The last event of the 54th İKSV Istanbul Music Festival that I attended took place at the Atatürk Cultural Centre on June 24, 2026. This was an all-Dvořák concert consisting of his Cello Concerto and his Symphony No. 9, the ‘New World’. Both these works were written while the composer was in New York, where from 1892 to 1895 he served as Director of the National Conservatory of Music of America.

Although this was an extremely creative period for Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), he was constantly struggling with homesickness for his native Bohemia, and his mental state was not improved by financial difficulties: the attractive salary he had been promised – many times more than he could have earned in Europe – failed to materialise, the United States having been plunged into economic depression by the Panic of 1893, in which over 500 banks collapsed. As a result, the Conservatory cut his salary from $15,000 per annum to $8000. However, his upbringing in a less-than-wealthy home (his father ran the village inn and butcher’s shop) had taught him to live frugally, and he stuck it out for three years.

At the concert on June 24, the solo part was played by the Austrian-born Iranian cellist Kian Soltani, who was trained in Basel, at the Kronberg Academy in Germany and in Liechtenstein. Although I could not hear particularly well from my seat at the back of the auditorium (the pianissimo parts of both the concerto and the symphony were well nigh inaudible – so much for the concert hall’s acoustics), I can say with absolute certainty that Soltani plays with total commitment. The Washington Post once praised his tone in the following glowing terms: ‘His cello sound,’ they said, ‘has the fuzz and richness of caramel, and he plays with an easy warmth.’ He also looks up at the ceiling now and then – at what, I do not know. Co-ordination with the orchestra was somewhat ragged in the first movement (although I very much enjoyed some perfect woodwind entries and a lovely horn solo), but the soloist really came into his own in the second – the slow movement, where he played with obvious feeling; it was as good a display of getting behind the music and giving it your all as I am ever likely to witness.

Here is a detailed account of the Dvořák Cello Concerto and its composition by Marc Mandel on the website of the Boston Symphony Orchestra – the outfit that gave the work its first American performance in December 1896. Now, a recording of Kian Soltani performing the concerto with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Elisabeth Fuchs. For some reason they play the slow movement first, but no harm in that – it immediately establishes a mood of relaxation.

Dvořák’s four-movement Symphony No 9 in E minor, Opus 95 (the ‘New World’ Symphony), was written in 1893. This work shows the results of the composer’s interest in African-American music: during his time at the National Conservatory, an African-American student by the name of Harry T. Burleigh had sung traditional spirituals to him. The Wikipedia entry gives a blow-by-blow – not to say ‘bow-by-bow’ – account of the symphony, followed by a fascinating description (in the ‘Influences’ section) of his reactions to the music he heard, and the scenery he observed, in the United States. The premiere, which took place at Carnegie Hall on 16 December 1893, was one of the greatest triumphs of the composer’s musical career: there was thunderous applause at the end of each movement.

At the concert on June 24, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra demonstrated its quality in their performance of this work: their co-ordination was impeccable throughout, and I especially appreciated some rollicking brass fanfares. For their encore, they gave us one of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances – the one in E minor, Opus 72 No. 2. It was beautifully played, and brought tears to my eyes. And so the 2026 İKSV Istanbul Music Festival came to an end. Much thanks and appreciation are once again due to this marvellous organisation, which continues to bring fine feasts to Istanbul music-lovers’ tables – and I don’t mean on motorbikes. Long may it continue!