First Turkish music opera to go on stage

ISTANBUL

The countdown starts for “Requiem for Çanakkale,” the first Turkish music opera which will be staged on the 107th anniversary of the Çanakkale victory.

The show will meet with the audience on March 18 at Atatürk Cultural Center. Tickets for the show have been sold out.

Rehearsals for the show are still continuing and speaking about the preparations, General Coordinator Aylin Şengün Taşçı said, “This is exactly 107 years after the Çanakkale Victory and this victory has still really high impact on Turkish people. We all know very well how that great victory gifted us this beautiful country. Based on this idea, Nihat Gönül composed a very beautiful Turkish music opera. He named this opera ‘Requem for Çanakkale.’ A Turkish music opera will be performed for the first time at Atatürk Cultural Center. We are very excited as this is a first.”

Stating that Aşık Veysel Fine Arts School students will sing the chorus part of the piece, Taşçı said, “The instrumentalists of the Culture and Tourism Ministry will perform the work, and the soloists of the ministry will present the folk song parts of it. Dancers of the National Education Ministry will add a different beauty to this opera with their dances featuring the spirit of the Çanakkale Victory. A 71-person cast will take the stage with 40 choir artists, 24 dancers and seven soloists. We will be excited to present a very nice show that will be viewed by all teachers and students of the National Education Ministry, as well as our citizens on March 18 at 11:30 a.m. at Atatürk Cultural Center.”

Speaking about the pieces, Nurullah Şimşek, the Provincial Folk Dances and Music coordinator of the Provincial Directorate of National Education Ministry, said: “We are very excited because we will make a first. We will support the program here with our folk dances. Hopefully, it will be liked. We are featuring the declaration of mobilization, the notification of a sudden war and the village environment. We show the departure of Turkish people to the front.”