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second CD, Music � om the Machine Age be-ing a collection of ballet suites. But it has also been about balancing big-ticket works with lesser-known or practically unknown ones, and ensuring the disc has a strong theme – a right to exist. � e fact that the sleeves are a feast for the eye pushes things further in the right direction.

� e latest disc includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, along with works by Balakirev (Islamey: Oriental Fantasy, also on the Proms programme), Ippolitov-Ivanov (Caucasian Sketches) and the Turkish nationalist com-poser Ulvi Cemal Erkin (Köçekçe).

� e Proms programme’s centrepiece represents a new departure for the orchestra, and a vote of con� dence from the BBC. It is the world premiere of a BBC-commissioned violin concerto from Gabriel Proko� ev, to be performed by Daniel Hope, commemorating the centenary of the � rst world war.

When I speak to him, Goetzel has just received a � rst draught of the score, and is scheduled to start the rehearsal process once

the BIPO’s Istanbul Festival performance is out of the way at the end of June.

‘It is a very exciting process, as it will be a world premiere – the � rst interaction of the energy set free by the music with the audience.

‘� e score asks for large orchestra and a lot of percussion which will de� nitely thrill the listeners’ ears at the Royal Albert Hall. It has lots of great musical ideas in it connecting and building a bridge between the early 20th century and our time. I can’t wait to start

working with the orchestra and Daniel Hope on it.

‘We are thrilled at becoming a member of the BBC Proms family and will play with all our hearts and souls to make the concert an unforgettable experience not only for ourselves but for everybody in the audience.’ CM

� e BIPO plays in Prom 16: Oriental Promise on 29 July. Its latest recording is released this month on Onyx

BORUSAN PHILHARMONIC

T he Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, founded only in 1999, has become Turkey’s most energetic and internationally engaged orchestra.

But its current identity is even younger, going back to when the Viennese conductor Sascha Goetzel took over as artistic director in 2009 and rebuilt it from the ground up: re-auditioning, bringing in young talent from around Turkey and boosting key positions with pros from Europe. Although part-time, the orchestra has an ambitious performance schedule, and has just released its third recording for the Onyx label. Its inclusion in this year’s Proms, a � rst for a Turkish orches-tra, is a vindication for the privately funded

Borusan Culture and Arts foundation, which has poured millions of dollars into what might have seemed a hair-brained scheme.

‘For the orchestra and for myself our Proms debut marks a milestone in our ambitious growing process towards becoming one of the most exciting bodies of sound in the world,’ says Goetzel. ‘A� er our concert during the opening festivities of the Salzburg Music Fes-tival 2010, I would consider it the next most challenging and in many ways important concert for our still young orchestra.’

One of things Goetzel has tried to achieve with the orchestra is to � nd its sound – he is adamant this is nothing to do with imposing from the outside the quality of, for instance,

the Vienna Phil, where he was a violinist before turning to conducting. ‘It’s not a question of right or wrong,’ he says. ‘It’s just about � guring out a sound that can be the orchestra’s own.’

In that light, for the three recordings so far, the repertoire choice has been very varied and interesting. Goetzel has pitched things intelligently, introducing his orchestra to the international arena with con� dence but not arrogance, and with a canny sense of build-ing its personality. Since Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia, it is natural that works with an oriental tinge � nd favour – it’s about establishing that identity. Dance has also played a signi� cant part, with the orchestra’s

Turkey’s most energetic and internationally engaged orchestra:

Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic

Turk wondersThe Istanbul based Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra is hitting the big time with the Proms stamp of approval this year, and a third CD out this month. Kimon Daltas reports

A feast for the eyes: the orchestra’s CD covers