The 53rd festival has also ended

Our generation was very young when they were introduced to the Istanbul Music Festival. The festival started when spring arrived. I have mentioned this in my previous articles. A close friend of ours used to say when every new festival started: “What can we do, we don’t have a summer house, but we have a music festival in Istanbul!” So ​​when this international festival brought artists from all over the world to Istanbul, it gave some listeners the pleasure of moving into a summer house. Back then, the most important events of the festival were at Aya Irini. The unique atmosphere of the building and the magical atmosphere of the garden were completely different. You had to set off very early to get there. But it was worth every difficulty.

This year, I was unable to attend the final events of the music festival for personal reasons. The last concerts I attended were two consecutive nights of magnificent performances by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra conducted by conductor Alan Gilbert. It was striking that so many young people in the group were playing with enthusiasm. I think the orchestra's directors contribute to the education of these young people by having them play with the masters. Conductor Alan Gilbert worked for eight years as music director and resident conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and then became resident conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie, and his contract with this group has been extended until the 2028-2029 season. We have seen throughout history how productive it is for a conductor to identify with his orchestra. For example , Herbert von Karajan conducted the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years.

The sounds rising from the violin of the soloist of the group's first concert, violinist Frank Peter Zimmerman (b.1965), were as natural as if gliding on water. I had listened to this artist a few times before and was always amazed. He has matured a lot now, and has reached the subtleties of identifying himself with the composer. According to what we read from his CV, he has a wide repertoire ranging from JS Bach to contemporary composer Ligeti . He has also won many awards with his recordings. This time, we applauded him with Johannes Brahms ' Violin Concerto in D Major Op.77.

At the second concert of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra conducted by Alan Gilbert, the soloist was the Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz (b.1985). After winning the 2005 Chopin competition, all stages of the world opened their doors to him. He played Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 in E Minor. He presented the composer's romanticism with a solid approach without exaggeration.

Unfortunately, I had to leave Istanbul after this concert.

Some of the events I missed include the Geneva Camerata's stage show titled "Revolta." Another event I will never forget from this festival was the flawless concert of the cellist Gautier Capuçon and pianist Alexandre Kantorov .