Philip Glass

The 45th Istanbul Music Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), kicked off on May 29 with the opening ceremony and concert at the Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center. 

This year's festival is taking place under the theme "Unusual" and will continue until June 21, with 29 concerts in 15 different venues.

A few months ago, this column described Turkey as a piano partition composed by Philip Glass: “It finds beauty in itself by repeating itself.” Turkey’s song is repetitive, or ostinato, like in many children’s songs. But it’s hardly entertaining.