By Alix Norman
Most people have heard of the Pharos Arts Foundation but if you’ve never attended any of their events you’re missing out. Their latest, the Pharos Contemporary Music Festival, running for the fifth time from today until Saturday, has quickly become established as a one-of-a-kind event on the island. Co-founded by Artistic Director, Evis Sammoutis, the Festival aptly welcomes the new season with its dedication to all things original in terms of music, composition and exploration of sound.
Today and tomorrow see a Master Class and Piano Recital with internationally renowned pianist Hayk Malikyan. Recognised by both critics and audiences as one of the most versatile and imaginative performers of 20th century and contemporary music, Hayk leads an active concert life, playing in venues the world over. Infinitely creative, he plays with an innate grace that makes his performances as visually fascinating as aurally captivating, and with a reputation as a highly imaginative improviser, both his recital (which will include works by composers such as Stockhausen, Gorecki and Barber) and the Master Class (involving the participation of local music students and open to the public) will no doubt be extremely popular.
The evening of October 1 brings three diverse events: a lecture, a musical performance and a film screening. The lecture, presented by the multi-talented American Sharon Kanach, is entitled ‘Topoi: places and spaces of making and perceiving music’ and will focus on the topic of listener immersion – demonstrating that what someone hears is affected by how it is heard. Later the same evening, audiences will be transported into the future, with the aid of Rolf Gehlhaar’s Eyesound, an innovative electronic instrument with which players trigger, control and create the music simply by placing and moving their hands within the field. The last event of the day is a screening of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Helicopter-Streichquartett, which follows the complex preparations leading up to the premier of the work at the 1995 Holland Festival. No ordinary piece of music, the Helicopter-Streichquartett was composed for the Arditti Quartet and involved the four strings performers playing in four different airborne helicopters!
The following two days will give audiences the chance to attend the World Premier of works by a number of composers, performed by the Ensemble Transmission collective. This collective of six musicians – whose activities, as part of the Festival, are supported by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec – is driven by an innate sense of musical curiosity, with its concert repertoire based entirely on what the members themselves wish to play. It’s worth noting that the collective have been kind enough to open their morning practice sessions to the public: at 10am on October 2 and 3, the group will be rehearsing works (none of which have been previously performed on the island) by renowned composers such as Matteo Giuliani, George Christofi, Jimmie Leblanc and Thomas Simaku.
Each of the last three days will boast two events. On October 4, the lecture Soliloquy Cycle – Sweet and/or Sour by Thomas Simaku will be followed by a screening of the 2012 documentary by Oscar-winning director Allan Miller and Emmy-winner Paul Smaczny John Cage – Journeys in Sound. The events of October 5 again begin with a lecture, Recollections on the Cyprus Music Workshop 1973 by Nouritza Matossian, whose dazzling body of work includes any number of films, books, honorary cultural positions and contributions to world-renowned publications. A dance performance by artist and activist Arianna Economou follows later in the evening; entitled John Cage’s Sixteen Dances the nine movements of the piece concern the nine emotions of the Hindu classical aesthetic, such as ‘Anger’, ‘Sorrow’, ‘Fear’ and ‘Tranquillity’.
Wrapping up the festival, the Neue Vocalsolisten ensemble will be giving both a morning lecture (Contemporary Vocal Techniques as used in Seminal Works of the 20th Century) and an evening concert. These seven concert and opera soloists , whose collective range reaches from coloratura soprano over countertenor to basso profondo, shape their work on chamber music and form their collaborations with composers and other interpreters. Chiefly interested in the exploration of new sounds, vocal techniques and forms of articulation, the ensemble premieres roughly twenty new works each year, and have earned a reputation for being uniquely creative. In fact, the entire festival is a chance to immerse oneself in a world of creativity, innovation and originality – perfect as the seasonal winds of change whistle through the soul.
Information: Pharos Arts Foundation Tel. +35722663871 / www.pharosartsfoundation.org
Tickets: Free Entrance except Concerts on 30 September and 2, 3 & 6 October: €10
Box Office: Tel. 7000-9304 (daily 9.30-11.30am) / www.pharostickets.org
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Sun 29 September / 5:00pm Master-class HAYK MELIKYAN
Mon 30 September / 8:30pm Piano Recital HAYK MELIKYAN
Tue 1 October / 7:30pm Lecture SHARON KANACH
1 October / 9:30pm Electronic Music Performance GEHLHAAR’S EYESOUND 2010
1 October / 10:00pm Film Screening STOCKHAUSEN – HELICOPTER STRING QUARTET
Wed 2 October / 10:00am Open Rehearsal ENSEMBLE TRANSMISSION
2 October / 8:30pm Concert ENSEMBLE TRANSMISSION
Thu 3 October / 10:00am Open Rehearsal ENSEMBLE TRANSMISSION
3 October / 8:30pm Concert ENSEMBLE TRANSMISSION
Fri 4 October / 7:30pm Lecture THOMAS SIMAKU
4 October / 9:30pm Film Screening JOHN CAGE – JOURNEYS IN SOUND
Sat 5 October / 7:30pm Lecture NOURITZA MATOSSIAN
5 October / 9:30pm Dance Performance ARIANNA ECONOMOU
Sun 6 October / 10:30am Lecture NEUE VOCALSOLISTEN
6 October / 8:30pm Concert NEUE VOCALSOLISTEN
