Meet the orchestra that spans two worlds: The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic
Tue 18 Feb Article
East meets West in our final concert of the 2024-2025 Sunday Classics Season, when we welcome an exciting newcomer to Edinburgh. On Sunday 6 April, Turkey’s celebrated Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra comes to Usher Hall with a pair of best-loved symphonies by Beethoven and Schubert and a piece of breezy brilliance from Saint-Saëns.
Amongst international orchestras, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic is quite a fresh face, having begun its life in 1993 but its journey to becoming an acclaimed classical ensemble has been rapid. It now hosts a busy season on both the European and Asian-facing sides of its home city where it regularly performs with international stars such as Lang Lang, Hilary Hahn, Renée Fleming, and Maxim Vengerov.
You can experience its unique energy for yourself when Italian conductor Carlo Tenan launches this Usher Hall concert with Schubert’s gripping 8th Symphony. It remains a mystery why the composer abandoned it but he left us a compellingly dark drama, its poignant melodies set against ominous clouds. There’s also a storm at the heart of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, the composer’s gloriously Romantic vision of the countryside. Viewed through the lens of an enraptured artist this version of pastoral delights in birdsong, the calm of a languid brook and, finally a radiant hymn of praise to the natural world.
The charismatic Spanish cellist, Pablo Ferrández, completes this concert with Saint-Saëns’ fleet-footed 1st Cello Concerto, which played a large part in establishing him as a leading light in France’s musical life. Racing out of the gate like a greyhound, this exhilarating masterpiece never stops moving whilst also packing in some of the most captivating harmonies you’ll ever hear.