Now in Istanbul

In this early 2017 between the many concerts, exhibitions, shows and football and basketball matches there are plenty of things to do and see in Istanbul. Here is the agenda from mid-January to the end of February. Do not hesitate to share your experiences with us!

CONCERTS

/January

The singer Sıla

Oscar & The Wolf

January 23 – Ankara Türk Dünyası Müzik Topluluğu: the orchestra of the Turkish capital is at the Haliç Kongre Merkezi for a mixing of classical music and traditional Turkish music.

The MFÖ band

/February

IDSO (Istanbul Devlet Senfoni Orkestrası)

February 7 – Teoman: the star of Turkish rock, the tenebrous Teoman, will be in concert at Zorlu Center PSM.

Kalben

February 15 – Baba Zula: the psychedelic rock band with influences of traditional Turkish music will be at the Zorlu Center PSM.

SHOWS

January 19 – Royal Opera House Screening; The Nutcracker: 

The Zorlu Center PSM presents one of the most emblematic ballets of all time: Nutcracker. The ballet in two acts was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, with the composition of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, adapted from the story of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffman, The Nutcracker and Mouse King. Nutcracker premiered at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on December 18, 1892, winning its world fame with the continuation of Tchaikovsky which featured an exceptional use of celesta. It has been performed in countless venues throughout the world with various interpretations, this one is that of the Royal Opera House of London. At the Zorlu Center PSM.

From January 16 to January 30 – Waiting for Godot: 

Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are waiting for the arrival of someone named Godot who never arrives.In the meantime they engage in a variety of discussions and meet three other characters. Waiting for Godot is the translation of Beckett from its original French version. The original French text was written between 9 October 1948 and 29 January 1949. The first show took place on  January 5 1953 at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris. The English version was created in London in 1955. In the survey conducted by the British Royal National Theater in 1990, it was voted the most significant English-language play of the 20th century. At the Zorlu Center PSM.

February 3 & 16 – Notre Dame – Quasimodo Musical: Trump Tower 

The French comedy inspired by the eponymous novel of Victor Hugo is in representation at the Trump Tower. Since its inception, the show has been performed in Belgium, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States and translated into seven languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Korean, Flemish and Polish). At the Trump Tower.

February 22 – Royal Opera House Screening; Il Trovatore

The four-act opera composed by Verdi and based on the acclaimed play “El Trovador” by Antonio García Gutiérrez was premiered on January 19, 1853, quickly gaining its rightful place among the world opera and honoring the three years work of Verdi. Over the years, it has become the 20th opera of all time most represented in the world, with more than 600 performances by the company Metropolitan Opera. At the Zorlu Center PSM by the Londoner Royal Opera House.

February 24 & 25 – Movies in Concert: Amadeus Live:

Amadeus, the classic of Miloš Forman which tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart seen by the eyes of Antonio Salieri, is a film that won 8 Oscars in 1985 as well as 4 BAFTA Awards and 4 Golden Globes. Movies In Concert: Amadeus, is a unique performance which consists in the projection of the film accompanied by an orchestra who plays live the music of the Masterpiece of Milos Forman. At the Zorlu Center PSM.

EXHIBITIONS

Until May 7 – Cold Front from the Balkans at the Pera Muzesi

The exhibition “Cold in the Balkans” organized by Ali Akay and Alenka Gregorič brings together contemporary artists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Of Slovenia.

The exhibition focuses on different generations of artists and artistic groups in the Balkan region. The exhibition avoids the usual inevitably unflattering political connotations of the region and focuses on a natural phenomenon – the wind. The title of the exhibition refers to a well-known expression in Turkish: “the cold wind blowing from the Balkans” which transmits the arrival of winter and is commonly used in television weather reports.

The works presented range from video to photography, from drawing to installation, and aim to create a new dialogue between Balkan artists of different generations and to provide a new point of view for the viewer.

SPORTS

Football

Watch a football match in Istanbul is an experience not to be missed, the atmosphere of the stadiums is often explosive while remaining friendly. Here are the matches we advise you in January and February 2017:

Turkish League:

As we write these lines, the surprise is total because Istanbul Başakşehir, a small club on the outskirts of Istanbul is first in the championship followed by Beşiktaş and Galatasaray.We will see in the coming weeks whether the Başaksehir will be able to resist for a long time to the pressure of the big teams stambouliote and create the feat. There are many interesting matches, such as Fenerbahçe against Başakşehir and the derby Galatasaray against Beşiktaş. Here is the list of matches not to be missed:

January 23 – Fenerbahçe VS Istanbul BB at the Şürkrü Saraçoğlu Stadium
January 29 – Beşiktaş VS Konyaspor at the Vodafone Arena
February 10 – Galatasaray VS Kayserispor at the Türk Telekom Arena
February 20 – Fenerbahçe VS Kasımpaşa at the Şürkrü Saraçoglu Stadium
February 26 – Galatasaray VS Beşiktaş at the Türk Telekom Arena

Europacup:

Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş will play their second leg matches of the final 16 of the UEFA Cup on February 22 with the hope of reaching the final eight, mission rather easy on paper:

February 22 – Fenerbahçe VS Krasnodar at the Şürkrü Saraçoğlu Stadium
February 22 – Beşiktaş VS H. Beer Sheva  at the Vodafone Arena

In order to buy your tickets get on Passolig, and if you want more information contact us!

Basketball Euroleague:

Watching a Basketball game in Istanbul is also an unforgettable experience, especially since Turkish clubs have been competitive in Europe for a number of years. Last year Fenerbahçe lost at the last minute in the final of Euroleague (the equivalent of the European NBA or the Champions League of basketball) and Galatasaray won the Eurocup against Strasbourg (the equivalent of the Europa League of basketball). But this is not all, Istanbul has currently 4 teams in Euroleague (Efes, Darüşşafaka, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe), and all want this year to grab the grail. The atmosphere in the basketball stadiums is as crazy as in the football stadiums, so do not miss it! Here are the matches to follow in the next two months:

January 19 – Fenerbahçe VS Panathinaikos
January 19 – Galatasaray VS Emporio Armani Milan
January 24 – Galatasaray VS Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv
January 25 – Anadolu Efes VS Darussafaka Dogus
January 26 – Galatasaray VS Fenerbahçe
February 2 – Fenerbahçe VS CSKA Moskow
February 2 – Galatasaray VS Panathinaikos

More games on the Euroleague’s website: www.euroleague.net, If you want to see a basketball game, contact us, we may be able to help you find tickets!