The Ensemble L’Arte del Mondo, founded in 2004, has established within short time his name because of his innovative programs. It is joined year by Turkish musicians who present an acoustic travel to one of Orient’s most fascinating phenomenons: the harem.
Starting point are secnes from Mozart’s unfinished opera Zaide and Christian Cannabich’s ballet music Les Fêtes du Sérailles, written for the music loving prince Carl Theodor of Mannheim and created in the beautiful rococo theatre in Schwetzingen.
Since many years Werner Ehrhardt, who has been a highly appreciated musician since he founded Concerto Köln more than 20 years ago, is a friend of the Turkish musician Mehmet Yeşilçay, a specialist in the music of the Ottoman Empire. Both musicians have been working before on other projects.

Glittering parties, pleasant frangancies and Luxury: the imagination of oriental harems and serails have fascinated people all over Europe in the 18th century. During the period, women in the harem received an education in music, literature, rhetorics and science – and were not only an object of desire. Women like Dilhayar Kalfa composed music and had a high knowledge and interest in European Christian culture. In the Western world nobody knew what was happening in the harem. This ist he origin of stories and myths – a magic, which is still nowadays linked with the harem.
Both occidental works, the ballet by Christian Cannabich, here recorded fort he very first time and Mozarts opera Zaide deal with this subject.
This program Fête du Sérail confronts wishes and reality. It is an example of a cultural exchange between Orient and Occident as it has happened already in the 18th century.
A „clash of civilizations“, which is nowadays of highest political and historical interest.