The playful manner of classical music

Next week the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra will prove that classical music is not always meant to be serious and it can take part in the most joyous of carnival moods, with three concerts in Polis Chryochous, Limassol and Nicosia.

Under the title Humour in Music, the orchestra along with soloists Gina Poulou (soprano) and Alex Moskofian (baritone), will follow the lead of conductor Jens Georg Bachmann to get us in a carnival mood.

Classical music isn’t really supposed to be serious, most of its seriousness has more to do with the established performing rituals of the concert hall rather than the music itself. Determined to prove that classical music can be humorous, merry and give a comical kick, the concerts will include opera duets, Greek operetta and instrumental works. These include Ohne Sorgen (Without Sorrows) by Josef Stauss, Come Unape Ne’giorni D’aprile by Gioachino Rossini, Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Johann Straus Jr, Cat Watlz by Leroy Anderson and more colourful compositions that will tickle our musical fancy.

For the fun-loving crowd from Paphos, there will be a free bus to the concert at the Rialto theatre in Limassol on Thursday, leaving from the café at Karavella bus station at 5.15pm. If you are interested, send an email to [email protected] to book your seat on the bus a least three days before the concert.

Humour in Music
Performance by the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. February 14. Polis Chysochous Municipal Cultural Centre, Paphos. 7pm. €5/7/12. Tel: 22-463144

February 15. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 7pm. €5/7/12. Tel: 22-463144

February 16. Pallas Theatre, Nicosia. 7pm. €5/7/12. Tel: 22-463144

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.