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A sortable calendar of noteworthy cultural events in the New York region, selected by Times critics.
Davide Martello, a German musician in the new age, Paul Winter mold,
arrived with a three-man team, hauling a grand piano in a trailer. After
unloading the instrument and placing it inside the entry to the park,
he began to play.
People stopped to listen. The restless crowd began to calm and organize
around Mr. Martello. Soon photos and videos of the performance were
zinging around the globe, ending up on blogs, online news sites and
Facebook pages.
By the time Thursday night rolled round, word had gotten out, and
according to estimates from those there, 1,500 people gathered in the
park to hear this unknown 31-year-old pianist play again.
Speaking during a pause in the performance, Mr. Martello explained that
he was on a self-directed world tour, hoping to play in major cities
across the globe. He had been in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday morning
and wanted to stop by Istanbul to witness the protests, which started as
an effort to save Gezi Park from destruction and morphed into a broader
expression of dissatisfaction with the authoritarian tactics of Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“The idea is to inspire politicians through music,” Mr. Martello said, wearing a fedora and dressed in red in honor of the Turkish flag.
The square has long been a destination for gatherings and performances,
but Mr. Martello — who played for 14 hours straight, starting Thursday
evening — had an unusual and mesmerizing effect.
“Police in the background and this grand piano in the middle,” said
Zeynep Turkmen, a 24-year old protester who has been staying in the park
for more than a week. “This guy is writing history here.”
Police officers, there to protect the nearby monument bearing the statue
of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the secular Turkish Republic,
joined the audience, resting on their riot shields.
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