Turgutreis festival captivates international audience

On Monday July 19, the British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under Grzegorz Nowak, and world-renowned Turkish pianist İdil Biret took to the stage.

Held in Turgutreis’s D-Marin for the sixth time running, this year’s overarching artistic theme is “Romanticism in Music.”

Four pieces in total -- composed by Robert Schumann and Frederic Chopin as well as Samuel Barber and Nevit Kodallı -- were performed on the occasion of the opening gala. The event’s art director, Yücel Canyaran, stated that during the Romantic Period: “Works reflecting man’s inner world assumed an intensely emotional nature with romanticism. Works of grandeur were composed using this kind of music. Orchestras became enriched and diversified.”

While Tuesday will have seen a performance by the Borusan Quartet as well as a night concert by Fazıl Say & Guests, the festival continues until July 23 and gives music lovers a chance to attend Thursday’s as well as Friday’s concerts, including Çağnur Gürsan (soprano), a Mediterranean night, a sunset concert honoring Leyla Gencer and the closing event, “Opera Night,” featuring bass baritone Burak Bilgili together with the Adana Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra.

The festival has become a welcome fixture on an ever-increasing cultural agenda in this part of the country. It merits to be classified as a large-scale public event, not only bringing together classical music aficionados of all ages but also portraying Turgutreis and nearby Bodrum in a more diversified, yet very positive, light.

If put into a wider context three issues are of particular relevance: First, one should take into consideration that music has enormous potential to build intercultural bridges -- by definition it should not know any boundaries. In a world where conflict and polarization all too often dominate headlines and breaking news, composers and artists alike bring excitement and joy to all ages and to people from all walks of life. Besides, listening to performances by world-class artists often lays a foundation in the younger generation to more actively develop a lasting interest into music, too.

Second, events like this need logistics -- and a fair amount of sponsoring -- and Doğuş Group, the group of companies behind both the D-Marin and the festival, is an excellent example of how to successfully implement a strategy that interprets business not simply as looking at how to increase one’s profit margin but in the sense that entrepreneurial activity has to be integrated in its environment. What better way for a marina than to open its doors to members of the non-boat-owning community, too, than by playing host to international cultural events?

Third, Turkey’s tourism industry will benefit from further diversification. When Today’s Zaman spoke with Zafer Kutluğ, D-Marin Turgutreis’s marina manager, he underlined the relevance of the business concept behind D-Marin and noted that since its opening in 2003 the entire area has transformed itself by becoming a more up-market destination, including the opening of a number of five-star hotel facilities. Kutluğ explained that due to the opening of D-Marin Turgutreis more than 300 employment opportunities -- both direct and indirect -- were created subsequently filled by local applicants. Yacht and marina tourism has thus become a key factor in the abovementioned need for constantly upgrading locations and making certain that not only repeat guests but also additional incoming visitors decide to visit Turkey.

With reference to the stage set-up, perfect acoustics and the artistic lineup itself, this year’s 6th Turgutreis International Classical Music Festival can indeed be described as a “quality assured” undertaking. The town of Turgutreis is easily accessible by both public and private transport whilst details about this year’s remaining events can be obtained by going to www.dmarinfestival.com.