In Wednesday’s (9/19) Deutsche Welle (Germany), Aygül Cizmecioglu writes, “Relieved, Baris Korkmaz lays down his horn and smiles to a neighboring musician. For days they’ve been perfecting a difficult passage out of Bela Bartok’s ‘Dance Suite.’ At last, after long nights spent rehearsing, the orchestra is in harmony, the rhythm flows. The 18-year-old with a shaved head leans back and enjoys the music for a moment. The Turkish National Youth Orchestra is deeply engaged in rehearsals ahead of their performance at the Beethovenfest in Bonn, the city of Beethoven’s birth. Around 100 musicians between the ages of 16 and 23 have traveled from Istanbul for the festival. They are taking part in the orchestra campus program and presenting a sophisticated repertoire. … It’s a particularly great chance for talented musicians like Korkmaz. He comes from a small city in the South of Turkey. ‘I grew up with Turkish folk music and not with Mozart,’ he said. … [Conductor Cem Mansur] founded the Turkish National Youth Orchestra five years ago. He wanted to create a space for artistic exchange and, above all, for talented musicians. ‘In this orchestra, Anatolians, Kurds and Circassians create the sound together. They learn how to listen to others, and how to engage with others,’ said the conductor. ‘Classical music can help bridge social and ethnic differences, especially in a fragmented country such as Turkey.’ ”
Posted September 20, 2012
