A night at the Antalya Symphony is a bit different from symphony concerts at home. First, the theater is in a large park, and you walk down a path lined with fragrant pine trees and whimsical statues to get there. Also, their seating system isn’t computerized; a little old lady at the box office takes your 10 lira (5 if you’re a student or senior citizen), about $6.50, marks an x on a seating chart and writes the number of your seat on a piece of paper. Sometimes she writes the same number twice, but this can easily be resolved at your seat; the large, modern theater is usually only half full. But audiences are enthusiastic; you can expect to hear a movement of a concerto repeated as an encore.
Ataturk Kultur Merkezi, where the Symphony performs.
Turks may not get excited about particular seats, but they do get excited about politics. At a recent concert, which was billed as “Celebrating the 2016 exhibition”, someone came to the podium to speak about the exhibition. He was heckled before he could complete a sentence. People were standing up, pointing at him and screaming “We didn’t come here to see you! You’re not on the program!” He was attempting to show some slides of the plans, but the audience was having none of it, and I was afraid a riot was going to break out.
Why all the fuss? Well, the speaker was a politician from the AKP ( the conservative Justice and Development Party), the party of current Prime Minister Erdogan. Antalya, being a liberal bastion and a University town, is predominantly CHP ( Republican People’s Party). The audience didn’t want to listen to someone from the AKP, regardless of what he had to say. Before long a large portion of the crowd was chanting and clapping “concert, concert!”, and the speaker left the stage with his tail between his legs.
Billy flirting with a buxom statue on the path to the theater.
This week’s concert , in which all the drama came from the music, was especially satisfying. It began with the bizarre cello concerto of Friedrich Gulda. The first movement’s main theme was a a 12 bar blues, which was odd enough, but what really made it weird was that the section was punctuated with a Mozartian cadence leading into the contrasting lyrical theme. The juxtaposition made me laugh out loud; it reminded me of those PDQ Bach concerts I used to go to In high school. But this wasn’t a joke, and I was the only one laughing. Oops.
And that was just the first movement. The last movement sounded like an organ grinder heralding Barnum and Baily. What is this supposed to be?
(On a side note – When I found this on YouTube, I was surprised to recognize the conductor, Christian Arming, with whom I worked at Strasbourg’s Opera National du Rhin when I was singing Kontchakovna in Prince Igor. I didn’t recognize the cellist, but my katakana was just good enough for me to sound out “kapuson” and find the cellist Gautier Capucon, who happens to be performing in Ankara next month.)
The theater was packed, which usually only happens at free holiday pops concerts and performances by Turkey’s classical music star, Fazil Say. A program of an obscure cello concerto and a Dvorak Symphony didn’t seem to fit the pattern. Only after I read the program did I realize it was the conductor they had come to see.
Gürer Aykal, Music Director of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic from its founding in 1999 until 2008, has quite the resume. After completing studies on the violin and composition (under Ahmet Adnan Saygun, about whom I wrote earlier) at Ankara State Conservatory he went on to the Guildhall in London where he studied conducting with Andre Previn, and then to Rome for his DMA at the Santa Cecilia Academy. He’s conducted many major orchestras, including the London Philharmonic and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
He was also the founder of the Antalya Symphony, so audiences here owe him a great debt. I could feel the reverence in the theater when he spoke. Although I found the Gulda concerto bizarre, I couldn’t fault the performance of the ensemble or the superb Italian cellist Massimo Macro. The Dvorak Symphony #7 was passionate and exciting, and was especially enjoyable because it was new to me. It’s always a great experience hearing a masterpiece for the first time, and I was grateful to have been introduced to the piece by this spirited performance.
With its near-perfect weather and natural beauty, there are many advantages to living in Antalya. But who would have thought its Symphony Orchestra would be one of them?
. . ain’t it great here? So much good stuff at an affordable tcket price. There are times when J and I regret not being closer to one of the bigger centres – and then we wake up in the morning
i know what you mean, Alan. That’s why I live in Konyaalti and not in the urban metropolis that is downtown Antalya.
Love little old ladies….most of the time. Loved your descriptions of what it’s like here in Antalya.
Sounds like a fun night out in Antalya! We gone to hear jazz here several times but not to the symphony yet.
I’m sure you have many more concert options in Istanbul than we do here in Antalya!
We do not want a stranger to write about our country. You promote our country in the wrong way, because you do not know Turkey.
Aslı, i have been living here for three years, and I’m writing about my own experience. I’m sure your perspective would be different. Why don’t you write a blog and promote Turkey properly?
Asli, don’t get so excited. There is nothing wrong with somebody talking about the good and the bad about Turkey. I think the audience can judge for themselves without your help.
Personally, I am flattered that another foreigner has decided to make Turkey their home and write about their experiences, it certainly makes me see things I had not noticed.
Hi Aslı, i really don’t understand why you are thinking that Ellen promote our country in the wrong way. Honesty i’m turkish woman and working since over 20 years in Antalya about tourism and trying to bring here a lot of tourist that many people can earn money and survıve bcs ın Antalya is the main business is Tourism, at the other side i’m following Ellen’s blog since a long time as well let me say you something Aslı, and all other ppl who else are thinking like Aslı I’m personally appreciate to Ellen bcs of her Blog. I met in Antalya with a lot of people they were reading Ellen’s Blog and than comed here in Antalya.Shes doing great job here now i will ask you guys what you guys are doing for this country other than sitting and criticizing the others this is my question to you guys…. Thanks Ellen to you and all other Blog writers. You guys are helping us really much we as a tourism workers working so hard for promoting our country spending a lot of moneys going to tourism fairs and ect. Thats why i know it is really hard work and thats why appreciate…. By the way want say 1 more things promotıng country doesnt mean writing allways great nıce perfect or something like that promotıng Country means beıng Honest and writing – explainıng to all ppl the truth…
Thank you. I’m sure you can see I’m not trying to insult Turkey. I wouldn’t live here if I didn’t like the country!
Hi Ellen, It sounds like a fun experience. My sister-in-law lives in Antalya, I will have to see if she has taken advantage of the opera house yet.
It is fun going to the Symphony here. I don’t go to the opera house as often because (despite having been an opera singer myself – or perhaps because of it) I generally prefer instrumental music. Also, the Symphony is a 10 minute bus ride for me, whereas the Opera/Ballet is on the other side of town.
An interesting Blog Ellen – I read a few articles; this examination of the Antalya Symphony’s unusual selection casts a succinctly critical eye over the diverse program, obviously from the point of view of someone who understands music .. It does seem odd to begin with this Gulda finale, but perhaps this upbeat cello concerto was chosen because it gives opportunity to all the players in this small company to ‘show-off’ their skills {;o) .. KW
Thanks for the comment, Kevin. They didn’t begin with the finale, they played the whole concerto. Unfortunately, they repeated the finale as an encore! I would have rather heard the bluesy first movement again. As for the choice of the piece, I expect it was the soloist’s choice, although it could have been the conductor’s, but it was certainly not the orchestra’s, although they performed it quite well.
If you are a real Turkish woman, why you write in English when you write to another Turkish woman?? All of you, friends of Ellen. So dont try to defend this racist American to us!!!
Selam Hakan, İngilizce yazdım çünkü Blog okuyucuları hepimiz ortak dil ingilizce kullandığımız için ve Bolg okuyucularının hepsi anlayabilsinler diye.Komik hiç Türk olduğumu ispat etmek zorunda kalmamıştım
Sanırım yeterli bu yazdıklarım Türk olduğumu ispat etmek için. Öte yandan birilerini ırkçılıkla suçlarken gerçekten öyle olduğunu bilmek gerekiyor bence çünkü oldukça ağır bir suçlama bu. Biz Türkler oturduğumuz yerde salt birilerini ve birşeyleri kritize etmenin ötesinde hiç birşey ne yazık ki yapmıyoruz ancak ben Ellen in yazıları ile özellikle ülkemiz Turizmine ciddi katkısı olduğuna inanıyorum bunuda seninle sonuna kadar her platformda tartışırım. Ama burada ortak dil ingilizce olduğuna göre gel biz ingilizce yazmaya devam edelim ki herkes anlayabilsin.Ancak 1 şeyi bilmenizi isterim Ellenin yazıları sayesinde Antalyaya özellikle gelen çok Amerikalı var ve o Amerikalılarla iş yapıp akşam evine ekmek götürmüş çok ta esnaf var Antalya’da bunu bildiğim için yazıyorum çünkü 20 seneden fazladır Turizmciyim ve etrafımda çok fazla Ellen ın blogunu okuyup gelen insanla tanıştım. Kendim görmesem bilmesen tamam hadi eyvallah ama kendim bire bir şahit olduğum şeyide inkar ettiremez kimse bana neyse dedim ya biz ingilizceye devam ayıp olmasın…..
)) thats why written Turkish.
Sorry to everybodys i have to Prove to Hakan that ı’m a Turkish
Hakan, you still haven’t told me what I wrote that you think was racist. And if YOU were a real person you’d have a real email address.
you can be agree or disagree but calling someone as an racist its too much – harsh…. She is deffinatley not a racist but if you guys want just PM me i can give you guys some adress go these web pages and read there see there the racist ppl.
Than come back here read Ellen’s Blog again i bet you guys can not call her as an racist again at all…. 
@Banu, Sen demekki bu bloga iyice göz gezdirmemişsin! İyice inceler ve inceden inceye dokundurmalara bak. Sonrada o yazıların altındaki yurt dışından gelen yorumlara bak. Bu blog yüzünden adamlar hala bizi deveye binen Araplar gibi sanıyor. Blogta bir foto var, altta yazan yoruma göre kadın arapmış, fakat Ellen o kadını bir Türk gibi yansıtmış. Şimdi bunda ne var diyeceksin. O fotoda bakarsan kadının hemen arkasında bir yazı var merdivenlere oturmayın diye hem türkçe hem ingilizce. İnsanlar o fotoya bakarak bile dalga geçmişler. Bu sadece basit bir örnek. Bu blogu iyi incele ve ondan sonra konuş. 2 gün önce geldiysen bloga bu yazının altında şuan silinmiş bir sürü yorum vardı. Onlardan bazıları da Türklerin Kürdleri ve Ermenileri öldürdüklerinden ve dünyada en ırkçı millet olduğundan bahsediyorlardı. Bu mu ülkemizi tanıtmak???
Actually, Hakan, you’re the one who should read the blog more carefully instead of just looking at the pictures. I have never referred to Turks as “Camel riding Arabs”, and if you actually read my blog you’d see photos of some of my Turkish friends (who look just like my non-Turkish friends). As for the photo you mention, I never said the woman was Turkish, but just to make you happy I’ve added a note to the blog post explaining that I’ve been told she’s an Arab tourist. I’m not trying to misrepresent Turkey. But if you read the other comment on that page you will see that my observations are not unusual, even if the photo was not the best example.
And really, I’m not responsible for the fact that someone wrote a comment accusing Turks of racism. I didn’t write it! Please try to understand that simple fact. Yes, I have deleted it. I am no longer allowing hate speech on my blog. This is why comments are now moderated.
@Banu, biz de Ellen ve bazı arkadaşları tarafından bir çok küfür yedik. Ayrıca Ellen ve bazı arkadaşları Türkleri ırkçılıkla suçladı. Bunu yapan bir insan nasıl bizim ülkemizi tanıtabilir ki???
Asli, the comment accusing Turks of racism WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ME! I have deleted that comment, as well as the replies to that comment which, like yours, blamed me for something somebody else wrote. Enough of this nonsense! Please read more carefully before making such serious accusations. It is one thing to dislike my observations, and you are entitled to your opinion of my blog. You are NOT entitled to call me a racist or to accuse me of calling Turks racist because of a comment by someone else.
Hi Ellen I read some of your articles and I really liked them Because they are (samimi) warm. They tell something about Antalya -Turkey from different view. That tells our cultere, our country and our life to the world and it is really good way to announce Antalya to world. I think even our advertisements can’t do it. So we should say thanks to you instead of accusing.
Besides what I know about Turkey,
In Turkey there are many kind of people and some of them think that they only know what is good or what is bad for the country more than others. I got used to them and we others don’t care of them so it was ok so far. Now I see such people try to control everyone in the world who write their opinion about anything in Turkey.
Please Ellen do not care of them because we others do not care of them.
Thank you, Yusuf!
I feel bad that some people misunderstand what I write, but there are people like you who like it, so I will keep writing.