Chamber Music Concert

The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra opens its already established series of Chamber Music Concerts with a very special programme with works by the Cypriot composer Andreas Yangopoulos, the Italian Antonio Bazzini (1818-1897) and the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) for string quartet. The music is interpreted by the musicians of the Orchestra Anna Wrobel (1st violin), Ayşe Karaoğlan (2nd violin), Ewa Bartmann (viola) and Miranda Papaneocleous (cello).

The concert will take place on Saturday 12 October 2013, at 5.00pm at Pallas Theatre, Paphos Gate, Nicosia. Entrance is free. For more information you may call at 22 463144 or visit our webpage, www.cyso.org.cy.

Notes on the pieces:

Yiangopoulos’s Fugue for string quartet won first prize in 1962 at the Arts Festival of Morley College in London. The main theme begins with the second violin and is characterized by some tension which relaxes gradually. The other instruments follow in turn and, after a lot of work on the theme, the fugue finishes calmly.

Who could compose better for strings than a splendid violin virtuoso such as Antonio Bazzini, considered to be one of the greatest Italian violinists? His 1st string quartet in C major won first prize at the Milan Quartet Society's competition. Τhe prominent critic Arrigo Boito hails it as a fine, noble work, remarkable from all points of view, full of splendour.

Shostakovich wrote his Eighth String Quartet in C minor in 1960 whilst visiting the Dresden in the former Communist State of East Germany and gave it the dedication “In Remembrance of the Victims of Fascism and War”. The composer maintained that he could never hear this work without breaking into tears. Pervaded by feelings of anguish and gloom, this is an indisputably profound work which voices human tragedy.