STORYBOOK ADVENTURES

The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra appears on stage under the direction of conductor František Macek, with young pianist Salih Can Gevrek as soloist, in a distinctive programme that brings together classical and modern works. Pianist Gevrek, recognised for elegant technique and poetic interpretations, studied at the Ankara State Conservatory before continuing his education at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Prof. Joan Havill. He has achieved success in numerous national and international competitions and has performed at such prestigious venues as London’s Wigmore Hall and the Barbican Centre.

The concert opens with a Türkiye premiere. Inviting the listener on a fairy-tale journey, the programme begins with From My Bookshelf by Alexey Shor, one of today’s leading composers, in an arrangement by the renowned pianist, conductor, and composer Mikhail Pletnev. It continues with one of the landmark works of German Romanticism: Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz Overture. From its very first notes, this overture evokes the opera’s enchanted atmosphere, vividly reflecting the dramatic tensions between nature, love, and supernatural forces through a rich orchestral palette. The programme then turns to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s timeless Romeo and Juliet Overture. Inspired by Shakespeare’s tragic love story, this work stands as one of the composer’s most beloved works, distinguished by its passionate melodies, striking dramatic intensity, and lyrical expressiveness.