Western classical music amongst the Byzantine churches

When visiting Istanbul, it doesn’t seem obvious to search for Western classical music amongst the Byzantine churches, 17th-century mosques, and palaces. In terms of music, tourists get bombarded with Euro-pop or ersatz Turkish folk music. The more enterprising might search for genuine Turkish folk music, but few search for classical music, opera, or ballet. However, these art forms have an interesting history in Turkey, and recent developments have led to Turkish performers finding a place on the international stage, such as the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra at the BBC Proms in 2014. Haydn's The Seasons on stage at Lutfi Kirdar ICEC - Photograph Ozge Balkan Classical music in Turkey has a history going back to the late 18th century, when it was very much an aristocratic pursuit. The sultans first heard of opera through reports from their ambassadors, but in 1797 opera singers were actually brought to Turkey for performances in the courtyard of Topkapi palace. In 1828 Giuseppe Donizetti (brother of the composer) became Instructor General of the Imperial Ottoman Music at the court of Sultan Mahmud II, where he stayed until his death in 1866. He trained the European-style military bands of Mahmud’s modern army, taught music to the Ottoman royal family and was involved in the annual Italian opera season and court concerts in addition to playing host to a number of eminent virtuosi who visited Istanbul. In the 19th century, Italian opera companies were brought to Turkey and in 1840 a theatre was built in Istanbul, where performances continued intermittently until 1870. Whilst Sultan Abdulmecid was building the Dolmabahce Palace (which is now a national museum), the Dolmabahce Palace Theatre was built nearby in 1859. After this was destroyed by fire, performances continued in another theatre in the Yildiz Palace until 1908 with Italian performers joined by the tenor Mehmet Zeki, the first Turkish-trained opera singer. During the 20th century, Turkey also saw visiting classical companies from Germany and Austria. Sascha Goetzel and Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra All of this changed with the establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wanted to introduce more Western-style organisation to classical music and thus students were sent for study in the West, with a conservatory being established in Ankara and in 1936. Atatürk’s reforms introduced Western-style state orchestras in addition to classical music training, and this extended to state opera companies and a ballet company with Dame Ninette de Valois being involved in its creation.