The 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival pays tribute to the fine musicians who put Turkish jazz on the map, plus some high notes ahead
By John Shakespeare Dyson | June 28, 2018
The Opening Concert of the İKSV İstanbul Jazz Festival – sponsored by Garanti Bank – took place at the Zorlu Center on Tuesday (June 26). The theme was ‘Turkish Jazz through the Generations on the 25th Anniversary of the Festival’, and the occasion provided your reviewer – who knew very...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Jazz
A fond farewell to the Istanbul Music Festival
By John Shakespeare Dyson | June 8, 2018
Your reviewer’s final foray into the 46th İKSV İstanbul Music Festival was a concert on the platform of Sirkeci Railway Station on Wednesday, June 6. Featuring the Turkish singer Meral Azizoğlu and the Hungarian ‘Gypsy Fire’ ensemble, the music was preceded by a talk given by the novelist and short...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music
Mischa Maisky and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orhcestra at the Aya İrini – the Istanbul Music Festival reviews (part 4)
By John Shakespeare Dyson | June 6, 2018
The fourth event your reviewer attended during the 46th İKSV İstanbul Music Festival was a concert by the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and cellist Mischa Maisky at the Aya İrini on Saturday, June 2. This was a feast of ultra-professional string sound – a real string beano, in fact. (Reader...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music
John Shakespeare Dyson was grolloped by his third Istanbul Festival offering: the Filarmonica della Scala and Daniil Trifonov…
By John Shakespeare Dyson | May 29, 2018
Well, now. Your reviewer is still reeling from the pianist’s performance at the concert on Sunday night (Filarmonica della Scala and Daniil Trifonov at the Lütfi Kırdar Concert Hall, May 27) – the third event he attended during the 46th İKSV İstanbul Music Festival. Will he recover in time to...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music
Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and Tchaikovsky’s cruel challenge: Cornucopia’s Istanbul Festival reviews continue at Aya İrini
By John Shakespeare Dyson | May 27, 2018
October 4, 8.30–16.00: Bosphorus tour, with Sedat Bornovalı (₺250) October 10, 8.30–16.00: Shores of the Golden Horn, with Mois Gabay (₺290) October 20 8.30–16.00: Nature and history tour: The Belgrade Forest reservoirs and the Atatürk Arboretum, with Mehmet Esendal October 18, 11.00–16.00, and October 31, 10.30–16.00 Three...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music
Yekwon Sunwoo and the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra: a heart-warming first night of the Istanbul Festival
By John Shakespeare Dyson | May 24, 2018
The 46th İstanbul Music Festival, organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), kicked off with a concert at the Lütfi Kırdar Concert Hall last night (Wednesday, May 23). Once again I was prompted to reflect on how far we have come since I first attended a classical...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music, - Musical Shares
Javier Perianes brings bravura, moodiness and passion to Chopin, Debussy and de Falla at SMM’s concert hall, the Seed
By John Shakespeare Dyson | April 11, 2018
The Spanish pianist Javier Perianes arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday April 10 hotfoot from a lunchtime recital at the Wigmore Hall in London the previous day and is to be heartily congratulated for demonstrating that the lyricism for which he has been justly praised cannot be compromised by being shaken...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music
The horn maestro Radovan Vlatković returns to Urla for the 2017 UMA masterclasses
By Berrin Torolsan and John Scott | September 14, 2017
The great Croatian horn-player Radovan Vlatković is giving the first of this year’s masterclasses at the Urla Music Academy (UMA). Four days of happy music-making culminate in a concert at 7pm on Saturday evening (September 17). Tickets are free (and donations towards a wonderful musical project most welcome).
Okan Akbaş...
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Music & Performing Arts, - Classical Music
A revealing relief, must-try Turkish dishes and the perfect day in Istanbul
By Emma Harper | April 26, 2017
In this blog series, we highlight some of our favourite Turkey-related articles and news titbits that we’ve read over the past month (or two, in this case). A relief uncovered by chance in eastern Anatolia has led archaeologists to revise the history of Harput, reports
Hurriyet Daily News. Subsequent examinations...
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Archaeology, Culinary Arts, Film, Music & Performing Arts, Obituaries
By Julie Witford | August 7, 2013
The Central Orchestra of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces had a day trip to Hawick today to see where a lot of the cashmere from their 30 million goats ends up. Here a young Mongolian woman poses on top of the broad shoulders of the athletic Borderer,...
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Music & Performing Arts, Highlights Around The World
