One of the highlights of my recent trip to Istanbul was attending a classical concert in the beautiful Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM). Music is a common language that unites us all.
A Lovely Classical Concert At Ataturk Cultural Center In Istanbul
AKM opened in 1969, but was demolished in rebuilt starting in 2018, opening again in the middle of the pandemic in 2021. It’s more than just a concert hall: it’s a campus of cultural venues, restaurants, and cafés near Taksim Square.
Cool Fact: The new AKM building was designed by Murat Tabanlıoğlu, the son of Hayati Tabanlıoğlu who had designed the original AKM building
We stopped by the afternoon of the concert to buy tickets. Only about half the seats were occupied and the ticket cost only about 7.00 USD, quite a bargain. The concert would include selections from Dvorák and Mendelssohn, the latter of which is one of my favorite classical composers (both were such talented men).
As recommended, we arrived about an hour before the concert started and took the time to admire the beautiful common areas of AKM, which are centered around a dome-shaped concert hall.
The doors finally opened about 15 minutes before the concert began.
It’s a beautiful venue in the concert hall too.
The first movement was a cello concerto (n. 2 in B minor op. 104). You can listen to it below (from a different venue) if you are interested:
After the intermission, the second movement was Mendolshon’s 4th Symphony (known as “Italian”):
I noticed that the crowd seemed more secular than outside the concert venue, with the vast majority of women not wearing head coverings (some were, though, and that itself is not necessarily definitive). Turkey has a rich musical tradition and I hope that the increasingly Islamic government will continue to embrace such music (the relationship between music and Islam is quite complex…).
CONCLUSION
Next time you are in Istanbul, check what is playing at the Ataturk Cultural Center. A concert or theatre performance is a nice addition to any stay in Istanbul.
Turkey is such a land of contradictions. Love that Symphony but Mendelssohn. Ironic that with such rampant Antisemitism they chose a piece composed by a man whose family was forced to renounce their Judaism.
Dear Mr/Ms Docntx,
It is very true that Turkiye is land of contradictions. One would witness many of those in any given day. I guess that’s what makes it an interesting place. It is also true that there is antisemitism as is in many other countries especially in Europe, no question about it.
But lets be careful about the distinction between antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment triggered and exasperated by historical and recent actions by Israeli governments. I wouldn’t call it rampant antisemitism but rampant un approval of Israel’s actions/massacre of children and women.
Lets also not forget that Turkiye was among the few countries welcome and guard Jewish people escaping from Spanish, Portuguese and recently Nazi regime…