The 29th International Istanbul Music Festival programme is comprised of 26 concerts and recitals based upon the dual theme of "Italy and the 100th Anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's Death". Approximately 480 performers from Italy, England, Azerbeijan, USA, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and France will join with 120 Turkish performers...
The 29th International Istanbul Music Festival programme is comprised of
26 concerts and recitals based upon the dual theme of "Italy and the 100th
Anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's Death".
Approximately 480 performers from Italy, England, Azerbeijan, USA, Russia,
Germany, Sweden, and France will join with 120 Turkish performers to make a
grand total of more than 600 artists that will be presented at this year's
International Istanbul Music Festival. The Festival will consist of six
orchestral performances, (three of which have choirs), six chamber music
concerts, and two recitals, as well as one modern, one vocal, and three
traditional music concerts. In addition to all of this, the programme also
presents the Young Soloists' Series, which is a series of three concerts and
will feature six chamber music ensembles and three vocal recitals.
The 29th International Istanbul Music Festival has been made possible through
the sponsorship of Eczacýbaþý Holding A. Þ.
All around the world, and particularly in Italy, there have been festivities
featuring compositions by Giuseppe Verdi in memory of the 100th anniversary of
his death. Istanbul audiences will likewise have the opportunity to enjoy
Verdi's music live at the Festival. Amongst the orchestras to perform works by
Verdi are the The Orchestra and the Chorus of the National Academy of Santa
Cecilia with Paolo Olmi as conductor. The orchestra will perform at Hagia Eirene
Museum on June 21 through sponsorship from ARIA and at the Atatürk Cultural
Centre on June 22 through the sponsporship of Istanbul Stock Exchange. They
will present Verdi's Four Sacred Pieces, the Overture and the Finale of Act II
from the opera La Forza del Destino, as well as Op.54 Schicksalied and the
Tragic Overture by Brahms and the Overture and Finale of Act II of Bellini's
opera Norma in honour of the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Soprano Mariella Devia and I Virtuosi Italiani will highlight Rossini, one of
the most important opera composers of the 19th century, at this year's Festival.
The Mariella Devia and I Virtuosi Italiani concert will mark the opening of the
Festival on Saturday June 9 at 7:30 pm at Hagia Eirene Museum. In addition to
three sonatas, the group will also perform arias for soprano and strings. This
concert is sponsored by Boeing C.A.G.
The International Istanbul Music Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation
for Culture and Arts has always included a rich selection of baroque works. In
Italy, the Renaissance period saw an increased development in music that came to
fruition in the baroque period. This year audiences will encounter orchestras
that have become experts in the baroque music field. The Venice Baroque
Orchestra, with Andrea Marcon as conductor, is one of these.
Their concerts
will take place at Hagia Eirene Museum on June 11 and 12 and will place emphasis
on Vivaldi, in addition to compositions by Veracini, Marcello, and Steffani.
The June 11 concert is sponsored by The Bell Group of Companies - Organik
Holding A. Þ., and the June 12 concert is sponsored by IBM Turk.
Another group that has become expert in the performance of baroque period music
is the The English Baroque Soloists & The Monteverdi Choir conducted by John
Eliot Gardiner. Their concert takes place on June 15 and will include a
performance of Handel's Messiah. This concert has been sponsored by Eczacýbaþý
Holding A.Þ. in the name of the Dr. Nejat Eczacýbaþý, founder of the Istanbul
Foundation for Culture and Arts.
As in previous years, the Festival also presents a rich programme of
contemporary music. The renowned Alban Berg Quartet is among the most important
ensembles at the Festival this year.
Their concert will take place on June 26 at
Hagia Eirene Museum and has been sponsored by the Ãœlker Group. Alban Berg, one
of the major proponents of 20th century music of the 12 tone system will present
along with his quartet, his own Lyric Suite and Bela Bartok's String Quartet no:
6. On June 27 at Hagia Eirene Museum The Artemis Quartet will give a concert
that has been sponsored by Siemens. In this concert the viola and cello player
from the Alban Berg Quartet will join The Artemis Quartet.
They will perform
Arnold Schönberg's famed Verklaerte Nacht for six strings in memory of the 50th
anniversary of the renowned composer's death. The concert will also include
Richard Strauss' Capriccio for String Sextet and Verdi's String Quartet. On June
19 at Hagia Eirene Museum famed young violinist Joshua Bell will perform works
especially composed for him and works by Nicholas Maw and Aaron Jay Kernis in a
concert sponsored by Koçbank A.Þ.
Turkey's most renowned tenor, Erol Uras will continue his 40th year as a
performer with a vocal recital of Italian songs and Verdi arias on June 14. This
concert is sponsored by The Marmara Hotels and Residences.
On June 28 at Hagia Eirene Museum David and Tatjana Geringras will give a duet
concert sponsored by Novartis Saðlýk, Gýda ve Tarým Ürünleri Sanayi ve Ticaret
A.Þ. One of the interesting pieces to be performed is Alfred Schnittke's
Epilogue from the ballet Peer Gynt for cello, piano and tape recorder. Another
of the exciting ensembles to perform at the Festival is Giovanni Sollima & The
Lark Quartet. Giovanni Sollima, who is influenced by jazz, rock and world music
in addition to classical, will accompany The Lark Quartet in a concert to take
place on June 23. This concert is sponsored by the Turkish National Lottery.
Turkish harpist Þirin Pancaroðlu and Danish harpist Tine Rehling the duo Noon
Star, which will give a concert at Hagia Eirene Museum on June 29 through
sponsorship from Iþýklar Holding A.Þ. Their eclectic concert will include works
specially composed for Noon Star as well as works by Heitor Villa-Lobos and a
selection ranging from Sting to Duke Ellington.
Amongst the famous names at the Festival this year are the sisters Güher and
Süher Pekinel. The Pekinel sisters will give concerts at the Istanbul Convention
and Exhibition Centre on June 24 and June 25 with accompaniment of the Orchestre
National du Capitole de Toulouse with Michel Plasson as conductor.
The June 24
performance is sponsored by Türkiye Ãþ Bankasý and the June 25 performance is
sponsored by the Airbus Industrie and Türkiye Sinai Kalkýnma Bankasý A.Þ.
Jan Garbarek, whose name is most well known in the jazz scene, will present the
Mnemosyne project in collaboration with The Hilliard Ensemble at Hagia Eirene
Museum on July 3. At this concert sponsored by Mercedes Benz Türk, Jan Garbarek
will play the saxophone with baroque music brought to light by The Hilliard
Ensemble.
The Tekfen Black Sea Soloists will give a concert with Saim Akçýl conducting on
June 18 at Hagia Eirene Museum. Kamancha virtuoso Adalet Vezirov will play as a
soloist at this concert sponsored by Tekfen Holding A.Þ. Ferit Tüzün's
Esintiler, Hannemmedov's Kamancha Concerto and Beethoven's Symphony no.7 will be
performed at this concert.
As part of the Traditional Music Concerts section of the festival, "Come", a
re-written form of Mevlana's Mesnevi (poetry in rhymed couplets composed by
Mevlana), will be recited by the Ministry of Culture Historical Turkish Music
Ensemble, led by Ahmet Özhan on June 19, at the Atatürk Cultural Centre.
Among
other important artists participating in this section of the festival are A.
Þenol Filiz and Birol Yayla, who will present various mahurs (one of the oldest
makams) on June 16 at the Hagia Eirene Museum, and Melihat Gürses who will give
a concert on June 20 at the Atatürk Cultural Centre. The Melihat Gülses concert
is sponsored by the Borusan Kültür ve Sanat Merkezi and Çanakkale Seramik and
Kalebodur.
This year, as part of the Young Soloists Series concerts selected from
applications from various conservatories, The Ares Sextet, Ayþen Zülfikar
(soprano), The Arion Quintet, The Dolce Quartet, Taylan Memioðlu (tenor),
Istanbul Trombone Quartet, Muse Quintet, Tülay Uçar (soprano) and Triolog will
perform on June 15, 16 and 17t at the Atatürk Cultural Centre. This series of
concerts is sponsored by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
The special projects of the International Istanbul Music Festival during the
year 2001 have also been appreciated by classical music listeners. Yo-Yo Ma, who
came to Turkey as part of a collaborative project with Sanat, gave two very
successful concerts on April 26 and 27 at the Sanat Concert Hall.
This year, the European Concert of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performed
in the magical atmosphere of the Hagia Eirene Museum on May 1, which is the
founding date of the Berlin Philarmonic Orchestra. This concert, regularly
presented for the past 11 years at different cultural capitals of Europe, was
broadcast live on 25 European and world television stations.
The International Istanbul Music Festival is collaborating on another project
with the Ravenna Festival, to organize a concert of the Orchestra Filarmonica
della Scala Assocazione del Coro Filarmonica della Scala, formed of 250
musicians, on July 24, 2001.
Theatre Festival, Istanbul