By Heidi Trautmann
The sky was shaken by the tremendous choral piece in honour of Fortuna, Imperatrix Mundi, Ruler of the World, the first song of the cantata in three parts Part I “Primo vere/Spring”, Part II “In Taberna/In a Tavern” and Part III “Cours d’Amour”  It made my hair stand on end and all my nerves were tingling.….

On the two nights of 2 and 3 September, people flocked to the amphitheatre in Kyrenia to witness the event of the year with Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, an event organised by Turgay Hilmi who is known to all of us for his big event performances in the past such as Othello in the Salamis amphitheatre, and Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio (2000) and The Magic Flute (2005) in Kyrenia.

150 performers were assembled on the open air stage with the dark sky above us to receive the jubilant and rousing melodies by Carl Orf, 70 members of one of the largest and oldest professional choirs in Germany, the Nuremberg Lehrergesangverein Choir, under the leadership of Bernd Dietrich;
Four German soloists: Silke Schrape – Soprano; Peter Maus – Tenor; Manuel Krauss – Baritone; Klaus Bimüller – Bass; 25 young members of the Kibris Sanat (Cyprus Art) Chorus established by Turgay Hilmi and his partner Güzem Özdegirmenci; and 57 members of the Aegean Philharmonic Orchestra from Izmir, which also included musicians from Germany: two pianists, Ines and Katja Lunkenheimer and the percussion group of Prof. Hermann Schwander of the Music Conservatory in Nuremberg.

The ensemble of the choirs, orchestra and soloists was in my ears and understanding a wonderfully balanced playing together and for two hours a musical special treat.

I had the chance to speak personally to some of the people involved in setting up the event, among them Mrs Marga Beckstein, wife of the former minister president of Bavaria, who, together with our first lady Oya Talat were the patrons of this most spectacular cultural event. For her and her husband, Dr. Günther Beckstein,  it was their first visit to the TRNC, a country so rich in old culture and traditions, she said, with beautiful landscapes and friendly people. She felt proud to be an ambassadress for the cultural exchange between the countries.

Also present were HE Sakir Fakili, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, who made the realisation of the project possible with financial contributions.

The opening music pieces from three different famous composers with Bernd Dietrich as conductor, provided the welcoming cocktail of the evening, warming us up and displaying the versatility of the Aegean Philharmonic Orchestra. Pietro Mascagni: Intermezzo of Cavalleria Rusticana; Guiseppe Verdi: Ouverture of La Traviata; Georges Bizet: Ouverture of Carmen. The members of the orchestra come from different opera houses in Izmir (music director Ali Hoca, general coordinator Serdar Ongurlar, lead violinist Lalecan Özay and flautist Hürkan Ayvazoglu, the orchestra coordinator).
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