‘Gilgamesh’ made its world premiere

ISTANBUL

The world premiere of the opera “Gilgamesh,” staged by the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (IDOB), took place on the night of May 17 at the 16th International Istanbul Opera and Ballet Festival.

Speaking before the performance at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), State Opera and Ballet General Director and Artistic Director Tan Sağtürk noted that they had broken audience records throughout the season.

“In this highly productive period in which we staged 44 premieres, one of our main missions is to analyze, assess, bring to the stage and share with audiences previously unperformed works created by the esteemed mentors of our Republic, working together with our institution’s talented team,” he said.

Noting that IDOB will make its mark in history with “Gilgamesh,” Sağtürk said: “Tonight, in the magnificent atmosphere of the AKM Türk Telekom Opera Hall, we will embark on the first journey into the magical world of Gilgamesh, an epic drama by Ahmet Adnan Saygun, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and a true cultural bridge-builder who conceptually interpreted the intellectual world of his homeland. Today, Gilgamesh takes the world stage for the first time, with you, our esteemed audience. This opera is a timeless piece, an epic of the yearning for freedom that addresses the passage from ignorance to knowledge in a spiritual and philosophical way.”

Worked for six months

IDOB Director and Artistic Director Caner Akgün noted that Saygun’s masterpiece had been waiting 42 years to be staged, saying, “Our founding director Aydın Gün and Maestro Ahmet Adnan Saygun worked for many years to bring this piece to the stage, but due to unfortunate circumstances, it never happened until now. An incredible team of creatives, the orchestra, choir, soloists, ballet artists, and technical staff all put in great effort over a six-month period, and here we are before you today. My heartfelt thanks to everyone.”

Directed by Caner Akın, the production features the IDOB Orchestra under the baton of İbrahim Yazıcı and the IDOB Choir conducted by Volkan Akkoç.

The set design was by Efter Tunç, costumes by Gizem Betil, lighting by Cem Yılmazer, video design by Aisha Hajiyeva and choreography by Deniz Özaydın.

The cast includes Hüseyin Likos, Alican Güçoğlu, Yılmaz Berkay Günay, Aylin Ateş, Burak Bilgili, Şebnem Ağrıdağ Kışlalı, Gökhan Ürben, Asude Karayavuz, Kılıç Aslan, Melike Manav Yalçın, Nursel Dinler Yazman, Neslişah Pekin, Burcu Soysev, Berin Kocabaşoğlu, Merve Topaldemir, Pınar Koç, Zeynep Halvaşi, Buket Polat, Agit İşcan, Ecem Ovat, Emre Güngör, Mualla Dedemen, Banu Ergün, Ahmet Baykara and Alper Saldıran.

The opera will be performed again at AKM on May 20.