NIRVANA PROJECT AYSEDENIZ GOKCIN WITH IVAN SHOPOV
#NirvanaProject describes the last five years of Kurt Cobain s life. Dancer Ekin Bernay symbolises Kurt Cobain s spirit, his wife, his child, and the characters in his music. Electronic musician Ivan Shopov represents the dark memories of Kurt Cobain. Pianist AyseDeniz Gokcin brings to life the power of music that gave Kurt Cobain the will to live.
AyseDeniz Gokcin AyseDeniz completed her Masters in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and received her Bachelors Degree at Eastman School of Music in the USA. AyseDeniz was considered a child prodigy in her native Turkey and made her concerto debut aged nine. By thirteen, she had performed as a soloist with more than a dozen of orchestras. Since then, she has played in major festivals around the world, including Moscow s Musical Kremlin Festival; California s Wavelength Festival; Sofia s Piano Extravaganza Festival; 38th and 41st International Istanbul Music Festivals; 31st International Ankara Music Festival; Gouveia Art Rock Festival and Piano City Milan and others. She has appeared on various TV channels, radio stations and magazines including Classic FM, CNN Turk, NTV, TRT, The Voice of Russia, International Piano Magazine, Andante, Opus, Vogue Turkey and Prog Rock Magazine. She is the producer of #NirvanaProject in which she tells the story of Kurt Cobain through her classical piano arrangements and vocals.
Ivan Shopov Bulgarian music producer and visual artist Ivan Shopov (also known as Cooh, The Third Man and Balkansky) has performed his music and exhibited his art throughout Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. Releasing his many projects for some of the biggest labels in the electronic music scene, his music has reached all corners of the world. He started playing bass guitar in a hardcore-metal band and creating electronic music as a teenager. Producing Drum And Bass for over 15 years, he has more than 90 vinyl and 20 CD releases. He performs regularly every weekend in Europe, at festivals and clubs alike, he is one of the hottest commodities on the international electronic music scene. He created the electronic beats and sound design to #NirvanaProject Album, and performs with AyseDeniz GOKCIN, creating a unique blend of musical style.
N I R V A N A P R O J E C T VII IN BLOOM In Bloom starts with a style reminiscent of Prokofiev, leaving the audience with piano and electronic music. The bravura passages of the piano give the impression of a happy world, however ephemeral. I SOMETHING IN THE WAY Something in the Way, the song reminiscent of Chopin s Funeral March, accompanied by Kurt Cobain s spirit, beckons Ekin to stage. The rock icon is immortalised once again. VIII HALLUCINATION * II COME AS YOU ARE Hallucination is the first movement of the piece that AyseDeniz composed for Cobain. It dramatises Cobain and other drug addicts struggle with paranoia, itching, and hallucinations. This ends when Kurt Cobain s child Frances Bean is born. Come As You Are, one of the most popular songs of Kurt Cobain, renders the chaotic mood described in his memoirs with a polyphonic baroque style, ending with a romantic explosion. IX & X HYMN & CHORALE * III TERRITORIAL PISSINGS In Territorial Pissings, Ivan strives to remind Ekin terrible thoughts. He tries to teach her what is right and wrong. This is where we first see Kurt Cobain s inner struggle. IV ** & V RAPE ME Rape Me is the theatrical depiction of this song that Kurt wrote after hearing about the rape of a woman. Cobain finds himself having to choose between himself and his child. Not having the strength to go on, he writes a farewell note, escapes from the treatment and kills himself. Gospel themes and whistle symbolise mother nature s call for Cobain. XI SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT Cobain comes back from the dead. Time runs backward as the piece merges with Come as you are and ends with a slow version of Smells like teen spirit. XII BREED VI HEART SHAPED BOX With Heart Shaped Box, Ekin takes us to the world of Courtney Love, Cobain s wife. She puts on stage the love between Kurt and Courtney. At the end, we remain with themes that represent Cobain s message to the world: his rejection of common societal ills such as consumerism, racism, and discrimination.
Music by Kurt COBAIN (NIRVANA); *AyseDeniz GOKCIN & ** Adele ADKINS, Paul EPWORTH Piano, Voice and Arrangements by AyseDeniz GOKCIN Electronic Sounds and Beats by Ivan SHOPOV Sound engineering by Dave ROWELL Sound recording production by Matthew BENNETT Mastering by Shawn HATFIELD Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London UK Executive Production by AyseDeniz GOKCIN Wings illustration created by Ivan SHOPOV Front Cover Design by Andrey KATANSKI & NP001 www.aysedeniz.org AGOKCIN MUSIC London, UK