Nicosia, Cyprus. The 29th Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus is under way at Axiothea Mansion in old Nicosia, with a programme of music, dance and theatre events continuing through June and July. Upcoming performances include Stelios Petrakis’ new album Lyric, traditional dance presentations, jazz-influenced compositions, theatre and a showcase of Cypriot musical tradition.
Stelios Petrakis presents Lyric
Wednesday’s programme features Stelios Petrakis presenting his new album Lyric.
The project centres on the lyra and is marked by strong Mediterranean and intercultural influences. Connecting creative explorations with related modal traditions of the Mediterranean, the album highlights the expressive power of the lyra and its musical language. The performance takes audiences to Crete and Asia Minor, southern Italy and Valencia.
Traditional dance performance on Sunday
On Sunday, three folkloric dance associations and six musicians from Cyprus will join the Traditional Dance Workshop of the Church of Holy Wisdom in a performance dedicated to the musical and dance traditions of four regions of the wider Hellenic world.
The performance takes audiences on a journey to Cyprus, Pontus, Asia Minor and Eastern Rumelia. Through music, songs and dance, it presents the shared cultural memory of these regions, from joys and sorrows to moments of everyday life.
At the centre of the performance are homes left behind because of historical events, forced displacement and population movements, but preserved in the memories and stories of former residents. The songs and dances once heard in these homes are presented as elements of an intangible cultural heritage passed down through generations.
Dimitris Angelakis quartet opens July programme
The July programme begins on July 7 with vibraphonist Dimitris Angelakis and his quartet presenting Long Way Home.
The performance includes music from Angelakis’ debut personal album of the same title, inspired by CP Cavafy’s Ithaca. It reflects the composer’s view that people become who they are through their journeys. Each original composition tells a story, with most drawing inspiration from Greece while also bearing the sound and culture of American jazz.
ENA Theatre stages The Talented Mr Ripley
ENA Theatre’s production of The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith continues the festival programme on July 10-12.
Described as one of the most compelling psychological thrillers of the 20th century, the work was recently adapted into a series for Netflix. A local cast will perform the play in Greek.
Festival’s first part closes with Cypriot musical tradition
Closing the festival’s first part is The Zurna and Davul of Cyprus performance by the Cypriot Music Archive.
Kemal Deveci and Aziz Kahraman, traditional musicians from Cyprus who play the zurna and the davul respectively, will present a rare performance of the Cypriot tradition associated with the two instruments.
Born in Galinoporni in the Karpasia Peninsula in 1948 and 1951 respectively, Deveci and Kahraman are considered among the last living musicians who still know and perform the old Cypriot repertoire for zurna and davul as it was played before changes influenced by Turkish music after 1974.
In this performance, the two musicians will present the complete musical ritual of the Cypriot wedding for these two instruments, reconstructing a sound world connected to the collective memory and social life of Cyprus. Explanatory commentary and contextual insights between the musical pieces will be provided by Dr Nicoletta Demetriou, ethnomusicologist and director of the Cyprus Music Archive.
