Moscow conservatory plays symphony for Gallipoli

ANKARA

The Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory has premiered the “Symphony No. 2 Gallipoli - The 57th Infantry Regiment,” a work by Turkish composer Can Atilla.

The orchestra conducted by Burak Tüzün hosted soprano Angela Ahıskal and cellist Serdar Rasul as soloist at the event in Moscow on May 27.

Atilla said he felt happy that his work was played by the Moscow conservatory, where he began his musical education.

“Such activities bring Turkish and Russian people closer,” he said.

The event was part of the activities held within the scope of The Turkish-Russian Mutual Culture and Tourism Year and supported by Turkey’s Yunus Emre Institute.

The symphony marks the Battle of Gallipoli, an unsuccessful attempt by the Allied Powers to control the sea route from Europe to Russia during World War I.

Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Mehmet Samsar told state-run Anadolu Agency that the Battle of Gallipoli is one of the glorious pages in the Turkish history book.

“With this work, we once again shared the emotions, self-sacrifice, and love for victory felt by the 57th Infantry Regiment in Gallipoli,” he said.

The 19th Division Cmdr. Lt. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Turkish Republic, sent the 57th Infantry Regiment of the division with an artillery battery and cavalry troop to the region after some gunshots were heard in Arıburnu, a strategic spot in Gallipoli, April 25, 1915

Many soldiers of the regiment were martyred, but they made history with their heroism, intentionally going to their death on orders.