Collaboration with Zülfü Livaneli

Since the early 1990s, pianist and composer Henning Schmiedt has been closely collaborating with the Turkish composer, singer, and writer Zülfü Livaneli. In 1992, he performed at the historic concert in Ephesus together with Livaneli, Manos Hadjidakis, and Mikis Theodorakis. In 1997, he took part in the European tour Birlikte – Together with Theodorakis and Livaneli, which also resulted in a joint CD. Two years later, in 1999, Schmiedt performed at concerts in Istanbul, Berlin, and Athens alongside Livaneli, Theodorakis, and Maria Farantouri.

In 2000, he appeared at the Concert for Peace at New York’s Town Hall with Livaneli and Maria Farantouri, sharing the stage with artists such as Al di Meola and Ara Dinkjian. In 2003, Schmiedt arranged the symphonic concert Bridges, performed at the Megaro Mousikis in Athens with Maria Farantouri and the Volos Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Semjon Gokan. That same year, he participated in the historic concert in Nicosia celebrating the opening of the border between the Greek and Turkish parts of Cyprus, again performing with Livaneli and Farantouri.

In 2004, he joined Livaneli and Farantouri for the opening concert of the “German-Turkish Cultural Weeks” at the Philharmonie Munich (Gasteig). The following year, Schmiedt arranged the CD The Memory of the Water by Livaneli and Farantouri, released on Legend. In 2007, he performed with Livaneli and Jocelyn B. Smith in Bodrum. In 2008, he took part in numerous concerts in Nuremberg, Ankara, Bodrum, and Istanbul, as well as symphonic concerts in Berlin and Cologne, and musical readings in Frankfurt, Salzburg, and Stuttgart.

In 2009, Schmiedt appeared as soloist with the Izmir Philharmonic Orchestra in Izmir and Rosenheim, together with Halil Karaduman under conductor Hans Jörg Schellenberger. That same year, he performed at Berlin’s House of World Cultures with Livaneli, his ensemble, the RIAS Youth Orchestra, and other musicians.

In 2010, he contributed arrangements, orchestrations, and piano solos to Livaneli’s feature film Veda – Atatürk. He also performed at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris and in Metz, and took part in the Transition 2010 festival in Bremen, which celebrated Livaneli with concerts, workshops, and masterclasses. In 2011, he continued this work with concerts at the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, the National Theatre in Prague, New York’s Central Park SummerStage, and at the Transition Festival 2011 in Bremen.

In 2012, Schmiedt toured North America with Livaneli and the New York Gypsy Allstars, performing in New York, Washington, Chicago, and Toronto. He also played the opening concert of the German-Turkish Film Festival in Dortmund with Livaneli. In 2013, he performed in London and Istanbul and produced and arranged Livaneli’s Eternal Day – Rumi Project, which he also led from the piano, featuring Romy Camerun, Burcu Karadağ, and Uli Beckerhoff.

In 2014, Schmiedt arranged and performed in the Eternal Day project that opened the International Istanbul Jazz Festival, presented by the Henning Schmiedt Ensemble. That year also included concerts with Livaneli in Sydney, Melbourne, Paris, Zurich, and Berlin. In 2015, Schmiedt co-created the premiere of Homage to Gomidas and Hrant Dink by Livaneli in Istanbul with Erman Imayhan, and performed with Livaneli and Farantouri on the Green Line in Nicosia.

In 2016, he served as musical director of the concert celebrating Livaneli’s 70th birthday at Bremen’s Sendesaal and performed with the Eskisehir Symphony Orchestra works by Livaneli. He also gave a piano-cello recital with Erman Imayhan in London and participated in the Istanbul Symposium honoring Livaneli’s 50 years in the arts. In 2017, Schmiedt continued with recitals alongside Imayhan in Nuremberg, Strasbourg, and at the opening ceremony of the Livaneli Cultural Center in Ankara.

In 2018, he appeared with Livaneli in symphonic and chamber concerts in Izmir with the Karsiyaka Chamber Orchestra and gave further performances in Bremen and Stockholm in honor of Livaneli. In 2020, Schmiedt arranged the Rumi Suite for a concert in New York featuring Tara Nome Doyle, the New York Gypsy Allstars, and Livaneli.

In 2023, Schmiedt arranged and performed at the major Acropolis concert in Athens with Maria Farantouri, Livaneli, and the ERT Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, he was invited as a guest speaker at the Mediterranean Festival of Literature and Music in Bodrum, dedicated to Livaneli, and released the chamber music album Minima Moralia with Erman Imayhan, Ulrich Maiss, and Halil Karaduman.

Finally, in 2025, the Rumi Suite arranged by Schmiedt is released in two versions: one recorded with Romy Camerun and the Henning Schmiedt Ensemble, and another performed by the One World Ensemble New York, featuring Ibrahim Maalouf, Ara Dinkjian, and Ismail Lumanovski. Website Zülfü Livaneli