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Mozart's 1764 "Costa" violin, which he owned during his Vienna years, has been brought to Türkiye for the first time for a concert and exhibition in Istanbul.
A historic violin once owned and played by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has made its first appearance in Türkiye, bringing one of the composer's rare surviving instruments to Istanbul for a special concert and exhibition.
Known as the "Costa" violin, the instrument belongs to the collection of the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg and is rarely taken abroad. It was brought to Istanbul as part of the "Mozart's Violin in Istanbul" event held on Oct. 3 at the JETEX-IGA Terminal, a private aviation terminal operated through cooperation between IGA Istanbul Airport and private aviation company JETEX, with support from IGA ART.
The concert featured works Mozart used during his Vienna period, along with violin sonatas performed with piano accompaniment. Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory graduate Nina Patrikidou took the stage alongside young violinist Yiannis Iatrou and pianist Evgenia Votanopoulou.
Following the concert, the violin was placed on display at the JETEX-IGA Terminal, where visitors could also see it on Oct. 5.
IGA CEO Selahattin Bilgen said the airport was regarded not only as a transportation hub connecting countries and continents, but also as a place where different cultures, ideas and people could come together.
He said IGA aimed to place art and aesthetics at the heart of that travel experience while bringing the world together in Istanbul.
Bilgen described hosting the instrument as a milestone for the airport, saying: "We are delighted to host Mozart's Costa violin, one of the most exceptional legacies in music history, in Türkiye for the first time. It is a great pleasure for us to bring the sounds of this priceless cultural heritage, which rarely travels, together with Istanbul."
International Mozarteum Foundation CEO Linus Klumpner also highlighted the cultural significance of bringing an original instrument used by Mozart to Türkiye for the first time.
Pointing to Istanbul's rich cultural tradition, Klumpner said presenting the instrument in such a setting was particularly meaningful because it had accompanied Mozart during an important period of his work.
He added that the JETEX-IGA Terminal had turned into a meeting point where people from different countries and cultures could come together through Mozart's music, something he believed also reflected one of the composer's ambitions.
The Costa violin was made in Treviso, Italy, in 1764 by Pietro Antonio Dalla Costa, one of the prominent violin makers of his period.
Mozart is believed to have owned the instrument from 1782 until his death in 1791, meaning it remained with him throughout much of his Vienna period.
Having survived from the 18th century to the present day, the violin is regarded as an important part of the International Mozarteum Foundation's collection because of its direct connection to Mozart and its historical background.
Its first exhibition in Türkiye, together with its return to performance during the Istanbul concert, marked a rare opportunity for audiences to encounter an instrument directly associated with the composer's life and work.
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