I am trying my best to attend and enjoy the İKSV festivals held annually during spring and early summertime in Istanbul, Turkey. My favorites are the Music and the Jazz festivals. I am a follower of the Biennal as well. Spread throughout the city, the selection of concert venues does a good job supporting the artists and enriches their performances as well as providing easy access, great background setting and promises great time to music fans.
I would like to highlight one of them here. Within the gardens of the Topkapı Palace, once the throne of the Ottoman Empire, in the historic peninsula of Istanbul settles the Aya İrini (Hagia Irene) church. On rare occasions this historical building is used for concerts and mainly for classical music, I think, due to the added mystic atmosphere present and the vibrations it provides to the performers and the listeners.
Built in the 4th century and never being converted to a mosque, Aya İrini was once a warehouse and also a museum of arms during Ottoman period.
I have been present in performances of artists and orchestras varying from Elina Garanca, Nelson Freres, Mischa Maisky, Ferhan / Ferzan Önder and Kudsi Ergüner to name a few. They have been accompanied with world famous orchestras or sinfoniettas. They all feel and mention the magical setting and its effects on their music.
Other attractive venues in this year’s program which may get your attention other than concert halls are the Sirkeci Garı (Sirkeci train station), babylon (a famous night club), gardens of sponsoring consulates in Istanbul, a famous synagogue and gardens of private museums. Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar) was the surprise of 2018 İstanbul Music Festival definitely. Closed on Sundays it was opened just for the concert of Kudsi Ergüner, Çağ Erçağ and Ferran Savall. I now can wholeheartedly say that settings just multiply the effect on the attendees.
Like the food I look for at trips abroad, I would like to very much find tickets for events where locals passionately attend and the tourists are not aware of in masses, which may make finding tickets a problem. But again, what are friends for.
May be if you are lucky you will have the opportunity to visit the venue and surrounding gems and even why not attend a concert if you are in Istanbul during May and June.
Good luck and enjoy music and enjoy life.
