Gűlseren Sadak – Recital at Bellapais

By Margaret Sheard

I was delighted to hear that Gűlseren Sadak will be giving a piano recital at Bellapais Abbey on Saturday 26th October at 8.30pm. As many people will know, Gűlseren has been a world class concert pianist so it will be a pleasure to hear her play again in North Cyprus.

I met Gűlseren some 10 years ago when she and her late husband, Ali Yaliman, lived in the house at the rear of mine when I first moved to Ozanköy. At that time our small development was mainly occupied by British people and Gűlseren became known as Rosa to some of us. Ali and Rosa moved from Ozanköy to Bellapais some years ago and they remained there until Ali died suddenly earlier this year which left Rosa devastated, so she moved from her home in Bellapais, taking very few possessions with her except for her beloved grand piano, her books and her cat.

On seeing Rosa in the last day or two, I was amazed at how well she looked and the way in which she is overcoming her grief, she is coping so well and this has prompted her to give this forthcoming recital. I think there are many people who will welcome seeing her, on the stage seated at the piano, giving us the pleasure of her beautiful music.

I asked Rosa what she would be playing and she told me there would be Arabesques by Schumann and Debussy and then some pieces by her favourite composer – Chopin. I am so looking forward to this concert and made sure I got my tickets in plenty of time.

I would like to give you a little of the background of this remarkable pianist. Gűlseren Sadak, she was born in Turkey and graduated from the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory and also studied in Paris, Austria and England. In her earlier years she had an 11 concert tour organised by Jeunesses Musicales de France following which she was appointed “Ambassador of Music” by the Foreign Ministry of Turkey. Gűlseren has performed in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Cyprus, Pakistan and many far eastern countries. Gűlseren was the first Turkish pianist to perform in Poland and apart from the many concerts given in Poland she also gave a recital at Chopin’s house as part of the Sopot Musik Festivali in 1990. She told me she was honoured to be told that her interpretation of Chopin’s music was the most moving they had ever heard.

Gűlseren’s father, Muhiddin Sadak, was a celebrated cellist and founded the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory and the Opera Choir. Gűlseren has a lovely oil painting of her father and she told me that the same famous artist also later did an oil painting of Ataturk.

Tickets for the concert are 30TL each and can be obtained from Deniz Plaza shops in Lefkoşa and Girne, Bellapais Ticket Office, Hotel Bellapais Gardens, Dome Hotel in Girne and the Kybele Restaurant in Bellapais. For more information call 0392 815 7540

This recital is very important to Gűlseren and it will be lovely to see a full house for her performance, which will be a very special and magical evening.