The 3rd International North Cyprus Music Festival began in Girne Castle on September 9th with one of the world’s most enchanting and exciting masterpieces, Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. With its 140-member group, Mersin State Opera and Ballet Orchestra Choir performed the work for the first time in the TRNC. Ali Hoca, the Turkish Cypriot composer and conductor, conducted the orchestra and at the close of the concert the audience rendered an extended ovation.
POSTPONED PLEASURE
The star of the festival this year was to have been Jose Carreras, whose concert was planned for September 18th at Salamis Amphitheatre. Most unfortunately, and much to everyone's huge disappointment, the concert by the world famous tenor had to be cancelled because he was unwell. Izmir State Symphony Orchestra (IZDSO) was going to accompany the tenor at the concert, the same orchestra that accompanied Carreras at the 1993 concert in Aspendos Amphitheatre. Jose Carreras’s concert will be rescheduled for the summer of 2006. Carreras successfully overcame Leukaemia a couple of years ago and he has given a series of concerts for the benefit of Leukaemia patients.
UNIQUE BELLAPAIS
The International Music Festival, which again this year hosted many famous performers, enjoyed packed and enthusiastic audiences. Both Turkish and Greek Cypriots and the Foreign Residents on both sides of the island came to the concerts. As always, Bellapais Abbey’s unique, mystical ambiance enchanted the music lovers. There were 300 musicians from several countries apart from the TRNC, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, USA, Russia, France, Spain and Ukraine. Faz›l Say, Turkey’s world famous pianist was at the festival, and his concert was at Bellapais Abbey just like every year. Faz›l Say stated that he took a great deal of pleasure from the concerts at the Abbey and that is why he is the most frequent performer at the Festival.
The founder of the North Cyprus Music Association, Halil Kalgay, is the Head of the Festival committee and he is the one person that took the festival to an international level. Kalgay organised spring festivals while he was with the Music Lovers Association and with the benefit of the experience from arranging the spring festivals he started organising an International Music Festival. Kalgay says that he founded the North Cyprus Music Association in order to be a pioneer for other festivals. “As an Association," he says, "our main concern is to organise concerts of good quality and make the festival an International event accepted by all countries.”
SURPRISES IN STORE
The festival, generously sponsored by several corporations, now has a higher percentage of classical music performances, and has become a more colourful event with new performances from dancers and Jazz musicians. Kalgay says there may well be surprises in store for future audiences. “A world famous musician that you would never suspect," he hints, "could come up on stage and perform a rock song, and turn into a rock star.”
REQUIEM
Bellapais Abbey provided the perfect setting and ambiance for Mozart's Requiem on 11 September, one of the most important performances of the festival. The Mersin State Opera and Ballet Orchestra Choir and solo artistes were superb. The soloists were Soprano Isik Azaz, Mezzo Soprano Zeynep Tatlipinar, Tenor Bulent Bezduz, Bass Hasan Berk, and the conductor was Ali Hoca. Due to the date of performance and the historical value and importance of the Requiem, the performance was primarily dedicated to all the terror victims on September 11th 2001 in the USA, as well as to everyone in the world that lost their lives due to terrorist attacks.
MOZART'S VISITOR
The organiser, Halil Kalgay, says that the choice of date, 11 September, for the performance of Mozart's Requiem at Bellapais Abbey was a complete coinciden |
