Istanbul Music Festival kicked off virtually

ISTANBUL

Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the 48th Istanbul Music Festival kicked off on Sept. 18 with an opening concert streamed online.

The event opened with the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Aziz Shokhakimov with violinist Emre Engin as the soloist, featuring works by Beethoven, Mozart, Prokofiev, and Bartok.

The online concert preceded by the opening speech of the İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı and introductions of this year’s festival award recipients.

All concerts from the festival program will be available for audiences both in Turkey and around the world with stunning image and sound quality, and accessible ticket prices, according to a statement made by İKSV.

Curated around this year’s theme, “the Enlightened World of Beethoven,” the festival will meet music lovers virtually until Oct. 5.

Concert tickets are on sale at a single ticket price of 20 liras ($2.65) and the audiences will also be able to purchase a bundle ticket that is valid for all the concerts for 250 liras ($33).

The festival concerts were filmed by professional crews at historical venues in Istanbul, Ankara and various cities of Europe, with ensembles such as the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Akademie and Bilkent Symphony Orchestra.

The concert venues include the Theodosius Cistern, Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, Khedive Palace, Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre, Harbiye Saint Esprit Cathedral, Surp Ohan Vosgeperan Armenian Catholic Church and the Süreyya Opera House in Istanbul.

The festival celebrates the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, along with the rest of the world, and it features iconic works of the composer, as well as new commissions and projects inspired by his music.

The festival program evokes the essential aspects of the composer’s music such as the “love of nature,” “love of humanity” and “innovative and visionary music language.”

“With his bold musical language, Beethoven defied the boundaries of musical genres of his time and set new standards that still influence the music world and manifest in most of the festival performance,” said a statement.