Istanbul State Opera ballet ready for new season

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (IDOB) will open the 2015-2016 season on Oct. 2 with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. 

In the new season, a total of six new works will meet audiences. 

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, IDOB Director Kevork Tavityan said that among the works to be staged in the new season, the biggest and the most important would be a French production, Adolphe Adam’s “The Pirate.” 

Also on stage in the new season are the operas “Cinderella,” “The Elixir of Love” and “The Sleepwalker,” ballets “Sylvia” and “Afife,” and modern dances works “Travelogue 2,” “City-Jungle,” “Mediterranean” and “Ezel Bahar.” 

Selman Ada’s opera “Another World” will also make its world premiere, Tavityan said. 

Among the classic works to be performed this season will be Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust,” Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Johann Strauss II’s “The Gypsy Baron.”

Tavityan said the new season would bring many innovations. “I want to add small dance pieces to concerts this year. I want to combine ballet, music and the art of singing,” he added.

Tavityan also said he tried to form a baroque music band within the body of IDOB, but it is difficult and expensive to get hold of baroque-era musical instruments. 

“Unfortunately, these are very special instruments. The baroque violin is a violin but its bow is a bit different and its resonance is different. I want to present this difference. We use silver and piston flutes in the classical repertoire but the flute is wood in the baroque repertoire. It gives a natural sound but it is a little harder to play,” he said. 

One the question of whether opera is sufficiently well-known in Turkey, Tavityan said “opera is more popular in Turkey than it is believed to be.” 

“We always get complaints that tickets are insufficient, but our halls are only small. Tickets are sold out on the Internet within 10 minutes of going on sale. We have a hall of nearly 500 people and I can say that our all shows are given to a full house,” he added. 

'We stage shows everywhere’ 

Tavityan said the IDOB can perform anywhere but it has a protocol, the conditions of which have to be met. 

The IDOB has 750 dancers and during the season can organize up to 25 performances per month. 

“The troupe has many people of various professions such as dancers, soloists, chorus singers, orchestra players, décor and costume designers, carpenters, forgers, accessory designers, producers, painters, sculptors, etc. Opera merges a lot of arts together,” Tavityan added.