The Turkish Opera Ballet 2016-2017 Season Program

The new opera and ballet season is ready across the country. The Devlet Opera ve Bale (Turkish State Opera Ballet) announcement can be found in dobgm.gov.tr. The opera houses typically keep some titles from the previous year and add new titles in the new season. If an opera or ballet is carried over from previous seasons, typically the previous production and the cast will be repeating. The new titles are also typically will start in the New Year. With that in mind, let us review the new program, determine our picks, listen to the music or watch online to re-train our ears and refresh the story prior to watching.

We have a good collection of productions that will continue from last year at Istanbul Süreyya Opera House:

Igor Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress",

Giuseppe Verdi's "Ernani",

Jacques Offenbach's "Beautiful Hellen (La Belle Helene)",

J.Sebastian Bach "Kaffekantate",

Antonio Vivaldi's "Bajazet (Yildirim Beyazit)".

Donizetti's "Don Pasquale",

Charles Gounod "Faust", Rossini's "La Cerentolla (Cinderella)",

Benjamin Britten "The Turn of the Screw" will continue from last season.

The new productions at Süreyya Opera house starting in 2017 have some of the ballet’s classics,

Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker",

Stravinsky's "Firebird Spring" ,

Adolphe Adam's "Giselle" and "Le Corsair (Pirate)".

These productions may be staged at Fulya Besiktas and Bakirkoy Leyla Gencer stages in rotation.

There is an extraordinary schedule at Izmir Alhambra Opera House. Season will start with last year's excitement, Ruggero Leoncavallo’s, "I Pagliacci (Clowns)". Highly recommended if you had not seen it yet.

The program will continue with the other productions from last season:

Johann Strauss (2) "Die Fledermaus"

Mozart's "Zaida"

The new program will include:

Gioacchino Rossini’s "the Barber of Seville." 

Giacomo Puccini’s "Madame Butterfly.

Giuseppe Verdi "Rigoletto"

Arrigo Boito's "Mephistopheles"

Ankara opera season starts with continued program from previous year:

Giuseppe Verdi’s "La Traviata"

Giacomo Puccini's "La Boheme",

Georges Bizet's "Carmen" and "Signor Bruschino",

Johann Strauss’ “Gipsy Baron (Der Zigeunerbaron)" and "the Bat (Die Fledermaus)".

The new works this in Ankara are:

Jacques Offenbach’ Parisian Life", and "Tales of Hoffmann (les Contes d'Hoffmann)"

Ballets, "Hamlet" and" Yevgeny Onegin" will continue.

In Mersin Cultural Center in their historical building, the program includes:

Tchaikovsky’s "Yevgeny Onegin",

Giuseppe Verdi's "Macbeth",

Donizetti's "Rita"

Pergolesi's "La Serva Padrone".

In Antalya at the new Modern Culture Center, the program will include

Bizet's "Carmen"

Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio" and "Iolanta",

Donizetti's "Viva la Mamma"

Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow".

Samsun opera house new young singers with extraordinary voices full of very big promises. We are delighted in watching them on stage later in Ankara and Istanbul. In Samsun’s Modern Opera House starts the new season starts with:

Puccini's "Tosca",

Donizetti's "L'Elixir d'Amore",

Verdi's "Masked Ball", and "Il Trovatore",

Bizet's "Carmen" and "Dr Miracle",

Donizetti "Rita".

The program for 2016-2017 is an extensive one with over 30 productions across the country. All of the locations are within reach and will provide the opera and ballet lovers with extensive enjoyment.

We have reputable music conservatories in Turkey. The opera experience in Turkey spans over a century. Turkish opera singers are great, they take world stages, world class. Opera and Ballet gives us a great daily escape from our daily travails, take a break. Go to the nearest opera house, choose the refuge and recharge your batteries.

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Haluk Direskeneli, is a graduate of METU Mechanical Engineering department (1973). He worked in public, private enterprises, USA Turkish JV companies (B&W, CSWI, AEP), in fabrication, basic and detail design, marketing, sales and project management of thermal power plants. He is currently working as freelance consultant/ energy analyst with thermal power plants basic/ detail design software expertise for private engineering companies, investors, universities and research institutions. He is a member of ODTÜ Alumni and Chamber of Turkish Mechanical Engineers Energy Working Group.

Prinkipo island, 22 September 2016