Özkan Manav: "Portamento Lento"

The title "Portamento lento" "refers to slow glidings from one pitch to another. Portamento is principally an idiom peculiar to singing and string playing," explained composer Özkan Manav.

Some sections of the piece give a feeling of collective improvisation, while others simulate Anatolian folk melodies. "Portamento lento" is dedicated to the victims of the Gölcük and Düzce earthquakes that hit northwestern Turkey in 1999.

Manav was born in Mersin, Turkey, in 1967 and studied composition in Istanbul and Boston. Deutsche Welle commissioned him to compose the piece, which premiered at the 2002 Beethovenfest in Bonn and was awarded the DW Composition Prize. The work was performed by the Istanbul National Conservatory Orchestra.