Music from Crete, Ireland and Cyprus

The music styles of three islands with a particularly powerful and evolving identity meet for the first time in Cyprus. Three musicians, from Cyprus, Brittany of France and Greece seek the underground rhythm that connects three different island traditions. The selected music is further bridged through the reading of classic and original texts by Marina Katsari.

It’s a musical gathering of European traditions that will meet at a rather unusual place for musical performances, the Soloneion Book Centre. On February 7 and 8, there’ll have more than just books to enjoy at Soloneion as the three musicians, Giannis Koutis, Vaggelis Gettos and Loic Blejea, turn the book centre into a music stage.

The lyric tone of Cypriot traditional music will meet the solidity of Cretan rhythms and vivid Irish melodies. “The universal and folk culture and the archetypes of human creativity set the scenery which you should not miss,” say organisers.

The concerts are supported by the Embassy of Ireland and sponsored by the Nicosia Tourism Board, CARDET, SPS and of course Soloneion Book Centre. Entrance is free, though you might want to make a reservation.

 

Cyprus-Crete-Ireland: Islands in Motion

Music traditions of Cyprus, Crete and Ireland meet. February 7-8. Soloneion Book Centre, Nicosia. 8pm. Free. Tel: 22-666799

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.