© Enes Haraççıoğlu
The National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey is a regular and popular guest at Young Euro Classic. Founded in 2007 by Cem Mansur, the orchestra first travelled to Berlin as early as 2008. A second appearance in 2010 was followed by further bi-national projects, for example the Young Euro Classic Festival Orchestra Turkey-Germany in 2011 and the Armenian-Turkish Youth Orchestra under the motto “Music that unites!” in 2012. The 100 musicians aged 16 to 22 are from all over Turkey. The National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey has long developed into one of the most important cultural ambassadors of its country. Thus, the orchestra performed in the presence of Queen Beatrix in Amsterdam and The Hague in 2013 at the festivities commemorating 400 years of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey; in 2014 it was invited to perform at celebrations of the 25 years of city partnership between Istanbul and Berlin. The musicians have also performed to great acclaim at Vienna’s Konzerthaus, the Auditorium in Rome, in Brussels, at the Brucknerfest in Linz and the Beethovenfest in Bonn during recent years. Since its establishment, the orchestra has been sustained by SABANCI Foundation as its principal supporter.
www.genclikfilarmoni.org
Konzerthaus, Berlin
© Mehmet Çağlarer
The personal and artistic biography of Cem Mansur could hardly be more cosmopolitan: the British and Turkish citizen was born in Istanbul in 1957 into a multi-national and multi-lingual family. He studied first in London and then with Leonard Bernstein at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. As the conductor of the Istanbul State Opera from 1981 to 1989 he acquired an impressive opera repertoire. The successful performance of Edward Elgar’s unfinished opera The Spanish Lady in London in 1986 was followed by internationally renowned orchestras and opera houses. Cem Mansur performs regularly at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago in Tuscany. As chief conductor of the National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey he has conducted guest appearances at Young Euro Classic and led several bi-national projects, including the Young Euro Classic Festival Orchestra Turkey-Germany and the Armenian-Turkish Youth Orchestra. Since 1998 he has been chief conductor and artistic director of the Akbank Chamber Orchestra. He also directs a festival of classical music that takes place at Istanbul’s most beautiful historical sites.
Prelude to «The Fair at Sorochinzy» (1881)
Commissioned Work by Young Euro Classic (World Premiere)
«Ibéria» from «Images» (1912)
«Petroushka» (1947)
7 pm: Pre-concert Lecture in the Werner-Otto-Saal
Free for ticket holders (admission at 6:45 pm)
Moderation: Lea Heinrich, chairwoman of the Audience Jury 2015
In cooperation with the Körber Foundation.
PROGRAMME
Their temperament has been known to almost blow the roof off Berlin’s Konzerthaus: when the National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey, fired up by its conductor Cem Mansur, performs at the festival, a wonderful atmosphere is guaranteed. After all, the young musicians manage every time to add a generous portion of Southern enthusiasm to their great talent. Once again, the colourful programme offers plenty of opportunities for this mixture: not only the Spanish impressions of Debussy’s Ibéria, but mainly Stravinsky’s breath-taking ballet Petrushka with its fireworks of brilliant musical ideas. The Turkish orchestra also never misses an opportunity to present a contemporary work: this time, it will be a world premiere commissioned by Young Euro Classic from the German-Turkish composer Sinem Altan, a resident of Berlin who has proven more than once that her musical imagination knows hardly any bounds.