From classical to jazz in April
ISTANBUL
Istanbul’s İş Sanat will welcome the month of April with two special concerts by the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra’s violinist Baiba Skride, winner of the first prize of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2001. According to The Birmingham Post, “[Skride’s] upper tones were poised and crystalline, her lower registers sang almost vocally, and her bowing was sparkling and fluent,” while the musician is considered one of the most brilliant violinists of the time. With her dazzling performances that make her one of the most sought-after soloists, Skride has appeared with many prestigious orchestras. The concert will take place on April 1 at 8 p.m. at İş Sanat.
The next night the orchestra will offer a rich program from Haydn and Mozart to Tchaikovsky with pianist and conductor Zoltan Kocsis, who has been the chief musical director of the orchestra since 1997. In recent years the orchestra has received numerous invitations abroad and it has given 100 concerts in 40 countries.
Kocsis’ recordings as a soloist have also won numerous awards, most significantly the Edison Award for his recording of Bartok’s piano concerti and the Gramophone Award for his Debussy album.
The next guest of İş Sanat will be the Spring Quartet, which is made up of Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, Esperanza Spalding and Leo Genovese. The musicians co-lead a modern multigenerational project that showcases the linear path from the beginning source to the future of the lauded jazz idiom. The concert will be on April 9.
The breakout star of Moldava, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, will take the İş Sanat stage on April 17. The winner of numerous prizes such as the international Szeryng-Competition in Mexico in 2000 and the prestigious International Credit Suisse Group Young Artist Award two years later, Kopatchinskaja will collaborate with Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra.
Young Flamenco star Fuensanta “La Moneta” will share the stage with Kopatchinskaja for “Luz sobre lienzo,” a newly arranged piece by Spanish composer Mauricio Sotelo.
On April 20 İş Sanat will host Paloma San Basilio. Recording several tracks with artists such as Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, Paloma was awarded a Latin Grammy for lifetime excellence in Spanish music. The singer extended her skills to acting while starting to play the main role in the musical “Evita;” she has been widely acclaimed for more than two years, touring worldwide.
İş Sanat will also host two events for children, with the “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” dance show on stage on April 13. Grandstanding in many cities of Turkey for many years with more than 200 performances and having attracted a great number of audiences for theater, opera, ballet and the symphony, the musical play “A Casual Concert,” will also meet with children on April 27. In contrast to its original version, the adaptation for children “A Casual Concert for Children” also features an authentic tale.
Commemorating Sait Faik Abasıyanık
On the 60th anniversary of his death, İş Sanat will also commemorate Sait Faik Abasıyanık with a poetry reading titled “Everything Begins with Loving Mankind” on April 14.
Abasıyanık (1906-1954) is known as one of the founders of the contemporary Turkish story. The themes of his narrations mostly consist of human love and the alienation of people in society. Leaving traditional wording behind, he made use of unwritten words, idioms and the colloquial language. The pure state of nature, especially Istanbul’s islands and the sea, compose the environment that figures prominently in his works. Some of his stories will be read along with music by Serdar Yalçın, composed especially for the recital. The chosen stage set and dramatology will also symbolize the author’s life.
