By Heidi Trautmann
The TRNC Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture and the General Directorate of Joint Administration of Turkic Culture and Arts (Türksoy) have invited to enjoy the 15th Türksoy Opera Days again in 2012 at the Abbey of Bellapais for two nights.
The General Directorate of Joint Administration of Turkic Culture and Arts (Türksoy) is an international foundation which was established in 1993 in Almaty among the ministers of culture of the Turkish speaking countries Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Turkey. The countries which participated later on as observing members are the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Khakasia, Tuva, Altai Republic, Sakha(Yakutia) Republic and Gagauzia. The official language is Turkish and its headquarters are in Ankara. The main goal of Türksoy is to establish relationship among the Turkish speaking countries based on friendship to research and promote the Turkish culture preserving it for the next generation.
Mr. Düsen Kaseinov, the Secretary General of Türksoy, stepped forward to explain this to us and thanking the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture for their support, he concluded: “...from the bottom of my heart I wish that this event will allow its participants to establish new artistic ties and contribute to the further development of the art of opera amongst Turkic peoples.”
For the last five years I have been witness to the outstanding standard of the Türksoy Opera Days, twice in the Kyrenia Amphitheatre, once at the Kyrenia Castle and twice in Bellapais. However, for the first time the artists of the Opera came without orchestra and I must say, I enjoyed it very much, all my concentration went straight to the performing artist and his/her professional skill. The accompaniment on the Bösendorfer was done by two Konzertmeister, Mrs Assel Tarrabtsera from Kazakistan and Mrs Simten Deniz Senpolat. A wonderful idea, the concert hall was filled with most beautiful voices standing on their own.
The evening was opened by soprano Balapan Jubayeva from Kazakistan in a very beautiful blue velvet national costume with a song to honour the 100th birthday of the famous Kazakistan opera singer Kulaş Bayseyitova who died in 1957.
14 opera singers had us, the attentive audience, in their grip for the next two hours with well known arias and the applause went up high and hard and disturbed the doves under the roof. What a performance and many bravos and standing ovations thanked the artists, all young and beautiful, for the present of their talent.
Following Balapan Jubayeva we heard Baktıbek Almabekov (baritone) from Kirgistan, Pinar Koç (soprano) from Turkey, Onur Ertür (tenor) from Turkey; Afag Abbasova (soprano) from Azerbeycan; Amantay Ibrayev (baritone) from Kazakistan; Katarina Gilmutdinova (mezzo-soprano) from Başkortistan; Ilyusa Huzina (soprano) from Tataristan; Daniyar Musayev (baritone) from Kirgistan; Vasfiye Çakırtaş (soprano) from TRNC; Demet Mustafaoğlu (soprano) from TRNC; Narul Toykenov (tenor) from Kazakistan; Emine Djevdetova (soprano) from Ukraine; Anegina Dyakonova (soprano) from Russia.
At the end, the opera singers sang altogether the Brindisi aria from La Traviata and the officials who had come up to the stage each took a beautiful singer to waltz around the stage and I could see in the faces of many in the audience that they would have wanted to do likewise.