English
Travelling to Istanbul is an experience that all traveller should live. Walking around Istanbul in the summer is walking around one of the oldest cities in the west and east, under an intense sun and blue skies with fresh wind and many people going from one place to the other, both locals and tourists. Parks, narrow streets, restaurants, bars and food al fresco, bazaars and mosques can be found in a city that every year modernizes itself a little bit more. Important cultures such as the Roman, the Egyptian and the Greek have passed through Istanbul. The rich Turkish culture, as well as fantasy stories and indescribable beauty, has known how to be dynamic facing the historic, social and economic changes that Istanbul is going through. Today, the contemporary Istanbul that the traveller can see is a city of ever-changing nuances, international culture and a lot of contemporary and modern art.
This way, Istanbul promotes itself in culture as a meeting point between all nations, showing that its potential as an emerging metropolis is definitive. Of an already cosmopolitan character, many say that Istanbul is the New York of the East. With a constant migration from all parts of the world, the cultural diversity of this city grows year after year and presents us with a new international crowd that seeks art, music and culture.
Among the most important cultural events of the year we can find the Istanbul Music Festival, whose 40th edition takes place this year, 2012. Promoted by the Foundation for the Culture and Arts of Istanbul (ISKV), this music festival is an essential experience if you´re visiting Istanbul this summer. This time, the Music Festival will take place with over 750 local and foreign artists. In this year´s edition, important musicians such as Hélène Grimaud, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Milos and Gidon Kremer will be present, as well the Camera Orchestra of Vienna-Berlin and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Warsaw. Also, the Zürcih Ballet will also perform.
During the festival there will also be various talks and educational workshops. Once again this year, the festival emphasizes on the diffusion of contemporary music composers. THis time, there will also be the talented pianist Fazil Say, who is always given a standing ovation in each of his concerts. Also, the famous Georgian composer Giya Kancheli will also be there. Both will present unreleased compositions during the festival, as an exclusivity to all attendants. We must highlight that this year, the festival theme is ´Hope and Heroes´, and many of the concerts, composers and events revolve around this concept. The festival runs from the 31st of May until the 29th of June. For more information on the festival, visit the official webpage of the Foundation for the Culture and Arts of Istanbul here: http://iksv.org/
Get apartments in Istanbul and enjoy this impressive city during the summer. The Istanbul Music Festival is one of the most important international events of the year for all those classical and contemporary music lovers.
