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The debut recording by the remarkable Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra and their young Austrian music director Sascha Goetzel. The programme showcases this young orchestra to maximum effect and contains works that all have links with either Turkey or the Orient. Respighi’s vibrant and superbly orchestrated ballet Belkis, Queen of Sheba depicts belkis at the court of King Solomon. The frenzied war dance, complete with Arab percussion is an orchestral tour de force. Hindemith visited Istanbul many times, and his Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes by Weber uses themes that Weber had composed for his incidental music to a play on the subject of Turandot, the Persian princess. Florent Schmitt’s opulent late romantic ballet The Tragedy of Salome (1907) was praised by Stravinsky ‘God, how fine it is! It is one of the greatest masterpieces of modern music’ praise indeed from the composer of Firebird. The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic will be opening one of the world’s major music festivals in 2010 – more information to follow, and also plays a major role at the international Istanbul Festival, performing with artists such as Juan Diego Florez, and Elina Garanca and Maxim Vengerov. Sascha Goetzel was for many years a member of the Wiener Philharmoniker. |
