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A historic stage in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district is offering audiences a November program that ranges from candlelit rock ballads to a hologram of Mozart and a theater tribute to one of Türkiye’s best-loved short story writers.
Beyoglu Sahne, which brings several art forms together in one historic venue, says it was among the first in Türkiye to popularize the candlelight concert format.
Coordinator Dengin Ceyhan said the venue’s aim is to take concepts audiences already enjoy and raise their artistic level.
"We are only striving to elevate the artistic side of concepts that are generally loved by the public," Ceyhan said. He also highlighted that the venue realized it had one of Istanbul’s most enjoyable stages and set out to turn it into a broader home for the arts.
The concerts began with a focus on classical music. They have since expanded to present rock, Turkish art music and Broadway musicals in classical arrangements.
The venue now runs about nine or 10 different concepts, Ceyhan said, and has opened its stage to theater and exhibitions.
"Istanbul is one of the world’s most important art centers, and Beyoglu is its heart," he said.
A show called Mozart Hologram, which combines classical music with holographic technology, three-dimensional visuals and live performance, will be staged Nov. 15 and 29.
It presents the life and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through visual effects meant to give audiences a fresh way to experience classical music.
On Nov. 12 at 8 p.m., the theater production "The Man Whose Life Became a Story: Sait Faik" will open at the venue.
Written and directed by actor and children’s book author Ozgur Ozgulgun, the play draws on the stories and characters of Sait Faik Abasiyanik, a celebrated figure in Turkish literature.
The production brings to the stage the island residents, nature, animals and everyday Istanbul life that filled the writer’s work.
Set design, music, lighting and visual design accompany the performance.
The venue’s Candela Concert series, staged under the light of thousands of candles, will present a range of genres this month, from classical and opera to rock, pop ballads and traditional instruments.
The month opens with "Songs Echoing From Pera," featuring Guvenc Dagustun and Dengin Ceyhan, and closes with Ceyhan’s own "Classical Essentials & Rock Ballads."
Among the highlights in between is Burak Yilmazoglu’s "Between East and West," which pairs the ney, a traditional Middle Eastern reed flute, with piano.
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