Final performances at Axiothea Mansion

As the Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus reaches its end, its agenda still has three more performances up its sleeve. Axiothea Mansion will fill with two dozen musicians, writers, composers and dancers as the 26^th festival edition comes to a close.

On Friday, the Theatrical Workshop of the University will present a performance in Greek based on the entire Cavafy oeuvre. Titled Waters of Cyprus, of Syria, and of Egypt – Study on the ‘Dramatic’ Cavafy, the performance will combine poems or parts of poems in which the Alexandrian makes use of techniques and elements characteristic of the dramatic art.

Next, the Theatrical Workshop will take the floor again for the Always Alexandria Remains Herself performance on Sunday. Accompanied by Costas Vomvolos on the compositions and the piano, Costas Challoumas on double bass and Alexandros Gagatsis on drums, the musical performance will reveal the multicultural and vibrant city of Alexandria in the last period of its great prosperity.

Songs from the Parisian cabarets of the belle-époque, pieces from Greek operettas, international dance hits of the time and Arabic melodies in their Europeanised form blend together to recreate the diverse and charming mosaic that was Alexandria from the end of the 19th century until the interwar period.

Lastly, the Strovolos Municipality-European University of Cyprus Symphony Band will collaborate with professors and students from the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory of Music in Naples and the Academy of Music and Theatre in Lithuania, to present a rare concert with works for soloists and large wind ensemble, most of which will be performed for the first time in Cyprus. The European Winds concert will take place on Monday being the last performance of the 26th Cultural Festival.

The concert is also part of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) titled European Winds, which is financed by the Erasmus Programme and aims to present a lesser-known repertoire for soloists and large wind ensembles. The concert is the culmination of this programme and includes works by Cypriot, European and American composers.

26th Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus

Waters of Cyprus, of Syria, and of Egypt – Study on the “Dramatic” Cavafy. October 13. Always Alexandria Remains Herself. October 15. European Winds. October 16. Axiothea Mansion, Nicosia. 8.30pm. Free. Tel: 22-894531-2