The Istanbul State Opera and Ballet will perform the Italian opera of “Bajazet,” which revolves around the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt, at Istanbul’s Süreyya Opera on March 31 and April 2.
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi in 1735 for the Verona Carnival, “Bajazet” tells the story of the Bayezid I’s being captured by Amir Timur (Tamerlane) of Mongolian origin and his life in the later period. Its libretto was written by Agostino Piovene.
Mehmet Ergüven has prepared the opera for the Istanbul stage while its decor design has been conducted by Nihat Kahraman. Sevda Aksakoğlu has done the costume design and the lighting design by Metin Koçtürk. The orchestra conductor is Paolo Villa.
The opera stars Kaan Buldular as "Tamerlano," Şahin Dedemen as "Bayezid," Ceren Şahin as "Asteria," Elif Tuğba Tekışık as "Andronicus," Dilan Şaka as "Irene" and Sevim Z. Ateş as "Idaspe."