Istanbul State Opera and Ballet brings 'Don Quixote' to stage
Don Quixote and his loyal aide Sancho in the opera.


Istanbul State Opera and Ballet's Don Quixote performance, inspired by some selected parts from Miguel de Cervantes' novel of the same name, was brought to the ballet stage in the magnificent atmosphere of the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) – Türk Telekom Opera Hall – as part of the Beyoğlu Culture Road Festival organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and met with art lovers.

The piece, which was staged for the first time by Marius Petipa at the Bolshoi Imperial Theatre in Moscow in 1869 with the composition of Ludwig Minkus, is one of the most brilliant and magnificent works of the classical ballet world with its rich melody in its music that unifies the harmonious combination of the colorful and exciting effects of Spanish culture.

Ayşem Sunal Savaşkurt is the producer of Don Quixote, which has an invariable place in the repertoires of world-famous ensembles with its high-level ballet technique.

The ballet and the novel are about Alonso Quixano, a forgotten name of the one called Don Quixote, who is obsessed with the medieval tales of chivalry, one day decides to become a knight-errant and sets off for the city with his squire, Sancho Panza. In his dreams, there is Dulcinea, whose love he wants to win.

The masterpiece of world fiction and a brilliant satire on traditional romances, it is a tragic comedy that its legacy even reaches to today.