Istanbul stages opera for everyone

Istanbul’s palace gardens, historical venues and open-air theaters are preparing to host both foreign and state ensembles to celebrate the 2nd International Istanbul Opera Festival from July 1-21, hosting 19 shows at six venues. Such national historical treasures such as Yıldız Palace, Topkapı Palace, Rumeli Hisarı and Hagia Irene will be the backdrops for the performances as well as the Haliç Congress Center and Cemil Topuzlu open-air theater.

Instead of staging the shows indoors, this year the organization chose to enchant opera audiences with open-air venues as backdrops. With the motto of “Opera for Everyone,” the festival’s main attraction during the shows will be Istanbul’s historical background. The city’s beauty and special cultural attractions will help to open a new dimension for Istanbul’s opera festivals, as the festival plans to bedazzle audiences to attract more global opera ensembles and turn Istanbul into a permanent opera capital.

Avid opera fans will have the chance to see eight opera productions and one gala concert. State opera ensembles from Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Mersin, Antalya and Samsun and two international opera ensembles from Germany, Munich’s Gartnerplatztheater and the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe from near Frankfurt, will take their places onstage for the festival. Gartnerplatztheater will stage Bertolt Brecht’s famous play “The rise and fall of the city of Mahagonny,” while Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe will stage a contemporary interpretation of Gioacchino Rossini’s “An Algerian Italian Girl.”

This year’s special guest Elina Garanca, one of the most important mezzo sopranos in the world, will be singing in Hagia Irene with conductor Karel Marc Chichon.

Turkish culture reflected on operatic stage

Audiences will have the chance to see Turkish culture reflected in the opera shows this year. The “Abduction from the Seraglio” will be performed July 8-12 at Yıldız Palace. “Zaide” will be onstage from July 18-20 and “IV Murat” onstage from July 2-3, both at Topkapı Palace. Puccini’s Tosca will be onstage at the Cemil Topuzlu Open-air Theater on July 4. Turkish author Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil’s work “Aşk-ı Memnu” (Forbidden Love) will meet audiences for the first time in Istanbul at Yıldız Palace on July 15-17. Considered the last “Carmen” of our days, Latvia’s Garanca will be onstage in Istanbul for the first time on July 13 for the gala concert. Tickets are available on Biletix.com. k HDN


/Hurriyet Daily News/