AKM to host Austrian soprano

As part of the 50th Istanbul Music Festival, Austrian soprano Anna Prohaska will take the stage at the Atatürk Culture Center (AKM) on June 9. At the concert, she will share the stage with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

Drawing attention with her delicate and passionate interpretations, Prohaska, always works with respected conductors since her debut at the Berlin State Opera. She gave many concerts with Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Jordan and Simon Rattle.
In an exclusive interview, Prohaska answered questions ahead of her Istanbul concert.

You have shared the stage with some of the most successful conductors and prestigious orchestras in the world. Is there a milestone in your career that holds a special place in your heart?

In concert repertoire maybe my first appearances in Lucerne with the Berlin Philharmonic and Claudio Abbado performing the Lulu Suite and Mozart arias. And in opera my first Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with Sir Simon Rattle at the Staatsoper Berlin.

Do you remember your first stage performance? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

My first opera role was Yniold in Pelléas et Mélisande at 17 at a university performance in Berlin although I was still at school. I was tremendously excited to be part of this incredible piece. The director was Jörn Weisbrodt, an assistant of Robert Wilson at the time. The production was full of symbolism and we had a spiral of real ice blocks on stage which melted throughout the performance - incredibly inventive and beautiful. It became my favorite opera and I was obsessed, played the score on the piano all the time, listening to recordings a hundred times. And my great dream was...