Music For All Aegeans

The nations bordering the Aegean Sea share more than mild weather and great food. As this talented duo proves on their current CD, Letter From Istanbul (Golden Horn Records), they boast a rich cultural and musical heritage, which transcends religion and politics.

Letter From Istanbul, headed by longtime friends and kemenche players Derya Turkan and Sokratis Sinopoulus (the instrument is a three-stringed fiddle) seeks to celebrate the traditional folk music of Western Anatolia and the AgeanIslands. While Turkan was born in Istanbul, Sinopoulus hails from Athens. In their mix you can hear plenty of improvisation around the melodies (which are mostly traditional) as the musicians duet (Sinopoulos also plays the lute) and exchange leads in songs that take you far from our own busy archipelago.

Derya Turkan comes from a family of musicians. He began his musical studies first under cellist Firat Kizitug, later heading to The Turkish Music conservatory where he studied with Ihsan Özgen, who is considered a musical legend in his home country. He has performed with The National Turkish Music Ensemble and Özgen's Anatolia group. Sinopoulus, on the other hand, studied Classical guitar and Western theory while taking lessons in Greek folk music. He began studying the kemenche in 1988 with Ross Daly, and joined his group Lavyrynthos a year later. He has done loads to bring the once-neglected, three-stringed fiddle back into the realm of Greek music.

At this performance, the duo will be backed by Ugur Isik (violoncello), Hakan Güngör (zither), Perikles Papapetropoulus (luite), Fahreddin Yarkin (percussion) and Ferruk Yarkin (percussion). For newbies to the genre, just relax and let the music take control.

  April 30. Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway (at 95th St.), 212-864-5400; 7, $26.