With April upon us, Holy Week is fast approaching, a time that for many “awakens the soul and fills the heart with renewed hope,” as the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra says. Easter is one of the island’s biggest celebrations and to mark the occasion in the way they know best, the orchestra presents its annual Easter concert – a series to travel to Nicosia and Limassol.

Titled Rossini Stabat Mater, the concert will first be performed at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre on April 10 and then at the Pattichion Municipal Theatre in Limassol on April 11.

“Few musical works capture these emotions as powerfully as Gioachino Rossini’s Stabat Mater,” says the orchestra, “a magnificent religious work for choir, soloists and orchestra that expresses both the sorrow of human suffering and the promise of divine redemption.”

Written in 1841, Stabat Mater is considered a unique masterpiece of its kind despite being one of Rossini’s few works of religious music. Inspired by the 13th-century hymn of the same name that echoes the sorrow of the Virgin Mary standing at the foot of the Cross, Rossini’s setting masterfully balances the drama of operatic style with feelings of deep religious devotion. The work’s rich choral passages, lyrical solos, and rich orchestration combine to create a powerful meditation on sorrow, faith, and salvation.

Bringing it to life on stage will be soprano Eleni Charalambous, mezzo-soprano Margarita Elias, tenor Marios Andreou, bassist George Ioannou and the Choir of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Daniel Raiskin.

Rossini Stabat Mater

Easter concert of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. April 10. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. April 11. Pattichion Municipal Theatre, Limassol.