He could be considered a case study on music and gender in Turkey, but it would be unfair to let his talented musicianship be overshadowed by his outward appearance since his decades-long career -- from 1951 until the late '80s at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) -- proved how skillful he was in singing even the most demanding forms of classical Turkish music.

Müren was born in 1931. From 1950 to 1953 he studied decorative arts in İstanbul at the Fine Arts Academy while launching his musical career. Müren's first album was released in 1951, at which time he was a regular singer on TRT İstanbul Radio. Throughout his 45-year professional career, Müren composed more than 100 songs and made more than 200 recordings. He was celebrated as the son of classical Turkish music and was affectionately dubbed Pasha. Many of Müren's records were also released in Greece, where he also enjoyed popularity, along with the US, Germany and several other countries during the 1960s and 1970s.

Thanks to the Artvizyon record company, all of the recordings of Müren from his radio days are now available as part of the company's album series "Radyo Günleri" (Radio Days). The series features radio recordings by Müren and Safiye Ayla -- the two most celebrated stars of classical Turkish music -- from the time when radio was the main device for home entertainment. But I think the third compilation in the series -- "Radyo Günleri 3," which is the subject of this article -- is simply the best since it has a good combination of both Müren's best known compositions and songs from traditional Turkish fasıl (a series of songs in the same mode played one after another in a combined fashion without breaks) repertoire.

It is interesting that people in Greece, for example, know one of Müren's best-known songs, "Beklenen Şarkı" (The Long-awaited Song), by heart. So coming across a radio recording of this famous Müren composition brings about nostalgia. One instantly remembers the Jane Eyre-esque scenes in the 1954 film of the same name in which Müren sang this song. The film was the story of a young musician (acted by Müren) becoming famous through the help of a wealthy woman.

The album opens with a radio announcement, one of the many sprinkled here and there between songs as additional flavor. The 28 tracks on the album include many classics, also featuring poems by famous Turkish poets set to music by famous composers. "Kaçsam Bırakıp" (Wish I Could Run Away), a song in the nihavent mode, is a wonderful classic from female composer Mehveş Hanım, and it is also featured on the album.

I recommend "Radyo Günleri 3" to everyone who wants to sample this phenomenal classical singer of Turkish music who still holds the record of performing the most concerts throughout his career. (Zeki Müren, "Radyo Günleri 3," Artvizyon, 2008)

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