My dear Friends
On Tuesday I went to a concert to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the granting of Independence to Cyprus. The concert, in the Cadogan Hall, was given by the Oxford Philomusica under their Cypriot conductor Marios Papadopoulos.
It was a fine evening with 4 major pieces, the first being Schubert's Overture to 'Rosamunde Princess of Cyprus.' Then the Cypriot Sophie Sergi's 'Shall we Dance' a very colourful and vibrant piece. This was follwed by Christodolous Georgides' homage to Cyprus entitled 'Treasured Island' in 4 movements. Finally the orchestra played Dvorak's New World Symphony with great colour and vitality.
Heroine of the evening was Cyprus herself, who has had a colourful and turbulent history. Cyprus is the 3rd largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of its most popular tourist destinations. It joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.
The earliest known human activity on the island dates back to around the 10th millenium BC. As a strategic location in the Middle East Cyprus has been occupied by several major powers, among them the empires of the Hittites, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians and Ottomans. The island also experienced periods of Greek rule. It was placed under British administration in 1878 until it was granted independence in 1960.
In 1974, following 11 years of intercommunal violence and an attempted coup d'etat by Greek Cypriot nationalists, Turkey invaded and occupied the northern portion of the island. The intercommunal violence and subsequent Turkish invasion led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Cypriots and the establishment of a separate Turkish Cypriot political entity in the north.
But music is very unifying and there was a lovely peaceful atmosphere at the concert.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
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1 comment:
Sounds a good evening. I will be playing those pieces of music. My Grandson lives in Cyprus. Take care, B
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