Murad IV

In 2024, in celebration of the centennial anniversary of relations between Türkiye and Hungary, the year was declared the “2024 Türkiye-Hungary Cultural Year.” Under the theme “A Century of Friendship and Cooperation,” the goal of both countries is to realize 100 events each in the 100th year. As part of these celebrations, the Antalya State Opera and Ballet artists will perform “IV. Murat” (Murad IV), a distinguished work of Turkish national opera. The composer of the piece, State Artist Okan Demiriş, who famously said, 'Music is not created to reach universal dimensions, but music made for one's own people may one day reach universal dimensions,' composed IV. Murat with a polyphonic arrangement, blending traditional and Sufi music. The opera tells the life story of IV. Murat, who became an Ottoman sultan at the age of eleven. It features key historical figures, including his mother Kösem Sultan, Grand Vizier Topal Recep Pasha, the poet Nef’i, and Murad’s loyal servant Dilfigar. The production brings to the stage a pivotal period in Ottoman history, presented through the mysterious world of the palace and the power struggles within it, with a classical visual narrative. “IV. Murat ascends the throne at eleven years old and his reign ends at twenty-eight. You have to bring this character to life on stage—his power, the pressures he endured. Above all, there is Kösem Sultan, his mother, with incredible authority; a woman who did not hesitate to kill her own children and grandchildren in pursuit of power, and as a result, there is this constant fear of death that pervades everything. I believe it’s crucial to convey all of this to the audience,” says the opera’s director, Haldun Özörten.

AUTHORS

Directed by: Haldun Özörten
Set designer: Özgür Usta
Costume designer: N. Gazal Erten
Chorus director: Mahir Seyrek
Light designer: Mustafa Eski
Assistant to the director: Reyhan Süme, Hamdi Akçakavak
Stage managers: Y. Benan Göktan, Dilan Özay
Prompter: Yiğit Güvenç
Surtitle: Eda Akgün