Istanbul Opera Festival starts

Opening with Verdi’s classic opera ‘Attila’ by the Ankara State Opera and Ballet, the 5th Istanbul Opera Festival will
enliven opera stages across the city until June 17
The 5th International Istanbul Opera festival starts today, presenting the Istanbul audience with a rich program including local and foreign artists until June 17.

The festival will open on June 3 at Zorlu Center PSM with “Attila,” one of Giuseppe Verdi’s classic operas, a production of the Ankara State Opera and Ballet. The premiere was performed by the Ankara State Opera and Ballet earlier this year and each performance this season played to full houses. In the work, staged by the famous director Andrejs Zagars, Attila’s love for Odabella, who was captured during Roma’s invasion, and the latter’s plans for revenge are told.

On June 6, Gioachino Rossini’s “Mehmet II” will be staged by the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet under the name “Fatih Sultan Mehmet,” directed by the head director of the State Opera and Ballet, Yekta Kara. The Janissary Band Group will appear on the opera stage for the first time ever, also with the participation of hundreds of artists on the Zorlu Center PSM stage. The opera was also presented in the first year of the festival.

On June 9 and 10, Mozart’s “Abduction from the Seraglio” will be performed by the Samsun State Opera and Ballet, with the participation of solo artists from Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir. The opera will be directed by Yekta Kara, who has directed the same opera many times abroad. The piece emphasizes the differences of players coming from Eastern and Western cultures, with Selim Pasha presented as the main...