Since 1973, İKSV’s annual Istanbul Music Festival has given classical music lovers a chance to attend live performances by renowned soloists like Itzhak Perlman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Joshua Bell, Cecilia Bartoli, and Lang Lang, and by international symphony orchestras under the direction of conductors like Lorin Maazel, Daniel Barenboim, and Christoph Eschenbach.

This year – the 40th anniversary of İKSV – the festival will feature 23 unique concerts from May 31st to June 29th, at eight different locations. In addition to the Aya İrini Müzesi (Hagia Irene Museum), which has been a venue for the festival since its inception, the concerts will take place at the Haliç Congress Center, the Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center, the Dutch Consulate, the Süreyya Opera House, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, the Rectorate of Istanbul University, and the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.

The special theme for this year’s festival is “Hope and Heroes,” with performances of works like Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto and Eroica Symphony, Strauss’s Don Quixote, and Ravel’s Piano Concerto for Left Hand, specially composed for pianist, WWI veteran, and right-arm amputee Paul Wittgenstein. Another special concert, “Women Heroes of Music,” will feature pieces by female composers both Turkish and international, past and present, from Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn to Sofia Gubaidulina.

Other highlights include world premieres of original works commissioned for the festival: Turkish pianist/composer Fazıl Say’s Mesopotamia Symphony and Georgian composer Giya Kancheli’s New Symphonic Opus. There will also be a concert of pieces by Berg, Bartók, and Liszt by French pianist Hélène Grimaud, who will be making her first appearance at the festival. The festival’s opening concert at the Haliç Congress Center will feature a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Sascha Goetzel.

The full program of concerts is now available online on IKSV’s website. Tickets, ranging in price from 30 TL to 400 TL, can be purchased from Biletix and IKSV, and will also be available for purchase during the festival at booths on the grounds of the Hagia Irene Museum. 

Festival Highlights:

Women Heroes of Music

On June 8, a concert dedicated to pioneering female musicians in Turkey as well as those lighting up the international music scene will take you through the sentimental pieces of Dilhayat Kalfa, Ethel Smyth, Fehime Sultan, Fanny Mendelssohn, Neveser Kökdeş, Leyla Saz, Amy Beach, Clara Schumann, Radife Erten, Lili Boulanger, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Kevser Hanım at the Süreyya Opera House.

Conducted by Hakan Şensoy, the Istanbul Chamber Orchestra will be playing with a female-only cast, consisting of Cihat Aşkın on violin, Cana Gürmen on piano, Şehvar Beşiroğlu on qanun, Neva Özgen on kemenche, Birol Yayla on tambur, İvan Çelak on accordion, and Yaprak Sayar and Pervin Çakar on vocals.

Giya Kancheli: A World Premiere

Pioneering Giorgian composer Giya Kancheli will present the world premiere of his symphonic piece, commissioned by the festival, on June 11 at the Hagia Irene Museum. This concert was supposed to feature the late cellist Benyamin Sönmez, who passed away towards the end of 2011, but will instead be dedicated to Sönmez. The long-awaited symphonic piece will be presented by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Andres Mustonen. The Warsaw Philharmonic Choir, Georgian countertenor Mamuka Gaganidze, soloist Gidon Kremer on viola, and soloist Giedre Dirvanauskaite on cello will also take part in the concert. The night’s program will include Giya Kancheli’s Diplipito for Cello, New Symphonic Opus, and Styx for Viola.

Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin

On June 16, the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, will take the stage at the Lütfi Kırdar Convention & Exhibition Centre with piano virtuoso Hüseyin Sermet, under the “Hope and Heroes” theme of the festival. The night’s program will consist of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Overture to Ruy Blas, Op.95, MWV M11, Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony in E flat Major, No.3, Op.55, “Eroica”,which impeccably communicates the idea of heroism through victory and tragedy.

Don Quixote From ISSO & Daniel Müller-Schott

On June 20,the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by ChristophAltstaedt, will perform with Daniel Müller-Schott, the new cello star who frequently performs in the world’s most prestigious festivals. Performed at the Hagia Irene Museum, the night’s repertoire will includeRichard Strauss’s EinHeldenleben, Op.40 and Don Quixote, Op. 35.

Hélène Grimaud

Hélène Grimaud is one of the most prominent pianists of our time. She will perform in Istanbul for the first time on June 22, at the Hagia Irene Museum, as part of the Istanbul Music Festival. Grimaud regularly takes the stage at important international festivals, performs with prominent orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Munich Philharmonic, and collaborates with some of the greatest conductors, including Kurt Masur, Bernard Haitink, and Esa-PekkaSalonen. Due to health issues, Grimaud couldn’t make it to Istanbul in 2006 and 2008, but she is finally here to play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata in A minor, No.8, KV310/300d, Alban Berg’s Piano Sonata, Op.1, BélaBartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, SZ56, and Franz Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor, S178.

A World Premiere by Fazıl Say

Turkish piano virtuoso and composer Fazıl Say will be performing with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gürer Aykal on June 23 at the Haliç KongreMerkezi. The concert program will consist of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in E flat Major, No.5, Op.73, “Emperor”, and the world premiere of Say’s Symphony, No.2, Op.38, “Mesopotamia”, which was commissioned by the Istanbul Music Festival. Say will be accompanied by Bülent Evcil on bass flute, Çağatay Akyol on bass recorder, and Carolina Eyck on theremin.

This article was updated on 4 May, 2012.