By Maria Gregoriou
Get ready to enjoy some string playing as the Gilad Ephrat String Ensemble will perform in Limassol, Nicosia and Paphos this week.
The ensemble from Israel will firstly play at the Rialto theatre in Limassol on Thursday. This concert will be the first in a series during the Rialto World Music festival 2015-2016 season.
Then on Friday the ensemble will give a performance at the Cultural Centre of the University of Cyprus under the name Rainbow of Sounds and Strings. The musicians will remain in Nicosia for Saturday, with a performance at Prozak.
Their last performance is in Paphos at ANANs 8Rit.
This is not the first time the musicians have taken Cyprus by storm, they were here in March for a charity concert organised by the Embassy of Israel.
The ensemble’s creator and visionary Gilad Ephrat will be on the double bass, while the fingers in charge of the violin – and the voice that you will hear singing – belong to Keren Tenenbaum and the third string instrument, a cello, will be in the hands of Hilla Epstein. And this time round the ensemble will be joined by Shmuel Elbas on the Mandolin.
The four musicians will come together during these four live performances to do what they do best, stretch the boundaries of their instruments taking them out of their traditional roles to reveal new and uplifting sounds. In their hands strings are not just strings, they are lines on which bows can fascinate an audience with their potential.
Strings will never sound the same again after you witness one of these performances as the unique dialogue among the instruments exchanging roles of melody and accompaniment, create ensemble playing like you have never heard before.
The works performed by the ensemble were composed and arranged by Ephrat. Ephrat’s music is characterised with a unique style of composition that combines all different genres of music that touched his life during the years of his musical activity.
The ensemble’s creator has collaborated with leading Israeli artists such as Idan Raichel, Yasmin Levi and Zohar Fresco. Over the last four years, Ephrat has been touring with the international Belgian singer Lara Fabian all over the world as her double bass player.
Gilad Ephrat String Ensemble
Live performance by the ensemble. October 1. Rialto theatre, Limassol. 8.30pm. €12/10. Tel: 77-777745
October 2. Cultural Centre of the University of Cyprus, Manor House on Axiotheas Street, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €10/5. Tel: 22-894531
October 3. Prozak, 3A Medondos Street, Nicosia. 9pm. €6. Tel: 22-104244
October 4. ANANAs 8Bit, 35 Athinas Street, Paphos. 7.30pm. €10. Tel: 26-600126
