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Milos Forman’s eight Academy Award-winning film "Amadeus" will return to the spotlight in Istanbul this summer through a large-scale live concert experience that combines cinema and orchestral performance.
Organized by Piu Entertainment, "Amadeus Live in Concert" will take place on June 22, 2026, at Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre.
The event will present the full film on a giant screen while a live orchestra and choir perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s compositions in sync with the scenes.
A 55-member orchestra under conductor Ernst Van Tiel, along with a 40-person choir, will accompany the screening.
The performance will be delivered in the film’s original language with Turkish subtitles and is expected to run for approximately three hours, including an intermission.
Tickets for the event are currently available through major ticketing platforms, including Biletinial, Bubilet, and Biletix.
The “live in concert” format has gained international popularity in recent years as it allows audiences to experience well-known films with their original scores performed in real time.
In this format:
For "Amadeus," this approach places Mozart’s compositions at the center of the experience, turning the screening into a hybrid between a film showing and a classical concert.
The production has previously been staged by major orchestras and institutions, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, reflecting its global reach and demand.
Directed by Milos Forman and based on Peter Shaffer’s stage play, "Amadeus" is widely regarded as one of the most influential music films in cinema history.
The story follows the rivalry between composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, who serves as both narrator and antagonist. Salieri admires Mozart’s extraordinary talent but also resents it, which creates a psychological conflict shaped by envy, ambition, and obsession.
His struggle reflects a deeper tension between artistic genius and the desire for recognition, as he questions why divine talent appears to be granted so unevenly.
The film presents Mozart as a gifted yet unconventional figure, while Salieri represents disciplined mediocrity struggling to come to terms with brilliance he cannot attain. As the narrative unfolds, this imbalance drives Salieri toward increasingly destructive actions, even as he remains captivated by Mozart’s music.
Blending elements of drama, psychological tension, and historical fiction, the film combines themes of faith, rivalry, ambition, and mortality. Its layered storytelling and use of Mozart’s compositions contribute to its lasting relevance, both as a cinematic work and as a reinterpretation of classical music history.
Originally released in 1984, "Amadeus" won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and continues to attract audiences through reinterpretations such as live concert screenings.
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