Each of us has two different temperaments. If this primitive duality within humans, good and bad, could be contained in different personalities, we could escape the unbearable aspects of life. The conflict between these two extremes is humanity’s greatest curse.

When heading to the Jekyll and Hyde musical adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel, I expected to see a run-of-the-mill version of a classic story adapted for modern audiences. To be honest, the versions I listened to on Spotify and watched on YouTube seemed pretty dull and monotonous to me. Plus, I usually find Turkish translations unnatural and distracting. However, the way Hayko Cepkin handles themes of love, fear, and death in his albums, using a unique vocal technique that spans from clean, melodic singing to brutal, scream vocals, made me think that at least with his presence, I could expect a good performance. As soon as I saw the stage, I got a feeling that I’d find more than I hoped for. The theme music started to climb in the dark, piercing the calm, and Hayko Cepkin began his opening line, struggling to stay calm. This marked the first seconds of the nearly three-hour show. “Each of us has two different temperaments…”

From the first minutes, the amazing visual and auditory show pulled you in. With dances, excellent translations and arrangements, it turned into a performance that I won’t forget for years. My initial fear of not getting what I wanted was quickly replaced with the excitement of getting even more.

Even though I was seated towards the back, I had a clear view of the stage. Aside from a minor technical glitch, the concert was flawless. Soen, known for their enjoyable live shows, really outdid themselves this time. They were joined on stage by a quartet and backing vocalist Diana Kantner, whose vocals added a unique touch to the songs. The concert kicked off with “Antagonist” and quickly moved through tracks from the Atlantis album. They also surprised us with covers of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and “Hey You,” creating some special moments. The band maintained constant interaction with the audience, making us stand up, dance, and wave our flashlights in sync with the music.

Turkey, being the top country for Soen on Spotify, has a large fan base. The concert sold out hours before the event, and it was an absolute blast. Everyone leaving the concert had smiles of satisfaction. This was Soen’s third concert in Istanbul, and they hinted at returning to Turkey soon with their new album.

Approaching the Soen concert with the extraordinary performance of the Jekyll and Hyde musical still fresh in my mind left me confused. While I could understand Jekyll’s desire to rid himself of Hyde on a human level, musically, I didn’t want it at all and found it unfair. As I plan to attend the upcoming Soen concert and write about the song “Antagonist,” I couldn’t decide whether the version from the Imperial album or the Atlantis album would resonate better with me. I decided not to separate the metal and orchestral versions and to go to the Atlantis concert while listening to the Imperial album. Still under the influence of Jekyll and Hyde, maybe I can save taming my soul for the next concert.