Grand opera on stage after 56 yrs

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

After more than half a decade, Turkey’s first major opera will once again be performed for audiences, premiering in two acts in Ankara on Saturday, April 11.

The opera, called "Kerem," was created by the great Turkish composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun, who was part of a group of composers dubbed "the Turkish Five." The story of the ill-fated love between two young people, Kerem and Aslı, will be staged in a new interpretation by the Ankara State Opera and Ballet, or ADOB. Winfried Müller will conduct the orchestra.

First ’Özsoy’ then ’Kerem’

The first Turkish opera, "Özsoy," was initially staged in honor of Iranian Shash Pevlevi’s visit to Turkey. Its theme was determined by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.

Written by Münir Hayri Egeli, the opera was composed by 27-year-old Ahmet Adnan Saygun in two months and staged for the first time on June 19, 1934, at the Ankara Opera House, in the presence of Atatürk and Pevlevi.

This opera, which laid the foundation for Turkish-Iranian relations, was staged again later, a long time after Atatürk’s death.

In 1947, Saygun started writing Turkey’s first major opera, "Kerem," completing the three-act opera in five years. It was first staged at the Ankara Opera on March 22, 1953, and drew much interest from audiences. The role of Kerem was played by Aydın Gün, that of Aslı by Turkish sopranos Leyla Gencer and Belkıs Aran.

The Istanbul State and Ballet, or IDOB, performed "Kerem" for the first time in 1991. The opera includes mystic Anatolian folk melodies and is the first Turkish opera to use all aspects of opera technique.

In the new staging, the lead character, Kerem, will alternately be played by Metin Turan and Ünüşan Kuloğlu, while the role of Aslı will be performed by Selva Erdener, Sayra Geçim Seyran and Mehlika Karadeniz. Other artists scheduled to appear in the opera are Şebnem Algın, Sim Tokyürek, Zeynep Pınar Çakıt, Tuncay Kurtoğlu, Sabri Karabudak, Mithat Karakelle, Mehmet Yılmaz, Umut Kosman, Erdem Gedik, Cem Beran Sertkaya, Özgür Savaş Gençtürk, Emrah Sözer, Serhat Güngör, Sinan Hesapçıoğlu, Berkant Coşkun, Volkan Şen, Yunus Emre Özorhan and Fatih Ayhan.