:00:34. > :00:38.Tonight at the BBC Proms, a programme of Turkish Delights from
:00:39. > :00:42.an orchestra making their first ever visit to the UK.
:00:43. > :00:45.The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra.
:00:46. > :00:49.The orchestra is just 15 years old, and the players are young too, an
:00:50. > :00:56.average age of 35. Almost all of them are Turkish and the orchestra
:00:57. > :01:01.performs on both sides of the border straddling Asia and Europe. No
:01:02. > :01:06.surprise that music inspire bid the Orient colours the programme with
:01:07. > :01:11.the sounds of the czars. Holst by Mozart, Handel and Respighi.
:01:12. > :01:16.Alongside a brand-new violin concerto by Professor Professor
:01:17. > :01:23.Professor played by Daniel Hope. First though, an orchestral fantasy
:01:24. > :01:25.by Russian composer, Ed Balls, called Islamey. It was so fiendishly
:01:26. > :01:29.difficult that the composer couldn't play it himself!
:01:30. > :01:33.It features traditional melodies from the Caucasus, the mountainous
:01:34. > :01:37.region between Asia and Europe bordered by Turkey with Balakirev
:01:38. > :01:40.made adventurous expeditions to track down folk tunes. The word
:01:41. > :01:47.Islamey refers to a traditional dance of the Muslim tribes which is
:01:48. > :01:53.apparently accompanied by the percussion stylings. There you go!
:01:54. > :01:57.It was turned into a spectacular showpiece by one of Balakirev's
:01:58. > :02:03.students who used every trick in the book to bring out all the colours of
:02:04. > :02:12.the orchestra. And here to conduct Balakirev's
:02:13. > :02:16.Islamey is the Istanbul flock orchestra, the principal conductor,
:02:17. > :12:00.Sascha Goetzel. A rather tremendous flourish with
:12:01. > :12:04.the fancy cuffs, that was Sascha Goetzel conducting the Borusan
:12:05. > :12:09.Istanbul's flock in a lovely, lively start to the first UK debut. That
:12:10. > :12:20.was Islamey by Balakirev. Next we have music from a British
:12:21. > :12:24.composer who's perhaps more aassociationiated with outer space
:12:25. > :12:29.than the Orient. Holst. The planet is his most famous orbing central
:12:30. > :12:35.masterpiece and often eclipses his other work. He was hugely interested
:12:36. > :12:39.in eastern ideas and music. He studied literature, spent holidays
:12:40. > :12:43.in Algeria, heading out into the desert on his bike to collect folk
:12:44. > :12:48.tunes. His piece, Beni Mora, which we are going to hear next was
:12:49. > :12:54.intended as music for a ballet which never materialised. The third
:12:55. > :12:56.movement, it has no fewer than 31 repetitions of the first phrase
:12:57. > :13:08.which has a strange hypnotic effect. Sascha Goetzel, the conductor,
:13:09. > :13:18.returning to the stage, to conduct the Borusan Istanbul Northern Rock
:13:19. > :13:22.in Holst's Beni Mora. -- Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra in Holst's
:13:23. > :31:01.Beni Mora. Holst's work, Beni Mora.
:31:02. > :31:07.That title, Beni Mora comes from the Garden of Allah, inspired by that,
:31:08. > :31:11.the work was premiered in 1912 and the first performance was a success,
:31:12. > :31:18.a wonderful quote from the critics who were baffled by the exotic music
:31:19. > :31:20.one wrote "we do not ask for the girls to dance to this in Langham
:31:21. > :31:40.Place". As Sascha Goetzel brings the whole
:31:41. > :31:46.orchestra to their feet, we could reflect again on the love Holst had
:31:47. > :31:53.for anything from the East. He was fascinated by the whole region. From
:31:54. > :32:02.Algeria to India. He composed two operas based on Hindu legends.
:32:03. > :32:09.Next, a brand-new work by Gabriel Prokofiev, the grandson of Sergey
:32:10. > :32:15.Prokofiev. Previously, he's written concertos for bass drum and it may
:32:16. > :32:24.surprise you to learn he's taken a traditional one for the violinest.
:32:25. > :32:29.Daniel Hope is the violinist. This The two of them got together to
:32:30. > :32:35.chat earlier about the concerto. We call it 1914, rather than make it
:32:36. > :32:42.a war concerto so the work looks at the hole year and we get the
:32:43. > :32:46.optimism before the war broke out. That's why it started in a playful
:32:47. > :32:52.march. In the third and fourth movement, your role is more
:32:53. > :32:54.representing the soldier on the ground and the tragedy really of the
:32:55. > :33:06.war. I wrote that bit for you knowing how
:33:07. > :33:11.you play and what might appeal to you and I hope that that's working
:33:12. > :33:16.for you. Very much so. A lot of it speaks to the kind of musical
:33:17. > :33:21.language that I love. Yes. You have the lyricism but also the rhythmical
:33:22. > :33:24.fighting. You had me, in a sense, be a soldier coming to battle against,
:33:25. > :33:40.you know, 100 people. It's a very active piece for me. I
:33:41. > :33:41.have to keep my wits about me all the time because there are all sorts
:33:42. > :33:45.of colours going on. It was interesting being in the hall, you
:33:46. > :33:49.hear so much more in a great hall like this, so all the colours that I
:33:50. > :33:52.didn't necessarily hear in the rehearsals, are now coming through
:33:53. > :33:55.to me. So again, it's changing the way I view the piece, the way I jump
:33:56. > :34:11.in on it. As we come to the very end and you
:34:12. > :34:17.are hovering on your dying note really that then becomes this white
:34:18. > :34:23.noise. Yes. And I really like how you have interpreted that. You could
:34:24. > :34:29.see it, really high, you know, so I had the think, how am I going to do
:34:30. > :34:37.it. I'm high so I'm thinking, go even higher into the ether somehow.
:34:38. > :34:43.How are you feeling about tonight's performance and become here? Well,
:34:44. > :34:49.obviously very excited. I mean, you know, it comes in we'ves. There's
:34:50. > :34:54.nerves as well. This is still the first full performance, proper
:34:55. > :34:58.performance of this piece and it's pretty heavy because it's in the
:34:59. > :35:02.Royal Albert Hall and it's the Proms, you know, you can't escape
:35:03. > :35:06.those nervous feelings but I am really excited and we have had a
:35:07. > :35:11.really good rehearsal so I feel that's given me the confidence. I
:35:12. > :35:17.feel like I'm terrified but I'm thrilled! How about you? I'd say
:35:18. > :35:22.about the same. When you go out there for the very first time and
:35:23. > :35:25.play a new piece, it's like you are launching a child out into the world
:35:26. > :35:30.and you never know what is going to happen, so it's that mixture of
:35:31. > :35:35.nerves and excitement, happiness being here but will everything be
:35:36. > :35:38.OK. There's a lot of energy tonight it's going to get close to an
:35:39. > :35:44.explosion. APPLAUSE
:35:45. > :35:54.And there he is, Daniel Hope. Our soloist tonight with the conductor,
:35:55. > :39:25.Sascha Goetzel, to perform Gabriel Prokofiev's concerto 1914.
:39:26. > :11:09.MUSIC: Gabriel Prokofiev's Violin Concerto, "1914"
:11:10. > :11:19.Technical wizardry. Exciting, emotionally draining work
:11:20. > :11:25.by Gabriel Prokofiev. Violin concerto number one, 1914.
:11:26. > :11:36.Sascha Goetzel leaving the stage there with Daniel Hope after that
:11:37. > :11:46.performance by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra.
:11:47. > :11:52.The perspective often changes from personal views to individual
:11:53. > :11:56.characters to wider historic and mittical aspects often quite
:11:57. > :12:05.quickly, like fast edits in a film, he says. That cheer, you can hear,
:12:06. > :12:12.is for Gabriel Prokofiev, there he is. She a really exciting young
:12:13. > :12:14.composer, very much in demand. Quite the musical man, long association
:12:15. > :12:29.with Daniel Hope. And, as Gabriel continues to thank
:12:30. > :12:35.the orchestra for that premier of his new work, he said earlier, you
:12:36. > :12:39.know, a particular image stuck in his mind when he was writing this
:12:40. > :12:44.which was from the battles of the frontiers early on in the First
:12:45. > :12:48.World War when the French cavalry, many dressed in colourful uniforms,
:12:49. > :12:52.were mowed down by German machine guns and he said that epitomises the
:12:53. > :12:54.old world being destroyed by the modern and that was the sound he was
:12:55. > :13:22.trying to create. The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic
:13:23. > :13:26.Orchestra are making a flying visit to London for this programme. The
:13:27. > :13:29.Turkish players are utterly passionate about the music they
:13:30. > :13:34.perform and very proud of what they have achieved together as an
:13:35. > :13:36.orchestra so far as I found out when I met up with a couple of the
:13:37. > :13:42.players during rehearsals today. This is a young orchestra and you
:13:43. > :13:47.don't often tour outside of Turkey, so how is it being here in London?
:13:48. > :13:52.It's great. It's wonderful. Touring is nice itself, but being in London
:13:53. > :13:55.and to be a part of Proms and to play in Albert Hall is really
:13:56. > :14:07.fascinating. You were telling us, the last time you were here, you
:14:08. > :14:08.were with the Gustav Youth Orchestra, so how is it different
:14:09. > :14:51.here today? Yes, it's 17 years ago actually in 1997. It was like a
:14:52. > :14:56.miracle for me to What either audiences like in Turkey for this
:14:57. > :15:04.kind of programme? Actually, they enjoy our programme. I am also proud
:15:05. > :15:14.because there are always so many young people enjoying us. It is
:15:15. > :15:19.great. So a good atmosphere and lots of enthusiasm for Western classical
:15:20. > :15:25.music. For the prom is, was it exciting for you to be here? It is a
:15:26. > :15:31.very big thing for the orchestra and for Turkish classical music also.
:15:32. > :15:36.Rascal music is very new in Turkey. -- fascicle music. It started in
:15:37. > :15:42.1923 after the Republic was established by Ataturk. It took a
:15:43. > :15:49.long time to build up a classical music culture in Turkey. This is the
:15:50. > :15:55.proof of the success of the music of Ataturk, so we feel proud. I hope we
:15:56. > :15:59.come again and again, and also to other festivals in other big cities
:16:00. > :16:02.in Europe. And what are you looking forward to particularly tonight,
:16:03. > :16:09.coming to the Albert Hall for the first time? I am waiting for 6000
:16:10. > :16:12.people! And there certainly is a large and
:16:13. > :16:15.appreciative audience for them in the Royal Albert Hall tonight. Next,
:16:16. > :16:19.proving that an interest in eastern sounds is nothing new, the Borusan
:16:20. > :16:25.Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra performed the overture to an opera
:16:26. > :16:29.by Mozart, the abduction from the seraglio. It might not be the most
:16:30. > :16:33.authentic oriental music, but at the time, it caused a real stir. The
:16:34. > :16:37.overture reaches exotic percussion and gives a good impression of the
:16:38. > :16:41.music of Turkey, as seen through the eyes of an 18th-century European. It
:16:42. > :16:50.massively popular, despite famously being exercised by the Emperor
:16:51. > :17:00.Joseph II as having too many notes. There is the conductor, Sascha
:17:01. > :17:05.Goetzel, to conduct Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, performed
:17:06. > :17:33.by Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra.
:17:34. > :22:36.MUSIC: "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" by Mozart.
:22:37. > :22:39.APPLAUSE Sascha Goetzel, conducting the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic
:22:40. > :22:43.Orchestra in Mozart's overture to the Abduction From The Seraglio,
:22:44. > :22:45.which is pretty standard 18th-century fare when you look at
:22:46. > :22:48.the plot. You know the kind of thing, European
:22:49. > :23:00.nobleman rescues pretty girl from wicked eastern pasha, but the music
:23:01. > :23:05.is lovely, isn't it? Next, we have two very different is
:23:06. > :23:08.portraits of none other than the Queen of Sheba, an exotic and
:23:09. > :23:13.mysterious woman of power whose story can be found in the Bible and
:23:14. > :23:15.the Koran as well as in Turkish and Persian paintings. In the old
:23:16. > :23:19.Testament, the story goes that the Queen hears of Solomon's fame and
:23:20. > :23:23.falls in love with him, far, so she decides to set out to Jerusalem to
:23:24. > :23:27.meet him. The Bible says she came with a very great train of camels
:23:28. > :23:32.that bore spices, gold and precious stones.
:23:33. > :23:39.And it is this a rival that we are going to hear now, set to music by a
:23:40. > :24:19.George Frederick Handel and arrange for orchestra by Sir Thomas Beecham.
:24:20. > :27:02.MUSIC: "The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba" by Handel.
:27:03. > :27:08.Lovely, the conductors Sascha Goetzel, enjoying that performance
:27:09. > :27:10.from the back of the stage. The players of the Borusan Istanbul
:27:11. > :27:21.Philharmonic Orchestra are on their feet to perform Handel's arrival of
:27:22. > :27:25.the Queen of Sheba. Performed at weddings the world over, that piece
:27:26. > :27:30.of music is one of Handel's most famous pieces. It even featured at
:27:31. > :27:37.the opening ceremony of London 2012. famous pieces. It even featured at
:27:38. > :27:42.Next, we have another portrait of the same Queen, but this time from
:27:43. > :27:47.the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. His old rate owes less to
:27:48. > :27:51.the Bible and more to the story in the Koran in which the Queen is
:27:52. > :27:54.named Dale Kiss, and the story goes that Solomon could talk to the
:27:55. > :27:59.birds, one of which flew back from the kingdom, telling him of a queen
:28:00. > :28:04.who sat on a throne of gold and silver. So Solomon, obviously,
:28:05. > :28:06.who sat on a throne of gold and invited her to visit him. The ballet
:28:07. > :28:11.was hugely ambitious and lasted well over an hour, with 600
:28:12. > :28:13.was hugely ambitious and lasted well deploying an orchestral augmented
:28:14. > :28:17.with sitars and wind machines. The concert we are about to hear is a
:28:18. > :28:28.bit more practical, but it still captures the exotic and erotic world
:28:29. > :28:31.of the Queen of Sheba. Conductors Sascha Goetzel, full of
:28:32. > :28:59.beans to conduct Respighi's Queen of Sheba.
:29:00. > :33:09.MUSIC: "Belkis, Queen of Sheba" by Respighi.
:33:10. > :53:32.The final orgiastic dance, bringing to an end Respighi's Queen of Sheba.
:53:33. > :53:38.What a showpiece for the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, and
:53:39. > :53:44.what a showpiece for the conductor as well. He has got some moves!
:53:45. > :53:52.Tremendous animation, really expressive. He was not clowning
:53:53. > :53:59.around. A wonderful rapport with the orchestra. Sascha Goetzel. A
:54:00. > :54:07.wonderful response here in the Royal Albert Hall. The first performance
:54:08. > :54:11.of that ballet was a huge success, with the audience apparently in a
:54:12. > :54:16.frenzy of excitement. A mighty horde of young men and girls, warriors and
:54:17. > :54:24.slaves of every race and colour, rising up in orgiastic dance. This
:54:25. > :54:38.was the offstage trumpet we heard towards the end of that. There is in
:54:39. > :54:41.fact another Ethiopian version of the Queen of Sheba story. We have
:54:42. > :54:46.heard two of them today, but there is a third. She is considered to be
:54:47. > :54:56.the mother of Ethiopia, a fact that would have escaped those in the
:54:57. > :55:21.1930s as Italy was taking over Ethiopia.
:55:22. > :55:28.And amongst the many legends surrounding Belkis, Queen of Sheba,
:55:29. > :55:33.in the Islamic tradition, my favourite one is that her mother
:55:34. > :55:35.cavorted with a goat was pregnant. That meant the Queen of Sheba had
:55:36. > :55:57.very hairy legs. All of them enjoying the moment
:55:58. > :56:10.here, their first ever prom, their first-ever UK performance. Ladies
:56:11. > :56:26.and gentlemen, of course, we cannot go back to the Bosphorus without the
:56:27. > :56:30.music of the Bosphorus. This is a historic moment, a Turkish orchestra
:56:31. > :56:31.for the first time at the BBC Proms. You have been the most incredible
:56:32. > :56:50.audience we have experienced. You have been the most incredible
:56:51. > :56:56.all believe, as music lovers and musicians, that music does not just
:56:57. > :57:02.reward us. We all want to exchange cultures, want to share, not being
:57:03. > :57:02.afraid of it, but learning from each other,
:57:03. > :57:06.afraid of it, but learning from each offer. This is
:57:07. > :57:11.afraid of it, but learning from each here. This is what we believe. We
:57:12. > :57:30.This orchestra is a union of most of better place.
:57:31. > :57:36.This orchestra is a union of most of the finest musicians of Turkey, and
:57:37. > :57:40.we want to play for you now one of the most famous pieces in Turkey. It
:57:41. > :57:43.we want to play for you now one of starts from the far east and goes
:57:44. > :57:48.all the way through Turkey, and then we arrive in Istanbul from our
:57:49. > :57:50.hearts, from our souls, to give you what you deserve, the best possible
:57:51. > :07:35.excitement in music of all time! The most famous piece of Turkish
:07:36. > :07:39.classical music. That was written in 1943, full of the sounds of
:07:40. > :07:48.classical music. That was written in traditional Turkish music and a gift
:07:49. > :07:52.to us from the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, on the first
:07:53. > :08:07.occasion, the very first time they have performed at the Proms. And
:08:08. > :08:11.that is it for now at the BBC Proms. Wonderful debut from the Borusan
:08:12. > :08:16.Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sascha Goetzel. Every
:08:17. > :08:21.concert is live on BBC Radio 3 and next week, on BBC4, there are four
:08:22. > :08:27.concerts from the programmes, starting on Thursday with music by
:08:28. > :08:32.Mala and John Adams. For now, good night from all of us