Berlin Philharmonic set for two Turkey concerts in September

The İstanbul concert will be part of a series of events that the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (İKSV) is presenting to mark its 40th anniversary. The rare Turkish appearances by the Berlin Philharmonic will take place on Sept.. 27 at İstanbul’s Haliç Congress Center and Sept. 28 at the Agora in İzmir’s ancient Ephesus, the İKSV announced in a written statement on Monday. Under the baton of its esteemed principal conductor Sir Simon Rattle, the Berlin Philharmonic will accompany two Turkish virtuosos and brothers Efe Baltacıgil on cello and Fora Baltacıgil on contrabass as soloists in both concerts. The Baltacıgil brothers are both based abroad, with Efe serving as the first cello of the Seattle Symphony since 2011, and Fora a bassist with the Berlin Philharmonic since 2009 as the first-ever Turkish instrumentalist to be selected for the ensemble. The program for both concerts will feature Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony,” Bottesini’s “Grand Duo Concertante” for cello and bass, and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7 in A major.” Tickets for the İstanbul concert will go on sale on June 16.