Vienna orchestra waltzes into town for Side festival

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Side festival will kick off at the ancient theater of Side with a performance from the world-class Austrian orchestra, who is set to play works by Josef Strauss, Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Mozart.

The strains of the masters of classical music like Strauss and Mozart will pervade Side starting next week as the Side International Culture and Art Festival returns for the 13th year with the Vienna Classical Music Orchestra and Ballet. 

The festival will kick off at the ancient theater of Side with a performance from the world-class Austrian orchestra, who is set to play works by Josef Strauss, Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The festival, which was launched in 2000 by Side Municipality and its mayor, Abdulkadir Uçar, has been hailed as one of the most prestigious festivals in the world. The event is a member of the Europe Festivals Association (EFA).

The orchestra will be conducted by Volkan Mete Yalçın, while the ballet team is expected to stage ballet, polka, waltzes and other classical dances.

The Vienna Symphony Orchestra is the concert orchestra of the Austrian capital and is one of the most prominent musical institutions in the city. The orchestra makes approximately 160 appearances each year with concerts and opera performances, while numerous tours are undertaken throughout Europe and elsewhere. 

The orchestra was formed in 1900 under the name of the Vienna Concert Society. During World War I, the orchestra was saved from being disbanded thanks to a merger with the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, founded in 1913. In the years following 1945, thanks to the efforts of the Principal Conductor Hans Swarowsky and Josef Krips, the orchestra was rebuilt. 

The orchestra has been conducted by many renowned personalities, including Bruno Walter, Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Furtwaengler, Oswald Kabasta, George Szell, Hans Knappertsbusch, Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Carlo Maria Giulini, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, George Prêtre, Leonard Bernstein, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Sergiu Celibidache and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. From 1997 until the end of 2004, the principal conductor was Vladimir Fedoseyev. Since the 2005-2006 concert season, the post has been filled by Fabio Luisi. Additionally, Yakov Kreizberg has been principal guest conductor since October 2003.

The festival starts on Sept. 3 and will continue until Sept. 14, hosting the Enbe Orchestra, Aylin Aslım, Tuncay Kayış and the Golden Trombon Orchestra. The closing of the festival will be made by the Antalya State Opera and Ballet together with conductor Antonio Pirolli, soprano Elvira Fatihova, soprano Aylin Ateş, mezzo-soprano Leonardo Caimi and tenor Tuncay Kurtoğlu. 

All the events are free of charge.

Side Mayor Abdulkadir Uçar said the festival would help further promote Side, in which many archaeological discoveries have been made, in the province of Antalya to tourists as more than a place for historical sightseeing and quick dips in the Mediterranean.
 
With this festival, Side will increase its prestigious place in terms of tourism, according to Uçar. “The festival’s closing concert will be given by the Antalya Festival Orchestra. The orchestra consists of domestic and foreign performers,” he said.