Turkish Delights

Fewer than 20 years after its foundation, the Borusan Istanbul Symphony Orchestra is taking its place on the world stage. Tom Stewart finds out more as the ensemble – and two top soloists – prepare for a new season and a European tour

- Tom Stewart

In their idiosyncratic rehearsal space above a car showroom in suburban Istanbul, the members of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (BIPO) are playing through their programme for tomorrow, the first concert of the new season. During a break between movements the acrobatic melismas of the Azaan can be heard from a nearby minaret. Although modern Turkey historically has fused cultural Islam with secular politics, its current government is increasingly religious and, by common consensus, increasingly authoritarian. The orchestra, however, contains many more women (including the principals of the trombone and percussion sections) than do a number of prominent groups in Western Europe, and its Viennese chief conductor and artistic director Sascha Goetzel appears to take a magnanimous (but forthright) approach. This might have something to do with the fact that the average age of the players is around 30, meaning the majority grew up in the comparatively stable and outward looking years that marked the start of the new millennium and were characterised by strong economic growth and the possibility of accession to the European Union.