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Culture Istanbul’s cultural life, both traditional and contemporary, is easily equal to that of London and New York, if not as well publicised. Matching the city’s exploding youth population, there are a growing number of festivals, galleries, new music venues and film centres and, within the last decade, Turkish artists have begun to make an international impact. There are now a number of independent record companies in the city releasing experimental works that combine Turkish traditional artists with contemporary groups and new venues where this new music is showcased. In particular, however, the Istanbul Kültür ve Sanat Merkezi (IKSV, or Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art; tel: (212) 293 3133; website: www.istfest.org) puts on a series of international festivals equal to that of any European city, except that prices are usually lower (see the Cultural events section below). Due to the present economic crisis, however, some events have felt the pinch – in 2001 the less profit-making theatre festival had to be cancelled and those of most appeal to the young – the film and jazz festivals – had so outgrown their venues that tickets were hard to come by. Visitors should thus book early particularly for any events at existing concert venues, such as the Açik Hava Tiyatrosu (Open Air Theatre), Takisla Cadessi, Congress Valley in Harbiye, and the Atatürk Kultur Merkezi (Ataturk Cultural Centre; tel: (212) 251 5600), Taksim Square, Taksim. Istanbul also has a number of excellent art galleries and corporate cultural centres, mostly on Istiklal Caddesi and in Maçka/Nisantasi. Among the most adventurous is the Borusan Culture and Art Centre, 421 Istiklal Caddesi (tel: (212) 292 0655; fax: (212) 252 4591; website: www.borusansanat.com), which is open all year round and alternates Turkish and international exhibitions of a conceptual nature. Tickets for most cultural events can be purchased at Biletex outlets (website: www.biletex.com) at Vakkorama (among others), as well as MMMigros supermarkets and Raksotek record stores. Music: The most reliable guide to music events in the city is fly posters and banners along Istiklal Caddesi. The only purpose-built opera house in the city is the 900-seat Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM), which is shared by the State Opera and Ballet, the State Theatre and the State Symphony Orchestra (tel: (212) 251 5600 or 1023), as well as the Istanbul Festivals. The most stunning venue in the city, however, is the Byzantine church of Haghia Eirene on the grounds of the Topkapi Palace complex, now a museum and used by the IKSV during the Classical Music Festival in June. The most popular summer venue is the Açik Hava Tiyatrosu (Open Air Theatre), Takisla Cadessi, Congress Valley in Harbiye, which hosts Jazz Festival events and other contemporary concerts. Theatre: Plays by international and Turkish playwrights are frequently staged in Istanbul, many in smaller venues off Istiklal Caddesi, while the more commercial extravaganzas (such as during the Istanbul International Theatre Festival in May) are at the Atatürk Kültür Merkezi in Taksim, sometimes with digital subtitling in English. In 2000, Mozart’s famous opera Abduction from the Seraglio, which had for years been staged (with difficulty) at Yildiz Palace and Topkapi, was finally filmed in the actual Topkapi Harem in a joint venture with the BBC and Antelope Productions. Dance: The Turkish State Opera and Ballet performs at the AKM and there are also dance performances at the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall, Darulbedal Caddesi in Conference Valley (tel: (212) 231 5103 or 240 5012). Performances by Istanbul’s prime modern dance choreographer, Aydin Teker, however, usually take place in galleries or smaller venues and are worth checking the press for. Film: Foreign films (mostly Hollywood) outnumber Turkish domestic output and generally show in their original language with Turkish subtitles. Most of the city’s cinemas are in Istiklal Caddesi and it is best to check the Turkish Daily News for listings or simply comb the streets. The Alkazar, Fitas, Emek and Beyoglu are good bets, with European, Turkish, and Hollywood films. Mega cinema complexes are only found at huge shopping malls in the outer suburbs. As to films set in Istanbul, Ferhan Özpetek’s Hamam (a gay romp with some nostalgic scenes of old Istanbul) won several awards at worldwide film festivals in 1998. Cultural events: Istanbul’s many cultural festivals vary in date each year in line with moving Muslim holidays and other factors, including economic. The uncertainty of dates has earned it the nickname ‘Last Minute City’ because things are very often subject to change with the whim of the government, the sponsors and other unforeseen factors such as earthquakes. It is safe to say, however, that the season kicks off with the International Istanbul Film Festival in April, the International Istanbul Theatre Festival, Fujifilm World Music Days, International Istanbul Puppet Festival and Conquest Week Celebrations in May, the International Istanbul Music Festival and International Bosphorus Festival in June. The International Istanbul Jazz Festival and Rumeli Hisari Concerts liven up July and August and the J&B Dance & Techno Festival rounds off the season in September. The coming of autumn brings with it the International Istanbul Biennale (next scheduled in 2003) and the Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon supported by the Hash House Harriers, the Akbank Jazz Festival, Istanbul Arts Fair and Efes Pilsen Blues Festival. Istanbul Kültür ve Sanat Merkezi (IKSV, or Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art; website: www.istfest.org.tr or www.istanbulbiennial.org.tr) puts on a series of annual festivals. Literary Notes Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the wife of the British Ambassador to Turkey in 1716-18, was a well-known socialite at Pera and openly admired the sensuality of Ottoman daily life. She was an avid correspondent, describing life in the city to her friends in England, including Alexander Pope. Her Letters from Constantinople were published posthumously in 1763 and give a fascinating insight into upper-class 18th-century Istanbul. Many writers have described the filth, the narrowness of the streets, the lack of women in evidence and the quantity of stray dogs. Those things have certainly changed but the Turks’ love of bargaining and shopping has not, nor has the difficulty of finding grave space, as cremation is forbidden by Islam. ‘It is as if the Turks are entirely absorbed in buying goods, selling goods and dying,’ noted French writer A de Chateaubrian in 1806. American satirist Mark Twain (1835-1910) found even Haghia Sophia dark and dirty and the dance of the Mevlevi dervishes ‘the most barbaric manifestation I have seen to this day’. During the same period, naval officer and romantic writer, Pierre Loti was among many Orientalist Europeans disgusted by the fashion for Art Nouveau in Istanbul at the turn of the century, while Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express was written when she stayed at the Pera Palas Hotel. The work of exiled Communist poet Nazim Hikmet (d 1963) is still widely read and admired, as are the novels of Yasar Kemal (b 1922). Istanbul’s most famous contemporary writer is Orhan Pamuk, whose books White Castle, Black Book and The New Life have been translated worldwide. |
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