Countdown for annual İzmir Int’l Fest begins
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anaıtolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 02, 2009 00:00
İZMİR - The annual International İzmir Festival is ready to welcome world-renowned musicians once again. The masters of the Japanese traditional art of drum, Kodo, will open the festival June 13. Music lovers will also have a chance to see the La Scala Philharmonic, the world’s best-known orchestras. With the slogan, 'The festival is for you, are you coming?' the International İzmir Festival will entertain the Aegean until Oct. 18
The 23rd International İzmir Festival will be held from June 13 to Oct. 18 and will host an array of world-class performers. For the first time the Adnan Saygun Art Center and Ephesus Odeon will be used as event venues. Also, the world-renowned Ephesus Celsius Library, the Bergama Asklepion and Çeşme Castle will host concerts for the festival.
The festival is organized by the İzmir Foundation for Culture and Arts, or IKSEV, with the contributions from the Prime Ministry, the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the Eczacıbaşı Group and İzmir’s Konak Municipality.
Opening by drum masters
The festival will start June 13 at 9:30 p.m. with an unforgettable performance from Kodo, regarded as one of the biggest and most important bands of the traditional Japanese art of drum.
Nearly 30 years after its first appearance on stage in the Berlin Art Festival, Kodo will come to İzmir as part of its "One Earth: Trans-border" tournament that will continue until July. Kodo members worked for the tournament for two years on Sado Island.
Baroque opera at Odeon
The İzmir festival will once again present the İzmir State Opera and Ballet, or İZDOB. İZDOB will perform the less-known Haendel Opera "Imeneo" on June 18 at 9:30 p.m. The opera will be staged at Ephesus Odeon and will seek an answer to the question, "The voice of heart or the voice of mind?"
The 200th year of Haydn’s death and Mendelssohn’s birth will be remembered at an event named "From Haydn to Mendelssohn in the Death and Birth Paradox" as part of the festival.
At a concert to be organized June 23 at 9:30 p.m., young and dynamic German Ensemble Resonanz will be on stage in Celsius Library. The ensemble will accompany Barbara Bultmann, one of the world’s most renowned violinists.
Ahmet Piriştina, to whom the festival has dedicated an event every year after his death, will be commemorated June 27 by huge names in the classical music world.
In this special concert, the "golden violin" Shlomo Mintz, who is recognized as the most successful violinist of our time by art critics, and big name Yuri Bashmet will play with Moscow Soloists.
Mediterranean serenade
Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the 13 Italian orchestras recognized by the Ministry of Culture, will meet art lovers July 10 at 9 p.m. at the Celsius Library. The orchestra, formed in 1985, will perform work by classical composers such as Rossini and Sponini as well as from contemporary ones.
The orchestra will accompany classical guitarist Giovanni Seneca at a concert to be organized in collaboration with the Italian Consulate General in İzmir.
One of the most anticipated events in the festival will take place July 16 at 9:30 p.m. in Bergama. The Asklepion Theater, one of the three most important healing centers of the ancient world, will be the stage of an unforgettable concert.
Romania-born French soprano Leontina Vaduva, with pianist Alexandru Petrovici, will perform his arias at the magnificent venue. The closing concert of the 23rd International İzmir Festival will be July 20 at 9:30 p.m. in Çeşme Castle.
One of today’s best tenors, Mario Frangoulis, who is also a researcher and actor in the field of ancient Greek theater, will be a festival guest for the second time. Frangoulis, who drew much interest last year, will perform the closing concert with George Perris and Eleni Lydia Stamellou. IKSEV, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2010, will organize special events this year.
One event will be organized Oct. 18 at 9:30 p.m. İzmir’s music lovers will meet one of the world’s best-known orchestras, the La Scala Philharmonic, conducted by Korean Myung-Whun Chung.
A written statement by IKSEV said that IKSEV has been trying to bring the orchestra to İzmir for three years, and although the festival’s last concert will be July 20, the only available date for the orchestra was Oct. 18.
"In order to respect the orchestra members, who stated that it would be an honor for their professional career to play as part of the International İzmir Festival, this concert has been included in the 23rd International İzmir Festival," the statement said.
Tickets for the festival are available through Biletix and IKSEV box offices in Kültürpark Lausanne Gate. Prices are 100 Turkish Liras for special events, and 60, 40, 30 and 20 for regular events.
The festival is organized by the İzmir Foundation for Culture and Arts, or IKSEV, with the contributions from the Prime Ministry, the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the Eczacıbaşı Group and İzmir’s Konak Municipality.
Opening by drum masters
The festival will start June 13 at 9:30 p.m. with an unforgettable performance from Kodo, regarded as one of the biggest and most important bands of the traditional Japanese art of drum.
Nearly 30 years after its first appearance on stage in the Berlin Art Festival, Kodo will come to İzmir as part of its "One Earth: Trans-border" tournament that will continue until July. Kodo members worked for the tournament for two years on Sado Island.
Baroque opera at Odeon
The İzmir festival will once again present the İzmir State Opera and Ballet, or İZDOB. İZDOB will perform the less-known Haendel Opera "Imeneo" on June 18 at 9:30 p.m. The opera will be staged at Ephesus Odeon and will seek an answer to the question, "The voice of heart or the voice of mind?"
The 200th year of Haydn’s death and Mendelssohn’s birth will be remembered at an event named "From Haydn to Mendelssohn in the Death and Birth Paradox" as part of the festival.
At a concert to be organized June 23 at 9:30 p.m., young and dynamic German Ensemble Resonanz will be on stage in Celsius Library. The ensemble will accompany Barbara Bultmann, one of the world’s most renowned violinists.
Ahmet Piriştina, to whom the festival has dedicated an event every year after his death, will be commemorated June 27 by huge names in the classical music world.
In this special concert, the "golden violin" Shlomo Mintz, who is recognized as the most successful violinist of our time by art critics, and big name Yuri Bashmet will play with Moscow Soloists.
Mediterranean serenade
Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the 13 Italian orchestras recognized by the Ministry of Culture, will meet art lovers July 10 at 9 p.m. at the Celsius Library. The orchestra, formed in 1985, will perform work by classical composers such as Rossini and Sponini as well as from contemporary ones.
The orchestra will accompany classical guitarist Giovanni Seneca at a concert to be organized in collaboration with the Italian Consulate General in İzmir.
One of the most anticipated events in the festival will take place July 16 at 9:30 p.m. in Bergama. The Asklepion Theater, one of the three most important healing centers of the ancient world, will be the stage of an unforgettable concert.
Romania-born French soprano Leontina Vaduva, with pianist Alexandru Petrovici, will perform his arias at the magnificent venue. The closing concert of the 23rd International İzmir Festival will be July 20 at 9:30 p.m. in Çeşme Castle.
One of today’s best tenors, Mario Frangoulis, who is also a researcher and actor in the field of ancient Greek theater, will be a festival guest for the second time. Frangoulis, who drew much interest last year, will perform the closing concert with George Perris and Eleni Lydia Stamellou. IKSEV, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2010, will organize special events this year.
One event will be organized Oct. 18 at 9:30 p.m. İzmir’s music lovers will meet one of the world’s best-known orchestras, the La Scala Philharmonic, conducted by Korean Myung-Whun Chung.
A written statement by IKSEV said that IKSEV has been trying to bring the orchestra to İzmir for three years, and although the festival’s last concert will be July 20, the only available date for the orchestra was Oct. 18.
"In order to respect the orchestra members, who stated that it would be an honor for their professional career to play as part of the International İzmir Festival, this concert has been included in the 23rd International İzmir Festival," the statement said.
Tickets for the festival are available through Biletix and IKSEV box offices in Kültürpark Lausanne Gate. Prices are 100 Turkish Liras for special events, and 60, 40, 30 and 20 for regular events.