“Turkey has a passionate audience despite its short history of classical music when compared with that of Europe, Sascha Goetzel, the artistic director and principal conductor of Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (BIPO), has said,” writes Barçın Yinanç in Monday’s (5/20) Hurriyet Daily News (Istanbul, Turkey). “Keeping its cultural origins, BIPO has become an international orchestra in a decade’s time … according to Goetzel … marking his 10th year with the orchestra. Q: How would you describe the [orchestra’s] journey? Goetzel: When we started I said we are starting to climb the Mount Everest of classical music. We have to build base camp 1, 2 and 3, and then we can go to the top…. After the base camp 3, which was our third CD, we were invited to BBC Proms… BIPO was voted by BBC Proms audience at the top three performances of the summer of 2014…. We feel very proud of what we have achieved. Q: There have been bomb attacks in Istanbul and a coup attempt. Has it ever crossed your mind to stop coming to Istanbul? Goetzel: … If I am the music director of an orchestra I am responsible to make music to bring beauty into the hearts of the people.”
Posted May 21, 2019
