40. Istanbul Music Festival presents programme 2012: "Hope and Heroes", 31 May - 29 June 2012

The Istanbul Music Festival, the first festival organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2012. Sponsored by the Borusan Holding since 2006, the Festival’s 40th edition will be held between 31 May and 29 June. The 40th Music Festival will host more than 750 local and foreign artists in Istanbul and will present a month full of music.

The 40th Istanbul Music Festival will host stars of classical music in Istanbul including Hélène Grimaud, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Miloš, Gidon Kremer, Chamber Orchestra Vienna-Berlin and Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and will feature two special performances of the Zurich Ballet as part of the farewell tour of Heinz Spoerli, one of the leading choreographers of Europe. Along with concerts, the festival will also present talks, educational workshops and speeches.

The Istanbul Music Festival will continue to contribute to the contemporary music repertory with its commissions to two world-renowned composers. One of the most productive artists of our time, the genius pianist Fazıl Say who gets standing ovations at every concert, and one of most valuable composers of Georgia, Giya Kancheli will have the world premieres of their new works commissioned by the Istanbul Music Festival with the friendly support of Ernst von Siemens Foundation within the scope of the festival.

Since 2011, the festival has started to build its programme around a theme. The theme of this year’s Istanbul Music Festival will be “Hope and Heroes.” The festival programme, as a result of an accurate repertory research, presents a range of specific works and special concert projects selected within the scope of two intertwined themes such as heroes and hope. Along with these, special projects entitled “Istanbul Music Festival in Search of Its Young Soloist,” “Young Masters and Their Heroes” and “Open Conservatory”, which will be held in Karaköy Greek Primary School, will be carried out as well.

Presenting two world premieres and three Turkish premieres, the 40th Istanbul Music Festival features 23 concerts including symphonic and chamber orchestras, vocal concerts, chamber music and recitals. The festival concerts will be held in eight different venues including Hagia Eirene Museum, which continues to host the festival for the last 40 years, along with the Haliç Congress Center, Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center, Garden of the Netherlands Consulate General, Süreyya Opera House, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Istanbul University Rectorate Building and Istanbul Archaeological Museum.


İKSV Chairman of Board of Directors Bülent Eczacıbaşı underlined that the Istanbul Music Festival will continue and increase the number of its projects targeting youth in its 40th year and said “Our hopes, as the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, lie with the youth; they are our heroes. For this reason, we are expanding our activities for young people this year. We will continue our program “OneFullOneStudent” we revitalised on our 40th anniversary to ensure that more young people selected by non-governmental institutions can attend our concerts. We will also continue our master classes for young talents with the aim of contributing to their musical education. I would like to take this opportunity to express my hope that audiences enjoy the concert program that we prepared for the 40th anniversary of the Istanbul Music Festival. ”

Borusan Culture and Arts Chair of the Board of Directors Zeynep Hamedi said “As Borusan, we see culture and arts as the fifth sector that we operate in. We think that culture and arts have a leading role in integrating Turkey to the rest of the world. Through the activities we support and the Borusan Culture and Arts which celebrates its 15th year in 2012, we are determined to continue our activities in this field and committed to carry them further.”

The Istanbul Music Festival Director Yeşim Gürer Oymak pointed out that the festival built its programme around “Hope and Heroes” theme and said “Artists, just like heroes, follow their dreams for a lifetime. They fight for the community - sometimes even running the risk of opposing the community itself, only with the hope that they might one day be appreciated. They light our darkest hours; they inspire us; they instil hope into our exhausted souls and hearts. We invite the music lovers to an acoustic realm where hope and heroism reign in the wonderful works of great composers. (...) Besides the performances relating to the theme of this year's festival, we will be hosting the world premieres of our two commissions: Georgian composer Giya Kancheli's symphonic work dedicated to the cellist Benyamin Sönmez who passed away last year at a very young age and Fazıl Say's much anticipated "Mesopotamia" Symphony. With also many Turkish premieres, interesting concerts, lectures, and educational projects, we wish this festival to be an inviting and hope-inspiring event.”

THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL THEME: “HOPE AND HEROES”

Numerous surprise projects await music enthusiasts in the programme of the Istanbul Music Festival built around the theme “Hope and Heroes”. The festival will begin with a concert on Thursday 31 May, where young artists from Turkey who have long conquered classical music stages all around the world Simge Büyükedes, Ezgi Kutlu, Cenk Bıyık, and Burak Bilgili will perform the 9th Symphony of Beethoven, a monumental piece conveying “freedom, equality, and brotherhood”, together with Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism State Polyphonic Choir and Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sascha Goetzel. On a special evening on Friday 8 June, entitled “Women Heroes of Music,” one of Turkey’s leading violinists Cihat Aşkın and Istanbul Chamber Orchestra led by Hakan Şensoy, will perform works from leading female composers from Turkey and the world.

Another special concert, which will be held within the scope of the theme on Saturday 16 June, presents Hüseyin Sermet accompanied by Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin. The concert will feature Ravel’s “Piano Concerto for Left Hand”, which he wrote for Paul Wittgenstein who “never lost his hope” even though he had lost his right arm during the 1st World War, and Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony “Eroica” which depicts heroism for its tragedy as much as its victory.

On the evening of Wednesday 20 June, The Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Müller-Schott will venture into faraway lands in search of “heroes” by performing “Don Quixote” composed by Strauss based on Cervantes’ famous novel and “A Life of a Hero (Ein Heldenleben)” in which Strauss depicts himself.

Another concert within the theme will be performed by composer and pianist Fazıl Say, accompanied by Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gürer Aykal, in which Say will present Beethoven’s epic piano concerto, “The Emperor”.

The festival also features many special projects targeting the young musicians who give us hope for the future. The festival launched a project titled “The Istanbul Music Festival is in Search of its Young Soloist”, inviting young musicians to take part in auditions on 21 March. The selected soloist will perform with The Istanbul University State Conservatory Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Ramiz Malik Aslanov on Friday, 15 June. Also, the festival will host on 19 June a concert titled “Young Masters and Their Heroes”, presenting the 14-years-old but already accomplished pianists Ece Bozkurt, Iraz Yıldız and Cem Esen, who will play together with the piano doyens of today, Gülsin Onay, Hüseyin Sermet and Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu, who themselves were “child prodigies” once.

COMMISSIONED WORKS FOR THE FESTIVAL’S 40th ANNIVERSARY

Last year, the Istanbul Music Festival has begun commissioning works from composers from Turkey and abroad, taking an important step towards enriching the contemporary classical music repertory. Continuing these efforts, the festival will present two world premieres this year.

One of the most distinguished composers of our time and a leading figure in the world of contemporary music, Georgian composer Giya Kancheli composes a symphonic work for the festival with the friendly support of Ernst von Siemens Foundation, which will be world premiered on Monday, 11 June at the Hagia Eirene Museum. This concert will be realised in memory of a young talent, the late cellist Benyamin Sönmez, who was planned to be the soloist of this world premiere until his passing away in December 2011. In the performance, the work of Kancheli will be performed by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Andres Mustonen and Warsaw Philharmonic Choir. The soloists of the concert will be Georgian countertenor Mamuka Gaganidze, cellist Giedre Dirvanauskaite, and the legendary violinist Gidon Kremer, who received the Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

The second work commissioned by the festival is composed by Fazıl Say, who is among the most prominent artist of today with his compositions, and his concerts all over the world. The concert includes the world premiere of his Symphony No.2, “Mesopotamia”, which he regards as “a masterpiece” and his performance of Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gürer Aykal on Saturday, 23 June at the Haliç Congress Center.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AND HONORARY AWARDS OF THE FESTIVAL

The Honorary Award of the 40th Istanbul Music Festival will be presented to prominent pianist Hüseyin Sermet, who is renowned not only for his successful interpretations but also for his compositions. Sermet, who has been performing with prominent orchestras and conductors all around the world, and whose recorded albums have been distinguished with Diapason d’Or and MIDEM Classical Award, will receive his prize on Thursday, 31 May at the Opening Ceremony of the Festival at Haliç Congress Center.

The Lifetime Achievement Award of the festival will be presented to one of the most prolific composers of our time, Giya Kancheli, on Monday, 11 June at the Hagia Eirene Museum, before the world premiere of his work commissioned by the Istanbul Music Festival.

Sponsors

The 40th Istanbul Music Festival is organised with the contribution of many performance sponsors along with the festival sponsor Borusan Holding; Mercedes-Benz Türk A.Ş, , Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Türkiye İş Bank, Pak Group, Tekfen Foundation, Işıklar Holding AŞ, TSKB, Milli Reasürans T.A.Ş, Berrin Erengül. Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Murat Barlas.

For further information: muzik.iksv.org/en

For pictures from the 40th Istanbul Music Festival: www.iksvpress.com/muzik2012/

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