When and where was your first concert with the MCO?
My first concert with the MCO was in Ferrara. That was the tour where we went to Russia, not a bad start at all...

What is your most memorable moment with the orchestra?
I think the concert with Boulez in NY.

Can you tell us something about your instrument?
Double bass....! Hmmmm, what can I say... I have a nice instrument, made in south of Italy, around 1820s.

If you could play another instrument what would it be?
Either cello or trumpet.

The first piece of music you fell in love with:
As far as I remember, it was Dvoráks Symphony no. 9 "From the New world".

BIOGRAPHY
Burak Marlali was born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1980 and entered the State Conservatory there in 1992, studying with Tahir Sümer. During his studies he participated in the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra and Schleswig Holstein Orchestral Academy. Starting in 1999, he continued his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Corin Long and Jiri Hudec and at the Staatliche Musikhochschule Freiburg with Prof. Bozo Paradzik. He was the recipient of several prizes, including the Eugene Cruft Prize in Manchester and the Gustav-Scheck-Preis in Freiburg. He won the British Council’s Young Musician of the Year competition in 1999 and the Neerpelt European Music Festival competition in Belgium (chamber music) and was one of the prize winners at the Brno International Double Bass Competition in the Czech Republic and at the Rotary Club Competition in Turkey.

As a soloist, he has played Nino Rota's Divertimento Concertante and the Vanhal Concerto with The Presidential Symphony Orchestra and the G. Bottesini Concerto in b-minor with Borusan Chamber Orchestra. He makes guest appearances as principal double bass with many orchestras such as WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Staatskapelle Berlin. In addition, he has also played with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Concerto Köln and Halle Orchestra. He was an Akademist at the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Burak Marlali has been principal double bass player of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra since 2009 and is a member of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA.

Click here to read Burak's Tour Diary entry (29.03.2012)

BURAK'S PERFORMANCES WITH MAHLER CHAMBER SOLOISTS