'Atatürk and Art' performance staged in Istanbul on Republic Day

The Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (İDOB) staged the narrated performance titled 'Atatürk and Art', which focuses on the perspective and vision of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, regarding art, at the Kadıköy Municipality Süreyya Opera House on October 29, Republic Day.

The performance emphasized the importance Atatürk placed on art in his ideal of a contemporary society and presented excerpts regarding his understanding of art. The text, prepared by Hüseyin Likos and Sühendan Erdin, was conveyed to the audience through Hüseyin Likos's stage direction and solo performance. In the performance, accompanied by Can Okan on the piano, works by composers such as Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ahmed Adnan Saygun, and Cemal Reşit Rey were performed, alongside songs that held a place in Atatürk's life.

In the production, for which Ebru Cansız undertook the choreography, dancers Melike Manav and Oliver Spence, as well as the İDOB Children's Ballet, also took part. The performance, in which works such as 'Manastırın Ortasında', 'Çalın Davulları', 'Çanakkale Türküsü', and 'Yemen Türküsü' were performed with arrangements by Serdar Yalçın, is planned to be staged again on November 10.