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About Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra
Hometown
Istanbul, Turkey
Born
1999
Genre
Classical
The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra has greatly expanded the profile of Western classical music in Turkey. The group was established in 1993 as the Borusan Chamber Orchestra; the "Borusan" component of the name comes from its financier, the Borusan Holding, a large Turkish industrial conglomerate. The group thus falls into the tradition of ensembles associated with large European companies in past years. In 1999, the group expanded to become a full symphony orchestra and gave its debut concert under its new music director, Gürer Aykal. By the end of that year, the orchestra was giving two concerts monthly, one on each side of the Bosphorus, the strait that divides the city of Istanbul. That schedule has remained stable over the years. Under Aykal and increasingly under new Australian-born conductor Sascha Goetzel, the orchestra has attracted internationally prominent soloists, including violinists James Ehnes, Maxim Vengerov, and Hilary Hahn, and pianist Lang Lang, as well as the cream of Turkish talent including pianists Fazil Say and Idil Biret, who had previously worked mostly abroad. Many BIPO concerts have featured visiting vocal soloists, including Renée Fleming, Juan Diego Flórez, and Roberto Alagna. The orchestra made its debut at the Proms in London in 2014 and performed at the Hong Kong Arts Festival two years later. Sascha Goetzel has led the BIPO toward an internationally visible recording career, beginning in 2010 with a recording of symphonic poems by Respighi and Hindemith on the Onyx label. The orchestra has mostly recorded for Onyx but moved to Naïve for a recording of two symphonies by Say and to Deutsche Grammophon to back violinist Nemanja Radulovic for a recording of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in 2017. Goetzel and the BIPO issued a recording of the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, with the "Shadow Walker" two-violin concerto by Mark-Anthony Turnage, on Onyx in 2018. ~ James Manheim
