Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1993, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra has become one of Turkey's most prominent ensembles, touring widely and attracting international guest stars. The orchestra has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Turkey.
The Bilkent Symphony Orchestra is one of the few major world orchestras to have its origins in an academic project; it was formed by members of the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts of Bilkent University in the Bilkent district of the Turkish capital of Ankara. The year after its founding, the orchestra moved into the new Bilkent Concert Hall, where it has continued to perform. At first, the orchestra was a modest-sized sinfonietta, but it grew to become a full-sized ensemble with members from Turkey and, at times, as many as a dozen foreign countries. As of 2023, the group had 51 members and was advertising several vacancies. At that time, the orchestra had no permanent conductor; some of its roughly 80 annual concerts were led by Julian Masmondet, Jaume Santonja, and Gürer Aykal. The orchestra has spawned the Bilkent Chamber Orchestra, an Ensemble of Wind Instruments, and other subgroups.
Beginning with a tour of Italy in 1998, the orchestra has often appeared outside Turkey, presenting concerts in Germany (including twice at the Schleswig-Holstein Musiktage festival), Belgium, and Japan, among other countries. The long list of international-caliber soloists who have appeared with the group includes pianist Lang Lang, violinist Shlomo Mintz, and trumpeter Alison Balsom, and guest conductors have included the likes of Vladimir Ashkenazy, José Serebrier, and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. The Bilkent Symphony Orchestra has often championed the works of composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun, making its debut recording in 2008 on the CPO label with an album featuring the composer's concertos for cello and viola. It has made several recordings for the Naxos label, mostly but not exclusively of Turkish music. In 2022, the orchestra moved to the La Dolce Volta label, backing pianist Jean-Philippe Collard on a recording of piano concertos by Scriabin and Rimsky-Korsakov.
© James Manheim /TiVo
Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
Concertos pour piano n°1 & 2 (Concerto Edition - Volume 4)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Emil Tabakov
Klassiek - Released by Idil Biret Archive on 17 nov. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Scriabin & Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concertos
Jean-Philippe Collard, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Emil Tabakov
Concertmuziek - Released by La Dolce Volta on 28 jan. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saygun: Cello Concerto, Viola Concerto
Tim Hugh, Mirjam Tschopp, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Howard Griffiths
Klassiek - Released by CPO on 1 jan. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fantaisie de concert - Concerto pour piano n°2 (Concerto Edition - Volume 5)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, José Serebrier, Emil Tabakov
Concerten voor klavier - Released by Idil Biret Archive on 24 aug. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos pour piano (Concerto Edition - Volume 3)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Klassiek - Released by Idil Biret Archive on 29 sep. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Massenet & Franck: Musique concertante pour piano
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Alain Paris
Symfonische muziek - Released by Alpha Classics on 1 jan. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n°5 "Galatasaray"
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 4 apr. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saygun: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Gulsin Onay, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Howard Griffiths
Klassiek - Released by CPO on 28 okt. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos
Patrick Gallois, Jean-Philippe Collard, Philippe Bernold, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Emil Tabakov
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 2 jan. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Edition (Volume 3)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit
Concertmuziek - Released by Idil Biret Archive on 4 dec. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Romantic Melodies
Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Los Pitutos, Andres Soto
Klassiek - Released by Bilkent Music Production on 11 mrt. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Can Atilla: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor "Gallipoli"
Onur Şenler, Angela Ahıskal, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Burak Tüzün
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 10 feb. 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto Edition (Volume 2)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Emil Tabakov
Klassiek - Released by Idil Biret Archive on 15 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos pour piano (Concerto Edition - Volume 1)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit
Concertmuziek - Released by Idil Biret Archive on 8 apr. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Edition (Volume 7)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit
Concertmuziek - Released by Idil Biret Archive on 12 feb. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beautiful Melodies
Klassiek - Released by Bilkent Music Production on 1 jan. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo