Strings and things

Mischa Maisky and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orhcestra at the Aya İrini – the Istanbul Music Festival reviews (part 4)

By John Shakespeare Dyson | June 6, 2018


The fourth event your reviewer attended during the 46th İKSV İstanbul Music Festival was a concert by the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and cellist Mischa Maisky at the Aya İrini on Saturday, June 2. This was a feast of ultra-professional string sound – a real string beano, in fact. (Reader...
Posted in Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music

Thunderstruck!

John Shakespeare Dyson was grolloped by his third Istanbul Festival offering: the Filarmonica della Scala and Daniil Trifonov…

By John Shakespeare Dyson | May 29, 2018


Well, now. Your reviewer is still reeling from the pianist’s performance at the concert on Sunday night (Filarmonica della Scala and Daniil Trifonov at the Lütfi Kırdar Concert Hall, May 27) – the third event he attended during the 46th İKSV İstanbul Music Festival. Will he recover in time to...
Posted in Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music

Into Smaug’s Lair with a horsehair bow: Charlie Siem and the Tekfen Philharmonic

Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and Tchaikovsky’s cruel challenge: Cornucopia’s Istanbul Festival reviews continue at Aya İrini

By John Shakespeare Dyson | May 27, 2018


October 4, 8.30–16.00: Bosphorus tour, with Sedat Bornovalı (₺250)   October 10, 8.30–16.00: Shores of the Golden Horn, with Mois Gabay (₺290)   October 20 8.30–16.00: Nature and history tour: The Belgrade Forest reservoirs and the Atatürk Arboretum, with Mehmet Esendal   October 18, 11.00–16.00, and October 31, 10.30–16.00 Three...
Posted in Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music

Roll over Rachmaninov… after the mellow langour the fireworks begin

Yekwon Sunwoo and the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra: a heart-warming first night of the Istanbul Festival

By John Shakespeare Dyson | May 24, 2018


The 46th İstanbul Music Festival, organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), kicked off with a concert at the Lütfi Kırdar Concert Hall last night (Wednesday, May 23). Once again I was prompted to reflect on how far we have come since I first attended a classical...
Posted in Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music, - Musical Shares

Formidable feast

Javier Perianes brings bravura, moodiness and passion to Chopin, Debussy and de Falla at SMM’s concert hall, the Seed

By John Shakespeare Dyson | April 11, 2018


The Spanish pianist Javier Perianes arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday April 10 hotfoot from a lunchtime recital at the Wigmore Hall in London the previous day and is to be heartily congratulated for demonstrating that the lyricism for which he has been justly praised cannot be compromised by being shaken...
Posted in Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music

Young masters of the horn

The horn maestro Radovan Vlatković returns to Urla for the 2017 UMA masterclasses

By Berrin Torolsan and John Scott | September 14, 2017


The great Croatian horn-player Radovan Vlatković is giving the first of this year’s masterclasses at the Urla Music Academy (UMA). Four days of happy music-making culminate in a concert at 7pm on Saturday evening (September 17). Tickets are free (and donations towards a wonderful musical project most welcome). Okan Akbaş...
Posted in Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music

Rewarding reads: March and April 2017

A revealing relief, must-try Turkish dishes and the perfect day in Istanbul

By Emma Harper | April 26, 2017


In this blog series, we highlight some of our favourite Turkey-related articles and news titbits that we’ve read over the past month (or two, in this case). A relief uncovered by chance in eastern Anatolia has led archaeologists to revise the history of Harput, reports Hurriyet Daily News. Subsequent examinations...
Posted in Archaeology, Culinary Arts, Film, Music & Performing Arts, Obituaries

Mongolians on the marches

By Julie Witford | August 7, 2013


The Central Orchestra of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces had a day trip to Hawick today to see where a lot of the cashmere from their 30 million goats ends up.  Here a young Mongolian woman poses on top of the broad shoulders of the athletic Borderer,...
Posted in Music & Performing Arts, Highlights Around The World
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