The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Sascha Goetzel, have over the course of the past five years, built a formidable reputation as one of the most creative and exciting orchestras in Europe. Two earlier CDs for Onyx were extremely well received by critics around the world, and the new release will not disappoint.

Since it was founded, BIPO has worked to develop not only as an orchestra, but as a showcase for music from different traditions – a multicultural mosaic where each little stone is carefully placed with the utmost respect for its neighbour, making a unique contribution to its surroundings. This new recording explores the eastern musical roots of Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, identifying elements from the eastern side of the Bosphorus which have impinged on the Western cultural background of these composers.

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The Europadisc Review

Founded in 1993 as a chamber orchestra, and growing to symphony orchestra size in 1999, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (BIFO) has over the past few years become one of the most vibrant musical ensembles in Europe. It is supported financially by the Borusan industrial group, and since 2009, under the inspired leadership of its artistic director, the Austrian conductor Sascha Goetzel, has reached new peaks of excellence. In 2010 BIFO became the first Turkish orchestra to perform at the Salzburg, and on 29 July this year it will make its debut at the BBC Proms.

With an age range of 35 to 42, 90 percent of the orchestra's members are Turkish, and women outnumber men in its ranks (including the accomplished concertmaster Pelin Halkacı Akin). Its repertoire choices often highlight the meeting points between Western classical music and the cultures of the Middle East, and all this adds up to make BIFO as exciting a group in its own ways as the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. Its first two international releases for the Onyx label – a disc of Respighi, Hindemith and Schmitt followed by an exploration of Music from the Machine Age – received wide acclaim, and now comes a third, this time exploring the influence of Eastern traditions on Russian composers of the late 19th century.

It's an absolute cracker of a disc, and the main item is an exceptionally vivid account of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Goetzel never rushes the music, so that the seascapes have time to unfold majestically, and the poetry of the love music has time to bloom. But the playing is lean and incisive, with the strings really biting in where necessary and some gorgeous solos from the woodwind and horn. All this would be enough to earn the performance a strong recommendation. An added attraction, however, is the incorporation of some enchanting local colour. In the solo violin recitatives which depict Scheherazade herself, the accompaniment comes not from the usual harp but from the qanun: a plucked zither-like instrument, soft-toned and related to the dulcimer and psaltery. In between the first and second movements, there's an improvisatory prelude for the oud (a Middle Eastern lute), and between the third and fourth a shorter improvisation on the qanun. It all works marvellously well in underlining the music's exotic elements, and the final icing on the cake is the use of a variety of Middle Eastern percussion instruments which subtly enhance the Rimsky-Korsakov's evocative rhythms.

If that whets your appetite for more, the orchestra then turns in a thrillingly virtuosic performance of Balakirev's celebrated 1869 piano masterpiece Islamey, in the orchestration by Sergei Lyapunov (the most important member of Balakirev's musical circle). Balakirev was inspired to write the work by a visit to the Caucasus and by the singing of an Armenian actor. The outer sections are splendidly alert, while in the sensuous middle section the percussion section comes nicely to the fore.

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov's Caucasian Sketches of 1894 have long been his most popular works, and Goetzel and his players perform two of the most memorable numbers. The pastoral flavour of 'In a Village' with its strong modal inflections is enhanced by the substitution of a ney (an end-blown flute with distinctively wide vibrato) for the usual cor anglais solo. It is exquisitely played here by Burcu Karadağ, and matched by the evocative artistry of Beste Tıknaz Modiri on solo viola. The 'Procession of the Sardar' has a strong military flavour with plenty of percussion, building to a grandiose conclusion.

The final work brings us firmly onto the orchestra's home soil. Ulvi Cemal Erkin (1906–1972) was a member of the 'Turkish Five' who established the musical direction of the newly-founded Turkish republic. His dance rhapsody Köçekçe (1943) is an orchestral showpiece comprising a succession of vibrant episodes, which once again gives full rein to the assembled percussion instruments.

The recordings match the performances in vividness (just as one would expect from engineer Mike Hatch), and the disc is dedicated to the memory of the late record producer John West. If this release is anything to judge by, the Prommers on 29 July are in for a rare treat.