THE PHAROS Trust, together with London based company Ensemble Productions Ltd have jointly initiated a Cyprus-Russian Gala concert under the patronage of Mrs Fotini Papadopoulou. The event will not only promote relations between the two countries but also contribute to the Cyprus-based Radiomarathon Foundation, the charity for Children with Special Needs which during its latest drive raised the record amount of £1.8 million.
The evening will acknowledge the significant contribution of resident Russian citizens to Cypriot society and equally the many Cypriot companies who have shown great interest and commitment to investing in Russia.
The Gala evening, at the Presidential Palace on September 7, will bring together an unrivalled list of business and political leaders, media and celebrities as well as personalities from the international arts world, making it a unique networking opportunity. In addition to a marvellous selection of food, the Pharos Trust, renowned for bringing top quality artists to the island, will again offer performances of internationally acclaimed musicians in an exclusive open-air concert in the Presidential Gardens.
The programme will begin with the Moscow Virtuosi under the direction of their founder, violinist Vladimir Spivakov. The chamber orchestra was founded in 1979 with soloists selected for their high quality of performance. Being part of and belonging to the Russian school means a sharing of musical mentality and artistic philosophy. It is the same way of seeing, listening to and feeling music – extremely sharply and deeply emotionally with the communication between musicians surpassing a merely interpretative quality. It was these virtues that guided Spivakov in the formation of his group. From the outset of their formation, the Moscow Virtuosi has undertaken tours all over Europe, Asia and America and is regularly invited to participate in international festivals in Marbella, Rheingau, Festspiele Wiltz and the International Festival of Colmar. In 1992, the group celebrated its 1,000th concert at the Moscow Conservatory of Music.
They have made extensive recordings on the MBG/RCA Victor red Seal label with a repertoire which ranges from Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart and Schubert to Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Schnittke.
Vladimir Spivakov is the Principal Conductor of several major Russian orchestras including the Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and regularly appears as a guest conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra, Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France among others. In addition to being Artistic Director of the Colmar Festival in France, Spivakov formed his own charitable foundation which supports orphanages and children with special gifts. He has been decorated with Russia’s National Heritage Award, is Ambassador of Arts at the World Forum in Davos and President of the Moscow International House of Music.
Their programme will be finalised shortly with more details to appear on these pages. Cyprus’ musical ambassadors who will join the Moscow Virtuosi are internationally renowned pianist Martino Tirimo with the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat K271, coloratura soprano Margarita Elia with excerpts from Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Mozart’s Die Entfuhring aus dem Serail and clarinettist George Georgiou.
Following the 80-minute concert, guests will have dinner while being entertained by the Turetsky Choir, Russian folk-rock diva Pelageya and Kyprogeneia till the early hours of the morning.
The Turetsky Choir, under the direction of Mikhail Turetsky, who is an Honoured Artist of Russia, has a varied repertoire. They sing Russian and Soviet hits in both Russian and foreign languages, traditional songs in Hebrew and Yiddish, as well as masterpieces from the popular international repertoire ranging from arrangements of opera arias to jazz standards. The choir has appeared at the Kremlin Palace, Carnegie Hall, New York and the Royal Palace in Madrid and consider Germany and Israel as traditional addresses on their tours because of the numerous Russian-speaking audiences. The Mayor of Miami-Beach bestowed a great honour on the choir when he established an official town holiday in honour of the group, celebrated annually on February 6.
Composer/Performer Larkos Larkou founded the folk music group Kyprogeneia in 2005 to present a new interpretation of the traditional Cypriot music idiom. The twelve musicians mix the traditional Cyprus lute with electric guitars, saxophone, trumpet, flute, viola and percussion instruments combining jazz, ethnic, rock and western music elements to produce a rich sound spectrum.
The tickets are £70 per person and are available from the Pharos Trust (www.thepharostrust.org) , Ensemble Productions ([email protected]) or by telephoning Radiomarathon Offices at 22-812254.
The Pharos Trust will be hosting an exhibition of Russian contemporary artists at the Pharos Centre for Contemporary Art prior to the Gala evening as well as a series of lectures. We will keep you posted through these pages.
CLASSICAL TRAVEL CLUB –
*All arrangements are subject to availability at the time of booking. Prices are per person sharing.
1. Prague Opera Break – From £220
Departing June 18, 2007
Romeo and Juliet Ballet
2. Paris Opera Break – From £225
Departing June 23, 2007
La Traviata
3. Puccini Festival in Tuscany – £1,095 p/person sharing
Departing July 26, 2007
La Boheme and Madama Butterfly
Full details on www.cyprusclassical.com
JOKE
How do you get two piccolo players to play in perfect unison?
Shoot one.
FAMOUS QUOTES
“Beethoven and Beatles, Mozart and Michael Jackson, Paganini and Prince – I like them all”
Violinist Vanessa Mae
MUSICAL TERM
Cantata – Music written for chorus and orchestra and most often religious in nature.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY – 27 May
* Birthday of Polish composer/conductor Maciej Zoltowski – 1971
* Death of Nicolo Paganini – 1840
* Death of Luciano Berio – 2003
* Premiere of Schnittke’s Violin Concerto in France – 1990
* Premiere of Mahler’s Symphony No 6 in a minor with Mahler conducting in Germany – 1906
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