Turkey’s Loving Work In Process – Opera
Although slightly less commonly popular than the other arts, opera has seen more interest in recent years and therefore there has been an increase in the construction of opera buildings and the creation of opera scripts. Operas which were mostly performed by the State Opera and Ballet Company are increasingly being put on by municipalities and international opera companies becoming more accessible by the general public via festivals. In addition to works of classic opera, Turkish operas are also staged at times outside of the summer season.
There are State Opera and Ballet halls in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Mersin, Antalya and Samsun. In Istanbul, the Sureyya Opera in Kadikoy and the Fulya Salon in Besiktas regularly stages operas. Turkey’s first opera building will be built in Izmir, the city which is candidate to be a great ‘city of arts and culture’. A design was chosen after a Nationwide Architectural Project Competition was held for the building project. The structure will be constructed upon a very large piece of land located in the Mavisehir district of Karsiyaka. Visitors to Izmir, ‘the city to live in’, in the near future will be able to listen to live opera while enjoying the beautiful views of Mavisehir at the same time.
Don Quixote, Danton’s Death, Lear, Abduction from the Seraglio and Hamlet are amongst the most popular works to be staged. One of the most popular operas this year was La Boheme, which has been performing since 1974. La Boheme began playing at Istanbul’s Zorlu Center Performing Arts Hall in the winter and, despite expensive tickets, was extremely popular. Giulio Cesare, Don Giovanni written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Midas’ Ears and Bat written by Gungor Dilmen are amongst those playing this year.
As with the theatre, the first rise of opera in Turkey was initiated under the direction of Carl Ebert. The first operas were directed by Mr. Ebert followed by Muhsin Ertugrul. The Masked Ball, Figaro and La Boheme were amongst the first to be shown. The International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival run during the summer, while the International Istanbul Opera Festival and the Eskisehir Opera and Ballet Days are shown during both in the spring and summer seasons and are popular with the locals and tourists. Some of the leading Turkish opera stars are Leyla Gencer, Hakan Aysev and Semiha Berksoy.