Gedik Filarmoni Orkestrası will open its new season with a concert at Süreyya Opera House on the evening of 14 October, under the direction of conductor Cem Mansur. The program brings together three different meanings of the concept of “classical” and includes Ouverture to the Sun by Meriç Artaç, one of the young composers of contemporary classical music, inspired by Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 will be performed by the world-renowned pianist Eliso Bolkvadze. The season opening will conclude with Sergei Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, in which he infused the forms of the classical period with humor, energy and powerful melodies. The orchestra makes it a principle to present a new work to the audience at every concert.
Why it matters
This program presents an approach that does not limit the concept of classical music solely to the established works of the past; historical heritage, contemporary production and formal reinterpretation come together in a single flow. In this respect, the concert offers a different framework particularly for audiences interested in discovering the works of young composers and tracing the relationship between literature and music. Placing a new work alongside pieces by Mozart and Prokofiev raises the question of how familiar repertoire can be read alongside contemporary production. The orchestra’s principle of including a new work in every concert also connects the season program to an approach that aims to make contemporary composition regularly visible, rather than treating it as merely a single season opening.