars Viyolet in Hekimbaşı Salih Efendi Yalısı, Istanbul, Turkey.
January 7, 2016 by Trio Kuvars Viyolet at Notre Dame De Sion High School, Istanbul, Turkey.
March 25, 2021 by Trio Kuvars Viyolet at Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Land of The Ignorant, Op.11. For flute, cello and piano. April, 2013. Duration, 5′.
Commissioned by the Sureyya Opera House, Istanbul, Turkey.
Premiere: May 13, 2013 by a trio composed of renowned Turkish musicians Bülent Evcil, Rahşan Apay and Cana Gürmen at Sureyya Opera House, Istanbul, Turkey.
Irony of the Full Moon, Op.6. For bass clarinet, horn, piano and violin. February, 2011. Duration, 4′.
Premiere: April 11, 2011 – Luna Nova Music Ensemble, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
Refractions, Op.5. For clarinet, piano, violin, viola and cello. [ LISTEN / SCORE ]
Mvt.I&III April, 2010; Mvt.II&IV March, 2011. Duration, 6′.
Premiere: April 3, 2011 by a student ensemble at the University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
Other Performances: August 14, 2011, KK Festival Ensemble; conductor, Armağan Durdağ; Klasik Keyifler International Chamber Music Festival, Cappadoccia, Turkey.
Dreams by the Lake of the Pure Mind, Op.4. For flute, clarinet, marimba, piano, violin and cello. January, 2010. Duration, 7′. [ LISTEN / SCORE ]
Premiere: February 23, 2010 by Contemporary Chamber Players, conductor, Kamran Ince, at the University of Memphis, Memphis,TN, USA.
Other Performances: May 26, 2010 by Istanbul Modern Music Ensemble, conductor, Kamran Ince, at the Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Muse of Silence, Op.3. For flute, clarinet, percussion, marimba, piano, violin and cello. January, 2009. Duration, 5′
Voice/Instrument and Piano:
In Search of the Orient Sun, Op.13. Version for flute and piano. October, 2018. Duration, 5′.
Premiere: January 30, 2019 by flutist Seyhan Bulut and pianist Anna Tarakanova at Alin Art Center, Samsun, Turkey.
Other Performances: February 5, 2019 by flutist Seyhan Bulut and pianist Anna Tarakanova at Müzik Makinası Stüdyo Sahne, Ankara, Turkey.
In Search of the Orient Sun, Op.13. For bassoon and piano. September, 2014. Duration, 5′.
Commissioned by Dr. Attilla Kadri Şendil, Chair of Theory and Composition Department in Antalya State Conservatory, Turkey for the Collaboration of Contemporary Turkish Composers Concert that would be held in Antalya, Turkey.
Katibim, Op.12. For soprano and piano. August, 2013. Duration, 10′.
Commissioned by renowned Turkish soprano Ece İdil for the VII. European Songs Festival in Warsaw, Poland.
Premiere: October 19, 2013 by soprano Ece İdil and pianist Metin Ülkü in Wilanow Palace, White Hall, Warsaw, Poland.
‘Katibim’ Variations, Op.2. For cello and piano. Nov, 2008. Duration, 9′
Premiere: March 9, 2008 – Cello, Rahşan Apay; piano, Dina Hasanova; University of Galatasaray, Istanbul, Turkey.
Other Performances: Various performances in different cities of Turkey and Armenia, performed by cellist Rahşan Apay, and pianists Melin Molla, Eser Bilgeman Şakir (3 times), Sabri Tuluğ Tırpan, İbrahim Yazıcı, Stéphane Blét, Artur Avenesov, Jerfi Aji and Jeffery Watson.
Solo Instrument:
The Infinite Shades of Purple, Op.16. For solo oboe. September, 2015. Duration, 8’30”
Premiere: January 31, 2016 by Christian Zatarain, oboe; Crowder Hall at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Arrangements/Adaptations:
Mozart – Piano Concerto No.23. Mvt.II, For clarinet, cello and piano. December 2014.
Commissioned and premiered December 23, 2014, by the Trio Kuvars Viyolet at Ahmet Adnan Saygun Art Center, Izmir, Turkey.
Other Performances: January 26, 2015. By Trio Kuvars Viyolet, at Sureyya Opera House, Istanbul, Turkey.
Deryada Deryalıklar, “The Sea And Its Belongings” (arrangement of an Azerbaijani folk song) for string orchestra. July, 2007. [ WATCH WORLD PREMIERE HERE ]
Commissioned and premiered November 29, 2007, by the Istanbul Chamber Orchestra, conductor Hakan Şensoy; at the Caddebostan Kultur Merkezi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Other Performances: September 23, 2015, by Kara Karayev Azerbaijan State Chamber Orchestra, conductor Hakan Şensoy, at Philharmonic Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan.
