Süreyya Opera House (Süreyya Operası)
Caferağa Mah., General Asım Gündüz Cad. (formerly Bahariye Cad.) No 29, Kadıköy, 34710 Istanbul
Tel: +90 216 346 15 31 - 346 15 32 - 346 15 33
The Süreyya Opera House in Bahariye Caddesi (now renamed ‘General Asım Gündüz Caddesi’), Kadıköy, was built in 1927. It has some pleasing retro features such as painted murals showing ladies in flouncy dresses blowing hunting horns. Nearest metro stations: Söğütlüçeşme (on the Marmaray metro line) and Kadıköy (on the M4 metro line). Additionally, Söğütlüçeşme is a terminus of the metrobus route, and Kadıköy is accessible via boat from Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş and Beşiktaş. From Söğütlüçeşme, walk up the hill (following Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi) towards Kadıköy and the sea, then turn left – following the tram lines – at the crossroads where the statue of a bull is situated. If arriving at the quayside in Kadıköy, walk up the hill (Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi) and turn right at the bull statue, again following the tramlines. The Süreyya Opera House is at No. 27.
The ticket office at the Opera House is open from 12.00 to 17.00 and from 18.00 to 20.00 on Thursdays when there are concerts on that day.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05
Aromsa Chamber Orchestra
The Aromsa Chamber Orchestra, conducted by the violin virtuoso Cihat Aşkın, play the Demet Suite by the Turkish composer Muammer Sun (1932-2021), the Prelude to Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, the first movement of Jean-Baptiste Bréval’s Concertino (cello solo: Kayla Kınay), the Méditation from Jules Massenet’s opera Thaïs (violin solo: Tuna Erdil), Tambourin Chinois, Opus 3, by Fritz Kreisler (violin solo: Kaya Hasırcıoğlu) and the Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042, by J.S. Bach (violin solo: Tuana Ünal). In the second half, the orchestra accompany bass-baritone Burak Bilgili in an aria from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, three traditional Turkish folk songs (Bülbülüm Altın Kafeste, Manastır Türküsü and Karahisar Kalesi yıkılır gelir), and an arrangement by the Turkish conductor Güler Aykal of the traditional folk song Köroğlu. This concert, which features a number of young musicians as soloists, is being organised to celebrate Atatürk Commemoration Week.
20.00
Tickets from Mobilet
Prices: 1st and 2nd floors 462TL; ground floor 577.50TL; concessionary (ground floor) 288.75TL
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Chamber concert (flute, clarinet & piano)
This concert features flautist Nihan Atalay Curti, clarinettist Çağdaş Engin and pianist Isaac Friedhoff-Calvo. First, all three musicians play Camille Saint-Saëns’s Tarantelle in A minor, Opus 6. Following this, the flautist and pianist play the Sonata Undine, Opus 167, by the German composer Carl Reinecke (1824-1910); all three musicians play the contemporary Tunisian composer Nidhal Jebali’s Comme un rituel Trio (world premiere); the pianist plays Isaac Albéniz’s Almeria from Book 2 of the Iberia Suite; and the clarinettist and pianist play Francis Poulenc’s three-movement Clarinet Sonata, written in 1962. Finally, all three performers play the contemporary Uruguayan-American composer Miguel del Águila’s Seducción. This concert is subtitled Nefesin Rengi Tuşun Ateşi.
20.00
Tickets from Mobilet
Prices: 1st and 2nd floors 649TL; ground floor 742.50TL; concessionary (ground floor) 371.25TL
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Orchestral concert, bassoon concerto
The ADK Istanbul Youth Orchestra, sponsored by the Zehra Yıldız Foundation and conducted by Ramis Sulu, play three pieces by Mozart that showcase his output at various times in his life. First, they play the lively Overture to his opera The Marriage of Figaro, K 492. They then accompany the Czech bassoonist Michaela Špačková in his Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K 191. Lastly, they play the composer’s dramatic and ever-popular Symphony No 40 in G minor, K 550.
20.00
Tickets from Biletinial
Prices: 550TL, 700TL, 850TL
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Musica Poetica: A Pushkin Evening
In this concert, which celebrates the Russian romantic poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra play works by Tchaikovsky, Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov that were inspired by the famous poet’s work.
20.00
Tickets from Biletinial
Prices: 205TL, 290TL, 380TL, 455TL
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Chamber music (violin and piano)
The Polish violinist Sara Dragan and the American pianist Kenny Broberg play No 2 from the eight Études-Caprices, Opus 18, by the Polish violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880). The next item in the programme is the Grand Caprice, a transcription for solo violin of Schubert’s Der Erlkönig by the Moravian-Jewish violinist and composer Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1814-1865). The duo then play Wieniawski’s Fantaisie brillante, Opus 20, based on themes from Gounod’s opera Faust, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata No 1 in F minor for Violin and Piano, Opus 80, written between 1938 and 1940. They then perform four pieces – Nocturnal Tangier (arr. Kreisler), Ein Dämmerungsbild (arr. Broberg), Waltz Poem No 2 and Alt Wien (arr. Heifetz) – by the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938), born in what is now Lithuania; his theories on pianistic technique influenced important teachers such as Heinrich Neuhaus. Lastly, the duo play the 1878 Zigeunerweisen, Opus 20, by the Spanish violinist and composer Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908). This concert is subtitled Zamansız Ezgiler.
20.00
Tickets from Mobilet
Prices: 1st and 2nd floors 836TL; ground floor 929.50TL; concessionary (ground floor) 464.75TL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
Istanbul Mozart Players, Sergey Malov (violoncello da spalla)
The Istanbul Mozart Players are joined by Sergey Malov, a player of the violin and the violoncello da spalla, this being a small cello, played braced against the performer’s shoulder, that has a fifth string added to the upper register. It was designed to be played by violinists who had little or no experience of playing an instrument (such as the viola da gamba or the ordinary cello) that is held vertically between the legs.
The first work on the programme is Mozart’s Divertimento No 2 in B flat major, K 137, sometimes known as his ‘Salzburg Symphony No 2’. This is followed by the Cello Concerto in G major, G 480, by the Italian composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No 5 in A major, K 219, nicknamed his ‘Turkish’ concerto. Wikipedia explains the reason for this appellation as follows: ‘In the middle of the [rondo last] movement, the meter changes from 3/4 to 2/4, and a section of ‘Turkish music’ is played. This is characterised by a shift to A minor and the use of grotesque elements such as unison chromatic crescendos, repetition of very short musical elements, and col legno playing in the cellos and double basses. … The ‘Rondo alla Turca’ from Mozart’s Piano Sonata No 11, K 331, features the same key and similar elements.’
Lastly, the orchestra perform Mozart’s Symphony No 1 in E flat major, K 16.
20.00
Tickets from Biletinial
or from Biletix
Prices: 1st and 2nd floors 650TL; ground floor 750TL; concessionary 325TL (first and second floors), 375TL (ground floor)
