Biret, who frequently appears as a soloist with the CSO and also performed at last season's opening concert, will play Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 and Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony in the two concerts, taking place tonight and tomorrow at the CSO Concert Hall in the Ulus district.Under maestro Rengim Gökmen, the CSO will again host a number of international classical music stars -- including Russian violinist Maxim Fedotov, cellist Natalia Gutman, young violinist Isabelle Faust, Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas, cellist-conductor Alexander Rudin and another well-known cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber -- as guest soloists in various concerts throughout the season.
The CSO, one of Turkey's oldest musical institutions, will be working to introduce classical music to all segments of society in the new season, CSO Director Çağatay Akyol told the Anatolia news agency on Wednesday.
“We aim to expand the reach of polyphonic music, orchestra [music], the works of Turkish [classical] composers and European composers, with all their beauty. Because of our title, most people have a misconception that we are a very highflying orchestra -- whereas we are the orchestra of the public,” Akyol said.
Immediately after the opening of the new season, the CSO will go on a tour that covers three Anatolian cities -- Gaziantep, Niğde and Konya -- next week. “Art is being considered [synonymous] with bourgeoisie; however, it arose from peoples' hearts. So there's nothing more natural than to share it with the public,” Akyol said.
