Othello's Tower in Music

4 Musical Views on the Shakespearian Drama: Dvorak, Khachaturian, Rossini, Verdi.

The legendary "Tower of Othello", situated in Famagusta, is named after Shakespeare’s tragedy "Othello" whose action, it is believed, takes place there. Shakespeare himself talks about "a harbour in Cyprus". The tower is one among several towers along the imposing and at the same time picturesque walls of Famagusta, built by the Venetians when they took over the rule of Cyprus in 1489, and thus turning the city into the administrative centre and general headquarters of the Eastern Mediterranean. The winged lion of St. Mark, symbol of the Republic of Venice, is carved over the Tower’s gate. In Shakespeare’s play, Othello is a Moorish general and commander of Cyprus, appointed by the Republic of Venice.

The story of Othello, the Moorish general and commander of Cyprus who tragically murders his beautiful and innocent wife Desdemona blinded by jealousy maliciously seeded by Iago, has inspired composers to write intensely dramatic music in various genres such as the opera, music for theatre and film orchestral overtures etc. Four different musical views based on the story of Othello will be presented by the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra together with distinguished soloists and maestro.

Dimitra Theodossiou, Soprano
The Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou, who is studying with Birgit Nickl in Munich, is considered as one of the most exciting and important voices for Verdi and Belcanto-Repertoire. Among many other roles, she interpreted the title role in "Norma" in Athens, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, Kassel and many Italian theatres, Leonora (Il Trovatore) at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro dell' Opera in Rome, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Arena di Verona, Opera de Monte Carlo, Athens and Baltimore, Desdemona (Otello) at Teatro Municipal de Sao Paulo in Brasil, Gran Teatro La Fenice, Teatro Sao Carlos in Lisbon, Herodius Atticus in Athens, Violetta (La Traviata) in Athens, Teatro dell' Opera in Rome, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, as well as in Japan and Seoul with the Gran Teatro La Fenice. She has worked with world-renowned conductors, amongst others Riccardo Muti, Roberto Abbado, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Marcello Viotti, Valery Gergiev, Riccardo Chailly and Pinchas Steinberg. The soprano has won important
International Competitions such as "Belvedere", "Operalia", "Viotti", "Di Stefano"; and numerous prizes including best soprano of the Verdi Centenary Year 2002 in Milan.

Angelo Simos, Tenor
Angelo Simos was born in Athens, Greece. Angelo Simos is the stage name of Vaghelis Chatzisimos. He started his musical education at the Peiraikos Syndesmos Conservatory, singing class of Thalia Moira. He graduated with distinction and 1st prize. He attended master classes and private lessons with Ileana Cotrubas, Luigi Alva, Costas Paschalis and Arrigo Pola. Since 1995 he is member of the Greek National Opera Ensemble. He collaborates regularly with all the major orchestras and conductors in Greece (Lukas Karytinos, Byron Fidetzis, Mikis Michaelides, Miltos Logiadis, Alkis Baltas). He appears regularly in European Opera Houses (Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Oper Frankfurt, Staatstheater Mannheim, Sofia National Opera). Highlights of his carreer include the collaboration with artists such as Anna Tomowa Sintow, Maria Guleghina, Agnes Baltsa and stage directors such as Dietrich Hillsdorf, Christof Loy, Graham Vick and Giancarlo Del Monaco. He has recorded music by Massenet, Kalomoiris, Karrer, Samaras, Mitropoulos and Theodorakis. Since October 2011 he is Deputy Stage Director of the Greek National Opera. He teaches at the Ethnikon Odeion and at the Odeion "Athenaeum".

Kyros Patsalides, Baritone
The baritone Kyros Patsalides is one of the most important Cypriot artists of his generation with a distinguished international career. He studied in Vienna under the guidance of baritones Walter Berry and Gottfried Hornik on a scholarship awarded by the The Music and Fine Arts Foundation of Cyprus. He also studied Lied and Oratorio at the Music Academy of Vienna, operatic repertoire with Adalberdo Tonini and singing technique with Arrigo Pola and Simone Badi in Milan and Modena. In 1995 he won the first prize in the International Song Competition of the Budapest State Opera. His repertoire includes roles from classical romantic and contemporary operas, and oratorio. He appears in major theatres and international festivals including Vienna State Opera, Teatro Filarmonico dell’ Arena di Verona, National Opera of Greece, Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Athens and Thessaloniki Megaron Halls, Wiener Festwochen and Wratislavia Cantans (Poland). As a soloist he collaborated with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Orchestra dell’ Arena di Verona, all the important orchestras in Greece, the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and others. He has been honoured by various political and cultural institutions for his contribution to musical life in Cyprus.

Lukas Karytinos, Conductor
Lukas Karytinos studied conducting at the University of Arts of West Berlin with H. Alendorf as well as conducting seminars at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Between 1981 and 1985 he worked in Germany as Music Director of the Sharlontenburg Chamber Orchestra, Berlin and Director of the Piccolo Teatro Berolino. Since 1985 he works as Chief Conductor of the Greek National Opera, where he was appointed Music Director in 1992 and held the position of Artistic Director from 1999 to 2005. He has performed with all the orchestras of Greece and has collaborated with distinguished opera theatres including those of Berlin, Barcelona, Cologne, Monte Carlo, Detroit, Salzburg, Rome, Catania, Modena and Bilbao. Outside Europe he has performed in Korea, the USA, Australia, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia, among others. He has received various honourary prizes, including the "Golden Medal of Honour" 1989 by the Athens Municipality for his "excellent services" in music, the "Great Music Prize" 2008 for his general contribution in the field of Opera by the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music and the "Apollon" Prize 2010 for his overall contribution to music by the Association of the Friends of the Greek National Opera.

Programme:
Antonin Dvorak: Concert overture Othello, Op. 93, B. 174
Aram Khachaturian: Suite from the music to the film Othello, Op. 87A: Prologue and Introduction
Gioachino Rossini: Overture to the opera Otello
Giuseppe Verdi: Excerpts from the opera Otello

Soloists: Dimitra Theodossiou (soprano), Angelo Simos (tenor), Kyros Patsalides (baritone)
Conductor: Lukas Karytinos

Box Office Bookings
Nicosia:
Pallas Cinema - Theatre
Tel.: 22410181

Limassol:
Rialto Theatre
Tel.: 77777745
On-line www.rialto.com.cy

Municipal Garden Theatre
Tel.: 25343341, 25582268

The performance is part of the Kypria International Festival 2012